Merlin
New Member
There are many comments on this board about reincarnation not being an accepted normality. It is only the Western world that holds this view, and this is directly attributable to the “purveyors of religion”, as Nightrain1 calls them.
“Dr. Leslie D. Weatherhead, the highly respected theologian of City Temple, London, has stated that “ the early Christian Church accepted it (reincarnation) until the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 553, and then discarded it by a vote of 3 to 2.* Even Origin, St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assissi accepted it.”* Origin (A.D. 185-254), one of the leading, early Christian scholars, was among those excommunicated for his views on the immortality of the soul.* They were victims of the many Anathemas of the day.
The supposition that each birth into the earth plane is a new, special creation is man-made.* The single-life idea is, therefore, a direct result of the diluted version of Christianity.* There is little to support the notion in nature, in the Bible, or in human life itself.* Nature constantly displays the continuity of life, e.g., trees “die” in the fall and come “alive” in the spring; the cycle of rainfall repeats itself, new days are “born.”
When Christianity was popularized by the church fathers in the early centuries, several sources claim the doctrine of reincarnation was dropped.* Only the Cabala, the secret religion of the Jews and the bible of the Gnostics, retained it, for the Essenes by then were extinct.* Since few were aware of it, it would die out with the priesthood.* Its knowledge was not considered desirable for the common people. Too, the burden of responsibility was shifted from the individual to Jesus to allow for an easy religion, attractive to the masses.* Christianity was formalized and dogmatized – toned down to fit man as a religious system because man was not up to fitting it spiritually.
Their reasoning was sound if not ethical.* Materialistic as man was, he would tend to say, “Why worry about this life – there are other lives to live,” overlooking the consequences of karma – the law of cause and effect, of retributive justice.* He would use it as an excuse for his shortcomings.* Moreover, reincarnation would weaken the priesthood’s ecclesiastical position of power and authority, and there would not be the same force behind the doctrine of submission.* It was therefore deleted, and perhaps wisely for that day and age. “
Regards
Merlin6
“Dr. Leslie D. Weatherhead, the highly respected theologian of City Temple, London, has stated that “ the early Christian Church accepted it (reincarnation) until the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 553, and then discarded it by a vote of 3 to 2.* Even Origin, St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assissi accepted it.”* Origin (A.D. 185-254), one of the leading, early Christian scholars, was among those excommunicated for his views on the immortality of the soul.* They were victims of the many Anathemas of the day.
The supposition that each birth into the earth plane is a new, special creation is man-made.* The single-life idea is, therefore, a direct result of the diluted version of Christianity.* There is little to support the notion in nature, in the Bible, or in human life itself.* Nature constantly displays the continuity of life, e.g., trees “die” in the fall and come “alive” in the spring; the cycle of rainfall repeats itself, new days are “born.”
When Christianity was popularized by the church fathers in the early centuries, several sources claim the doctrine of reincarnation was dropped.* Only the Cabala, the secret religion of the Jews and the bible of the Gnostics, retained it, for the Essenes by then were extinct.* Since few were aware of it, it would die out with the priesthood.* Its knowledge was not considered desirable for the common people. Too, the burden of responsibility was shifted from the individual to Jesus to allow for an easy religion, attractive to the masses.* Christianity was formalized and dogmatized – toned down to fit man as a religious system because man was not up to fitting it spiritually.
Their reasoning was sound if not ethical.* Materialistic as man was, he would tend to say, “Why worry about this life – there are other lives to live,” overlooking the consequences of karma – the law of cause and effect, of retributive justice.* He would use it as an excuse for his shortcomings.* Moreover, reincarnation would weaken the priesthood’s ecclesiastical position of power and authority, and there would not be the same force behind the doctrine of submission.* It was therefore deleted, and perhaps wisely for that day and age. “
Regards
Merlin6
