Strengthening Ideal?

[cloud potato]

Has the concept of reincarnation, alongside your personal experiences, strengthened your relationship with God? Have your experiences lead you to believe in Life after Death? Have they birthed or strengthened a sense of Faith? Has reincarnation brought you closer to the acknowledgment of an unseen, guiding intelligence?

 

[fireflydancing]

Yep. I went from an atheist-leaning personality toward the acceptance/acknowledgment of higher forces, including 'God'. It's not a kind of conversion and I don't feel a before and after. It's more like an expansion process.

 

[SeaAndSky]

Has the concept of reincarnation, alongside your personal experiences, strengthened your relationship with God? Have your experiences lead you to believe in Life after Death? Have they strengthened or birthed a sense of Faith? Has reincarnation brought you closer to the acknowledgment of an unseen, guiding intelligence?

Hi Cloud,

No. It was already in place. To the extent it has grown over the years it has generally done so without reference to reincarnation, though I find that reincarnation helps to resolve some Theodicy issues for me. However, continuing chances for growth, discipline and salvation after life here on earth would resolve most of the same issues, and I believe there is strong evidence for this in Scripture (though I cannot say that such chances are unending). Mostly, reincarnation has been a challenge to me in terms of reconciling it with my tendency towards a mostly standard approach to my Christian faith.

Nonetheless, on the plus side, reincarnation has given me some insights into why I might be the person I am, and why some others might be the people they are. Frankly, I do not find the one-lifetime nature and nurture approach to be capable of explaining why people arrive so distinctively individualistic with their own pre-formed personality from the very beginning. I grew up in a fairly large family, raised 5 of my own, and have 10 grandchildren (with more on the way). I can attest to the distinctiveness of their personalities, tendencies, traits, etc. from the very beginning. None of the foregoing were a "blank slate" to be written on, and "nurture" could only accomplish so much with them (as with me). In short, their growing up seems to be more of an unveiling of the person who was already there, than the creation of someone new--though none I have known were completely immune to influences of current family and circumstances.

Cordially,
S&S