was reincarnation purposfully removed from the bible?

Question

because if people believe that they get more chances to grow and learn they will not do what the church says- fear used to control the masses.

whynotaskdon? because he will attack you and call you a child for opening your mind.
fear does not rule me. freedom, love and light does
*peace

i also love when people show their ignorance by spouting out what little they know about other religions and belief systems

Answer 1

Reincarnation wasn't so much "removed" from the New Testament as it was distorted and disguised with endless footnotes and spin doctoring from johnny-come-latelys who never met Jesus - beginning with Paul, who essentially founded the early Christian church.

Whatever biblical passages didn't conform to their personal beliefs, they modified, deleted or slapped post-it notes all over, in an effort to discourage Christians from understanding Jesus' words within their own hearts and minds.

In the bible are clear, direct references to reincarnation such as "verily, verily [truly, literally] you must be born again", as well as numerous references to karma (e.g., the Beatitudes is a glowing example of the dynamics of karma). But church leaders who were never there - who never knew the man that spoke these things - edited his words to their own liking by telling us "Hey, don't take that literally - what he really meant was this..."

All this editing with explanatory footnotes was designed to give the church the supreme authority over the souls of mankind, under the guise of speaking for (and sometimes correcting the words of) God.

The Christian church has always focused much more on the "death" of its namesake than on his "life", and even today Jesus' martyrdom continues to be valued by Christians a great deal more than his ministry. In a sense the Christian church actually usurped Jesus by exploiting him as a sort of cover boy behind whom they promote their own agenda.

History has shown beyond any doubt that the early church got rich and powerful by selling dispensations and sainthoods, and by damning to hell (excommunicating) anyone who rebelled against their authority. These are the same people who wrote all the footnotes about how to interpret - and not to interpret - any biblical passages that might threaten that authority, such as references to reincarnation.

Answer 2

Everyone looked over CJ s answer as if it wasn t there, but what he says is absolutely true. Some of the references to reincarnation ARE still there. To give one example, perhaps to cover up what s there, in some Bibles when you look up Matthew 17:12-13 you will see Elias and in some Elijah. (They are two different people) This may be done to stop you from going back to read about the life of Elijah and seeing how this past life of John the Baptist lines up with his present life as John the Baptist.It s hard not to see the parallels. I won t go over anymore of the instances that CJ has already cited, but reincarnation also helps explain the concept of being born in sin, when it seems that you re innocent and haven t had a chance to do anything wrong.God is not that unfair. He gives us free will. We are able to make a mess of our lives, but in some future life when the crap hits the fan and we go looking for answers, he s there to help us. To guide us when we ve been through enough to know better and are ready to listen to reason. I would also say that the word resurrection, which is frequently used in the Bible could easily have been translated as reincarnation in those days. Last thought, when the disciples asked Jesus who did sin that this man was born blind, I m sure he understood the implication and he did not correct them.

Answer 3

There's lots of stuff the churches did that they can't get away with now to 'convert heathens'. I think your hypothesis is correct in that it would have made it harder for them to minister their control, so, like many others, they chose to dismiss it for those reasons.

In December, 1945, early Christian writings containing many secrets of the early Christian religion were found in upper Egypt, a location where many Christians fled during the Roman invasion of Jerusalem. Undisturbed since their concealment almost two thousand years ago, these manuscripts of Christian mysticism rank in importance with the Dead Sea Scrolls. These writings affirmed the existence of the doctrine of reincarnation being taught among the early Jews and Christians. These Christian mystics, referred to as Christian Gnostics, were ultimately destroyed by the orthodox Church for being heretics. Their sacred writings were destroyed and hidden with the belief that they would be revealed at an appropriate time in the future. The discovery in 1945 yielded writings that included some long lost gospels, some of which were written earlier than the known gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

whynotaskdon - I notice a lot of 'christians' resort to those tactics of insulting and ridiculing others when their faith is challenged-it usually means they are afraid. :)

Answer 4

Reincarnation was never really discused in the Bible, it was left out from the begining, but you do get to come back to learn if you so choose.

Fear is a great element of control, it breifly wolrked for many dictators, but it's only a matter of time befoer the people seek the truth.

Answer 5

Being born again and chances to grow and learn does not mean reincarnation. It simply means you are born again in Christ which means you get saved, and to learn and grow is to learn and grow with God. Reincarnation does not exist. You get one chance on earth and do not have the choice to do it all over again if you so choose.
What kills me is people say they don't believe in a higher god, but there is no proof and no way to tell if anyone has been reincarnated. How can people believe in that and not in God. Basically you can't prove reincarnation, but that is always what people say about believing in God- you can't see it, prove it, so it must not be. Isn't that contradicting yourselves?

Answer 6

Reincarnation is not and never was taught in the Bible. Romans 6:7 says "he who dies has been acquitted from his sin". However reincarnation teaches that ones actions affect his karma. If the karma is bad, that person would be reincarnated in an inferior form of life. This directly contradicts Romans 6:7. Since death is the punishment for sin, that sentence is served once a person dies and does not need to be extended into some future existence. Also, how would reincarnation serve its purpose of punishing one for their bad actions from a previous life if they cannot remember it? And how could that person know what he/she needs to work on in their present life? The Bible teaches that one dies, returning to dust unless God chooses to recreate that person and give them life again, restoring their full memories of their life previous to death. It is a very loving provision.

Answer 7

Yes, I heard that it was.The doctrines of pre-existence and reincarnation existed as secret teachings of Jesus until they were declared a heresy by the Roman Church in 553 A.D. It was at this time that the Roman Church aggressively destroyed competing teachings and so-called heresies within the Church. Along with the destruction of unorthodox teachings came the destruction of Jews, Gnostics, and ultimately anyone who stood in the way of the Inquisition and Crusades.

Answer 8

HA! interestingly enough the religions that support reincarnation can be called fear mongers in telling people that if they aren't good in this life they will come back in a lower position, possibly even an earthworm.

Read your question again. I think it is you who are trying to control the masses through fear of our faith.

Answer 9

Yes, but some of it is still in there

When the disciples ask Jesus why the blind man was born blind, was it for his sins or the sins of his father.

When the disciples ask Jesus when Elijah will return and he says that he already has and then the disciples realize that he is talking about john the Baptist.

When Jesus ask the disciples
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:15-16

And
Woe be unto you, ungodly men, which have forsaken the law of the most high God: for if you increase it shall be to your destruction. And if you be born, you shall be born to a curse… Ecclesiasticus 41:8-9, KJV,

And when Jesus says that a man will not enter heaven unless he is born again.

Answer 10

No, reincarnation was not removed from the Bible. It was never there. The Hebrew Tetragrammaton is what was purposely removed from the Bible - thousands of times.