Did we choose our birth?

Question

Please explain.

Answer 1

Spiritualy speaking that is exactly the choice we have now. Choose life or choose death that is the option that God is giving us today. What is life and birth if it be a fleeting moment? But real birth and life are spiritual and eternal.

Answer 2

I'll try to make this short.

I think your question has two parts:
Do we exist before conception?
If we exist do we have the conscious will to choose our destiny?

Although religious literature sometimes support the concept of pre-existence, there is little or nothing to suggest conscious choice.

According to the bible all human beings have a beginning, and most understand that to be conception. Even if God knew us, and knew our destiny, there is nothing to indicate we had a choice.

It's a romantic notion to think that we choose our parents and thus have a hand in creating our own future, and unique set of challenges.

But logic tells us that some of these match ups have been disastrous. There are parents who should never have had children, and even the bible says people who would have been better off if they had never been born.

Answer 3

As I have read in several far east religions. There is compelling evidence that a cycle or a succession of many lives must be completed until one has obtained the a highest level a human can reach that is perfection. Which is why one person gets hanged for wrongs commited against and another experiences harmony with fellow man. Each chose to live that life and did not realize that every action one takes in life there is a reaction. The former instance will need to come back on the same plain of human existance,the later is rewarded in transending to a yet higher level of existance until....Well thats what I read. I have yet to arrive to my next level of awareness once I get through this most complicated one. My Daughter is an interesting case. when she was around 3 it was like she wanted to tell her mom and I something. she sat down and drew this outstanding rendering of a man holding the hand of a taller child,behind this taller child was 6 others following in dispair one child hobbled with only one leg and a makeshift cane. we asked what is this? she replied i was there. where is there? I don't know. Are you in this picture? Yes she replied. which one are you? she pointed to the little one with one leg. Where is your parents? somebody took them away. where was the man taking you? to a smokey place..we all died. Well??? You question runs deep. Instructions for finding out your past lives can be obtained. And is a simple technique.

Answer 4

I think our higher selves choose our parents for the possible opportunities that we may have to learn what we need to learn or to help others learn. I don't believe in predestination, so I don't think it's possible to know exactly what our life will entail before we are born. But I think we can know the general possibilities. This explains things like infants who live short lives. That soul can see the possibility that it may be a short life but chooses it anyway because it will give others the chance to learn. It also helps to explain why children with terminal illnesses seem to have "angel-like" personalities---these souls knew the possibility of their life yet they unselfishly chose it anyway for the lessons it could provide themselves or others. Surley it would take an advanced soul to make such an unselfish choice for the greater good, wouldn't it?

Answer 5

In Buddhism the answer is no we don't choose but we do have an important input into the kind of Rebirth. I'll need to explain Karma, the cycle of Life and the Buddhist notions about the Christian term 'soul' to fully explain the concepts in their relationship to Rebirth, bear with me and I'll try to keep it to less than War and Peace for your benefit.

To Buddhists, Life is a cycle..Birth, Life with choices leading to consequences to Death then Rebirth as a result of rather due to those consequences. As you can see all are interrelated.

Karma then..what is it really. Karma is a noun to Buddhists not a verb. Karma doesn't do anything but is a term which represents a phenomenon known as Action and Consequence. Buddhists do not say that happened because of Karma, rather that action will have consequence ergo Karma is the consequence or consequences that result of our actions including speech, deed or thought no matter how insignificant.

How does this fit into the cycle of Life?

Throughout Life each of us makes choices in situations which determine the outcome thereof. Moreover those choices can have far reaching consequence for our future happiness. Consider when you were a child, did you have any idea that you would be where you are today. You're pesent circumstances are because of all the choices you have made in the past. You have therefore caused your own future happiness or other though choice. This then is Karma. Through choice we decide our own direction and it is through choice we decide the consequences we experience. It is choice of Action then that we decide the consequences and it is the consequences which are known as Karma.

Consequences then can be in a positive sense, negative sense or neutral sense. It is the goal of Buddists to only choose for a positive consequence for negative consequences are a condition of unhappiness or suffering to use the Buddhist term and Budhists are determined that suffering end for all beings not just themselves. Sometimes death occurs when there are still negative consequences to be felt due to previous actions, in this case death is no escape from them instead those consequences are felt in our next Life...let me explain...

A human Life is made up of 5 impermanent Parts known as Skandhas, these include our physical body and gender, our ideas and opinions, our character and personality and so on. There is a permanent Part known a Buddha Nature which is permanent, but ethereal and elusive to define. It is this Buddha Nature which evolves and is subject to the effects of the experiences of the other Parts.

When we die, according to Buddhists, the 5 impermanent Skandhas dissolve with the body and what remains is 'us' or our Buddha Nature. If there is negative consequence remaining from previous action, Karma, then the 5 impermanent Parts are then reformed in different measure from the last Life due to this negative Karma and they are then joined with the Buddha Nature to form a new Life. We are then Reborn. If there is no negative Karma remaining then a Rebirth becomes unnecessary and the Buddha Nature is evolved to a higher Realm.

This then is why according to Buddhists we do not choose a Rebirth but it is because of previous unresolved negative consequence or Karma which determnines whether a Rebirth occurs. However it is through our own choices that negative consequence occur and so it is through our own choices in Life that ultimately determine this outcome.

I hope I have explained these sometimes difficult concepts for you, they can be quite strange if you haven't heard about them in the past. I apologise if I've confused you it wasn't my intent, and I've only explained them for your benefit not so you will believe them or question your own Faith. You will no doubt have quite different and equally as valid explanations and I hope you can use these ideas for comparison with your own.

Peace from a Buddhist..in the season of joy...

Answer 6

I think we do choose our birth, as do many astrologically-inclined people. But, I cannot prove this. . . Can you prove that we don't?

Some food for thought. . . If we don't choose for ourselves the future lives needed to live in order to balance our Karma, then who should?

I would like to think that we get some credit for knowing ourselves best, wouldn't you. . . Or else, what's the purpose of the human-spirit. . .

Answer 7

Jesus said"Before Abraham was, I am". He told his followers He had been before He was here. This would imply that at least one man was capable of "being" before he was born. I don't presume to explain it, and I certainly don't think we return to this earth after death.
We here can only think in terms of an existence with time. After we reach the speed of light and beyond to the infinite, there is no time, and we can't know how that affects our existence.

Answer 8

In a way. I believe we did not choose to be born, however I do believe that we were given previews about the lives we could have, and chose the lesser evil most likely.

Answer 9

We could not choose our birth, but we can choose our rebirth.
We did not use our brains in the wombs of our mothers, but we use it here.
The reading of various Holy Books will give clearer answers for the complicated circumstances of each individual.

Answer 10

yes. as i believe life is almost like a game, but a learining experience. We chose this lifestyle to learn from it. Our curiosity led us to choose what it would be like to be poor, rich, famouse, a hero, a legend, a prophet ect...

thats how i see it.