Are you a Christian, and if so, do you believe that reincarnation is impossible?

Question

My girlfriend and I have been talking about reincarnation- she totally disbelieves that it is possible, but I think it is. Is my belief against God's laws and teachings in the Holy Bible? If so, could you please tell me what exact scriptures denounce the possibility of reincarnation?

Are you a born again Christian who also believes that reincarnation is possible?

I think it is possible, but I think it is very rare. Am I crazy for believing this?

Answer 1

Reincarnation is a confusion or misunderstanding of what Jesus spoke in the Bible. He spoke of resurrection (where your soul indwells your original body once again).

Do you know of anyone who can provide evidence of their reincarnation?

In the Bible, more than 500 people saw and testified of having seen the resurrected Christ.

Also, the example of Lazarus who was resurrected from the dead.

Finally, after Jesus's death, there was an earthquake and many tombs opened up to let out people who were resurrected from the dead.

Once again, examples of people who came back to live in their original bodies, not those of other people/animals.

Answer 2

There are many problems with the salvation-by works doctrine of reincarnation. First, there are many practical problems. For example:
1. We must ask, why does one get punished for something he or she cannot remember having done in a previous life?
2. If the purpose of karma is to rid humanity of its selfish desires, then why hasn't there been a noticeable improvement in human nature after all the millennia of reincarnations?
3. If reincarnation and the law of karma are so beneficial on a practical level, then how do advocates of this doctrine explain the immense and ever-worsening social and economic problems - including widespread poverty, starvation, disease, and horrible suffering - in India, where reincarnation has been systematically taught through out its history?
There are also many biblical problems with believing in reincarnation. For example, in 2 Corinthians 5:8 the apostle Paul states, "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." At death, the, the Christian immediately goes into the presence of the Lord, not into another body. In keeping with this. Luke 16:19-31 tells us that unbelievers at death go to a place of suffering, not into another body.
Further, Hebrews 9:27 assures us that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." Each human being LIVES ONCE as a mortal on earth, DIES ONCE, and then FACES JUDGMENT. He does not have a second chance by reincarnating into another body.

Answer 3

Well, the question to ask is since the Bible teaches that the soul dies with the body and the Spirit of Life we share with all forms of life, than what gets reincarnated? The closest thing to reincarnation is the resurrection, to either a spirit being or a physical being, depending on whether you have been chosen to be a part of the Bridal Class (Born Again) or are of the "other sheep not of this fold" who gets everlasting life on Earth. There are the ones who are resurrected to judgment, than they cease to exist, eve in the minds of those living.

When you die, all that you were is recorded in the Book of Life, or not. That data is downloaded into the new body.

Answer 4

I am not Christian myself, but comparative religion and mythology is a favorite subject of mine and I've done a fair amount of reading and research on it. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that belief in reincarnation was very prevalent in early Christianity. It wasn't until the council of Nicea in 325 A.D. that Christian doctrine "officially" declared that Christ ascended to Heaven after he resurrected. If you want scriptural evidence, there is plenty to be found on either side of the argument (just like almost everything else in the Bible). Check the sources below for more info.

Answer 5

I'm a freaked out liberal Christian who thinks reincarnation is not just possible, but likely.

Look, the church was wrong about almost everything strictly scientific. Galileo won. There's empirical evidence for reincarnation (go to Amazon and look for books by Ian Stevenson, or visit http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/personalitystudies/

If it turns out that reincarnation is really true, Christians will come around to the idea and work it into their theology somehow or other.

Answer 6

True Christians do not believe in reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27 states that it is appointed that man should die only once and then the judgment. Humanity is the crown of God's creation so he would never send us back as something else. We only get one life to make a choice to follow him or not.

Answer 7

Yes and Yes.

The Bible is full of instances of reincarnation, as are the apocrypha and the old Judaic oral traditions. Was not Jesus himself the Incarnate Word, who came to earth in a new incarnation (therefore RE incarnated), died and rose again (RE-reincarnated)? Not to mention that Jesus Himself said that John was Elijah come again. Read deeper into the meaning of the words -- especially as they were written in the ancient languages. The Hebrew of the Old Testament carries more meaning than just what has been transliterated into English.

Answer 8

Christians are not supposed to believe in reincarnation; however there have been some sources that have puzzles both science and religion.
I met this 5 year old kid in London who could name all the ancient names of places in Scotland by looking at a map. He could also sing old Gaelic songs.

Answer 9

Well, to say that reincarnation is less possible than going to heaven or hell is talking insanity. Reincarnation is very possible when considering that what is being reincarnated is not entirely the soul but instead the mentality of a person, or in other words, their brain waves.

Answer 10

Not crazy... just misguided and miss understanding of God's Word and Will for mankind..... God can do any thing He wants... so if he wanted you to come back as a grasshopper you would... but those of The True Christian Faith know that is not God's Word or will.....it is not part of God's Word

btw... those of The True Christian Faith who end their mortal life before the Calling out of The church will be Resurected...but that is not reincarnation as you speak of it. We will still be us...just in new bodies that will be emmortal not mortal as are the ones we have now.