Does reincarnation make sense to you? Even if you don't believe in it...?

Question

Regardless of your religion. Does the concept of reincarnation make sense to you? PLEASE don't state what your religion feels on the issue. Even an evangelical Christian can state that reincarnation makes sense to them (even if they don't believe in it).

Do you think it could answer some questions regarding inequality? Such as, for example, infanticide? Please state why you think it does or doesn't make sense and, if you don't think it does, why do you think one life then death makes more sense?

Also, for a bonus: Do you think the concept that John Locke poses about everyone being born as a blank slate, or tabula rasa, enforces or discourages reincarnation?

Answer 1

It make absolute sense to me. It provides a reason for everything and provides the balances we look for in life and seldom find.
It is about self-control, self-responsibility and consequences. It is about learning and working our way toward God.
It also provides reasons for the very bad people in life and the horrendous things that happen to good and innocent people.
It allows for experience and learning without condemnation before a person has a chance to learn what they are about, much less, what they believe.
It accounts for strong likes and dislikes that occur with no reason.
I can always make this belief mesh with any religion and all beliefs. It makes absolute, balanced and perfect sense.
To me.
_

Answer 2

Human person is created being. Human soul, as all the religions teach us is eternal, created for ever as human soul/ spirit. If it is created as eternally as a human soul how can it loose its identity as human soul even after death and become something else or someone else? Belief in reincarnation is to believe in materialism or Hegelian dialectic process. If you can be reincaranetd as somebody esle or something else after your daeth, why do you struggle to keep your identity as a human person. You can live as any animal ot any other being like. There is nothing wrong. Why then do you keep moral values and behave maorally? Why then there is human morality. If you believe in reincarantion as being born as another body, there would be no good or bad acts, free human acts. There would be no difference between an animal and a human person. Because after all a human person could be an animal or an animal could be a human person in the next birth. Then there is no possibility of permanence in the in the things. Change alone becomes everything as Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher said.

John Lock's concept of human mind at birth being a "Tabula Rasa" is not directly concerned with rebirth but with the mode of acquiring knowledge. Accordingly, all knowledge is acquired by a person through sense experience. The knowledge is not inborn as held by Plato or Descartes. Some may argue that the very fact human person has some ideas even without any perception of something or being taught by somebody, is a sign or proof for the soul being imprinnted with such ideas in the last/ previous birth. It is an unsoulved question. There are arguements from both the sides.

Answer 3

I don't think reincarnation makes any sense whatsoever.

Can I refer you to the principle of Ockam's Razor ? - basically it means that you should you look for the simplest reason for everything that occurs. Any "evidence" that is produced for the concept of reincarnation can be explained in a simpler and more prosaic fashion than having to come up with the premise that some part of your being that no-one has ever seen, measured, or experienced, lives on after your death and becomes another being.

I liken this to the "Ancient Astronauts" theories (von Daniken). There are incredible buildings in the world, yes, but a simpler explanation for them being there is that our ancestors were clever people, not that we were visited by aliens in our ancient history.

Locke's concept of the tabula rasa discourages reincarnation. In order to "prove" reincarnation, would you not have to provide some sort of regression into a previous life ? With the tabula rasa, then this would never be possible.

The burden of proof is always with those positing the theory. If the tabula rasa prevents any proof, then the construct of reincarnation immediately collapses.

Towanda provides his own experience as a proof of life after death - but this is not reincarnation, although the experience has opened his mind to these alternatives.

I am fascinated by patois' theory of reincarnation by influenza DNA. If you get flu you become a reincarnation, if you don't contract flu then you're not reincarnated.......

Answer 4

I do believe in reincarnation; but not in the sense of a whole self returning in another body. Which seems to be the common western view on this matter.
"We" are all part of(and) the universe. When we die, we go nowhere; we are still part of the universe. More like a cosmic compost heap; forms rising up and falling away. Like a garden, the death of one plant leads to the growth of another.. This is why in buddhism there is no birth or death, nor end to them.
Does infanticide make sense? I suppose that depends on the situation. If they are facing a severe form of death, euthenasia might be compassionate. However, killing your kids because you can't handle the responsability is insanity. Give them up for adoption to someone who WILL care for them.
I think that we are all a blank slate in our original face. The delusion of our mind that "we" exist is just brought on by the belief in past and present. Reality check says they are nowhere to be found. In fact, where can i find "you"? In what part of the brain? Because all I see is a brain, some synapses and nuerons firing offf, but I don't see you. Where are you?

Answer 5

You can believe in reincarnation and still be borne a clean slate or forgetful of your past lives. So a quick story, my mother died, we were very close, she protected me in many ways. . .I went into work and a friend took me to a private room to call my father and he told me she had died. During the conversation I felt a warm "presence" press itself against the back of me, reach around and give me a hug and I "heard" my mother say, "I'm OK." She gave me a another great gift-the proof of life after death. I can rationalize what happened but had a nutty friend tell me to accept it as I believe it happened and so I do. This experience has left me open to a lot of thought. I also have some dreams that come true. Then there are other dreams-of other places and other times. Do I have a good imagination? Yes. But these are different. I had a dream of London and I would love to see if I can find the spot. If I can consider this, then I must believe in reincarnation. Glad I don't have to sign my real name or you all would think me as nutty as my friend.

Answer 6

I am not sure I agree with John Locke.A blank slate,I don't think so.After being involved in the study of metaphysics for many years,I definitely lean towards belief in reincarnation and Karma.Especially Karma,which to me defines life as "what goes around comes around".I have friends who are genuine clairvoyants,they can tell specific past, present,and future events to any stranger that walks into the room.If we just have one life to live ,why is there so much diversity?Some people just seem to be born to be a genius,others suffer from birth with horrid malformations.I believe in each life you are given the cards and it is all about how you handle your given circumstances!Of course, I don't know WHY.What do you think the odds are of this all happening by chance?What are the odds of winning the lottery and living happily ever after???

Answer 7

To be able to make some sense about reincarnation, we need to know about death. And unless we understand death, we do not even know about life...!
So to start, there seems to be good logic in beginning with something we have experience, something we know, something within our reach... and that is self-awareness, the gift unique to humans. When we evolve , this self awareness could open a possibility , of deepening our perception beyond sensory levels, and it would clearly allow us to 'see' what this reincarnation is all about ! Words would mean nothing, either way.

Answer 8

To understand reincarnation you only have to look at the whole of 'nature' itself.
Plant life for example 'cannot' flourish or 'grow' until it's own death has occurred.
A flower dies, it's seeds fall to the ground and more plants/flower heads grow exponentially as a result.

Our 'seed' is our soul. When our shell/body dies, our soul leaves and 'pollenates' other souls with it's wisdom learned while in it's previous 'carnation'.

it can 'pollenate' unlimited other souls with wisdom and knowledge.

Check out 'source' below.

Pete.

Answer 9

Reincarnation is merely memory deposited in our DNA by viruses, especially influenza viruses, as they pass through us and mix a little of their collection of DNA memories with ours. They pick up a sample of our collective DNA memories when they pass through and add that to their collections which they pass down along as they reproduce. John Locke is outdated. We know about the human genome now and that 80% of who we are is determined by our genetics.

Answer 10

Makes plenty of sense to me. Fits in with "balancing the equation" of the world, so to speak. Matter can not be created or destroyed, on changed from one form to another. (Think outside the box and science kinda makes sense here).