Has the subject of reincarnation ever been addresed on this site? I'm curious what the different religions' viewpoints are. I was brought up to believe in it. Since becoming an atheist, however, I've been analyzing it. Unfortunately most of the books out there act as if you've never heard of the idea before. It's kind of like reading Dr. Seuss when you're used to Dr. Freud. Does anyone else believe it, and if so, how do you think it works? I've had a few bizarre experiences that could be explained rationally, but not easily. These experiences are what keep me from whole-heartedly accepting the theory that it's a way of denying the finality of death.
Nearly all of the worlds religion believe in reincarnation in one way or another. Nobody has never brought it up because no one ever thinks it's possible. I believe in reincarnation is a way to learn on this earth. It doesn't matter if you're in a religion or not. We are here to learn and it can take one lifetime or one hundred just to learn something. ------------------ everything is not what it appears to be
Vanja brought reincarnation up on this site on October 15th of this year. Perhaps some souls which did not get it right in a previous, temporary, physical vessel are reincarnated so that they have another chance to find God before it is too late.
If we don't get to remember our past lives, how are we expected to learn anything? It's like doing your best and being told that you failed, but never being told why or how you failed. I believe I have recovered a few of my past lives, and I even think I know the lessons from those lives. One of the biggest lessons was simply "get over it". A few years ago I was driving a delivery truck. As I was unloading medical supplies at a private residence, a small boy, maybe three or four years old, twisted his hand away from his mother and walked up to me. Of course, she was right behind him, but he got to me first. He looked up with absolutely sad eyes and said "I'm sorry." I had never met this boy before in this lifetime, but whatever he was apologizing for, he apparently felt terrible about it. His mother looked at him strangely and asked me what he did. I knelt down face to face and told him "Don't worry about it. I got over it centuries ago." I still don't know what it was that I had gotten over, but the boy's countenance changed from sorrow to delight and he threw his arms around my neck. I hugged him gently and we parted ways. I still don't know who he was, but he apparently had to apologize to me so badly that it hung on for all these lifetimes. I know we both walked away feeling better for the incident.
Oxygen, That momoent was immeasurably powerful and beautiful! What you did for both of you was tremendous in it's effects for the future.
Oxygen, Humanity at one of it's finest moments! Loving forgiveness, offered and received. What more could we ask for? That's the nature of the relationship between Jesus Christ/God and man. God bless you!
Have you guys ever considered your past lives? I tend to give mine credit rather than write it off as fantasy because I don't recall being anyone famous. You know, most people were Napoleon or Cleopatra. If I had memories of these lives, I'd probably discount them, although even famous people get reincarnated. My father actually hypnotized me one time (I wasn't even aware he was doing it!) and I began talking about things I had no knowledge of. The cool part is that I was completely aware of what I was saying and doing. I just seemed to have no conscious control over it, and all because I exhibitted a preference for a particular coffee cup.
Oxygen, Past lives are very interesting indeed! There are several people I know with whom past lives have been shared directly. My sweetie is one of them! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! There are some pretty interesting theories about PL's and how some of those famous folks keep showing up in multiples.
I went through a past life regression under hypnosis about 20 years ago, but I never believed I was really recalling a past life. It was a pretty cool experience, but it just felt like sort of a guided imagery type of thing. It was kind of like I was experiencing a fantasy that came out of my own mind, but I could experience it much more clearly than normal. I mean, I could smell the pine needles as I walked through the woods, and hear them crunch under my feet, while feeling the coolness of the breeze on my skin. All of my senses were involved in the fantasy, much more than if I didn't have the aid of hypnosis. But I could never really believe in it. My feeling is that we are all a part of God, and our mortal bodies are merely a vessel through which He experiences life. We make the choices we do because of the way our brains are wired, and because we are all different, God enjoys an endless variety of life experiences. Our consciousness dies when we do, but the energy that powers our bodies is eternal and goes on to something else. I'd like to quote Jesus without people making the mistake of thinking that makes me a Christian - I have adopted no formal religion, but only search for truth wherever I can find it. Luke 17:20,21 states: 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. John 3:1-8 talks about the requirement to be born again in order to enter into the kingdom of God. [This message has been edited by Searcher (edited October 30, 1999).]
666, The one therory is that we are in origin, a vast pool of energy. From that pool fragments or parts of the energy split off from the collective energy mass and appear as life/humans here on the earth. The total energy mass is a collective of all the experiences of all of the fragments since the begining of everything we may know. As each fragment breaks away, it has portions of information that have been gathered by all other fragments that have returned to the collective energy pool. These portions of information, when tapped into in the present life , appear as "past life" memory. This would seem to explain the existance of several Cleopatra's, Einstein's, or other notables showing up among several people at the same time. Each of the people simply share the memory energy of the person/fragment that was in fact Cleopatra etc. It's interesting but I'm still looking at it with a discerning eye. Searcher, I like what you're saying! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
402- I'm more inclined to believe that the reason for all those Cleopatras, Einsteins, and Napoleons is more a case of someone who needs a little glamour in their lives, so their subconscious minds create these glamorous "look-what-I-used-to-be" entities. Most of these past lives in these cases fit the mythical lives, not the historical lives, of these people.
Oxygen, I hear that one loud and clear!! LOL I have met a few folks with the fame factor present and Hollywood would suit them nicely!
402, Interesting, but sounds a little to a stab in the dark to me. It would be intersting to see what the motivating factor be hind this theory was. Was just fill the holes of preveous theorys or completly new direction?
I know what you mean 666! It is a bit odd but pretty interesting none the less. A friend of mine came upon an interesting theory the other day. Something along the lines of genetic past lives. The idea is that since we all have cell memeory and DNA and it has been handed down through the ages to us by our ancestors, there is a trace of each of their experiences in each of us. Some form of cell memory of these events gets opened up and what we think is our past life may actually be that of one of our ancestors creeping through the genetic fabric into our psyche. I thought it had some reasonable merit!
402, It does merit some condsiderable thought! To me the main questions should be: A) Are the individual cells intelligent and capable of maintaining a memory as we know it or do they maintain a memory in senes of it's current state and genetic make up? B)Is it required to have all the cells of the human body to bring about consciousness or can it be done with less and how few? Now only if I had a lab and a lot of federal funding I would be good to go!! ------------------ The Belief that there is only one truth and that oneself is in possession of it seems to me the depest root of all evil that is in the world -Max Born [This message has been edited by 666 (edited November 02, 1999).]
