Is reincarnation a realistic possibility?

Tue, Sept 20. 2011

Editor: Death is one of those things that happens every day, yet we are unable to get accustomed to it. Most of our grief comes from not seeing the person again, but there is always the concern about where the person goes after death.{{more}}

I do not like to use the word death, because in my opinion it indicates an end to everything: therefore I often use the word transition, which indicates the movement from one phase to another. We are moving from the phase where we can exist both physically and spiritually, to the phase where we can only exist spiritually.

Our beliefs about whether or not there is life after death are shaped by our religion. We, as Christians, believe that there is a system of reward or punishment for our actions while we lived on this earth. Even this is conflicting, because Christians often state that when we die our thoughts perish. Therefore, punishing or rewarding someone after death makes absolutely no sense, since the individual would not remember what he or she is being punished or rewarded for. Even worse, the individual would not remember who he or she was. Others tell me that we would regain our thoughts upon resurrection, but I subscribe to none of that.

It is almost certain that our spirit can exist outside of our body. Persons have spoken about their near-death experiences where their spirits had already left their bodies. Therefore, it is possible that our spirit can persist even if we have left this physical world. Persons belonging to some religions even make attempts to contact their dead relatives. Though most Christians would say that this is not possible, there are those who actually pray to Saints. They are asking Saints to intercede on their behalf because it is felt that, based on the good life they lived on earth, they are held in higher esteem or position on the other side of life. It means that these persons are still alive and aware on the other side.

If our spirits do exist after we depart this life, it means that reincarnation is a realistic possibility. Again, many Christians do not believe this. If this is so, it would be difficult to reward or punish any incarnation, because we are constantly returning as someone else.

No one knows the answer to everything about this life. What I do know is that life is not as simple as what it is being made out to be in the Christian teaching.

Mystic