"Why does our Western culture choose to ignore the valuable contributions the concept of reincarnation can make in our understanding of life?"
"Why is the Church so hesitant to give credence to a belief in reincarnation?"
One reason is that Christian historians have failed to give reincarnation its rightful place in Church history. As in the case of astrology, Western Christian historians have simply not reported the role of reincarnation. With the dawn of the New Age of Aquarius, ancient books are being translated into English. The layperson can now catch glimpses into what really happened.
The Encyclopedia of Religion concludes an article on reincarnation by affirming that the concepts of reincarnation and karma have done more to shape the whole of Asian thought than any other. Ancient Greece, India, and Egypt have well developed belief systems centering around reincarnation. Pythagoras, Empedocles, Plato, Plotinus, and their followers teach reincarnation. Pythagoras, Empedocles, and Plato predate the Christian era. Plotinus lives and teaches between 205-270 C.E., as a contemporary of the Christian Church Fathers. He is not alone in his beliefs concerning reincarnation.
The vast majority of Christians dismiss the above information with a question for which they seek no answer. What do ancient Greek, Indian, and Egyptian philosophies have to do with Christianity? A brief study of the world map provides an answer. Palestine is in close proximity to each of these countries. Trade routes between Palestine, Greece, India, and Egypt are numerous, allowing a constant exchange of products and ideas with these nations. Most of us know the Old Testament account of the Hebrew sojourn in Egypt and of the apostle Paul�s journey to Athens, Greece.Are we also aware that India, as a part of the Persian Empire under whose rule Palestine lived, is mentioned in the Old Testament book of Esther? Archaeological digs have unearthed vases, carnelian beads, and seals that attest to the trade with India dated as far back as 2500-2200 B.C.E. An Aramaic (the language of Jesus) inscription from the third century B.C.E. illustrates the contact between India and the biblical lands.
Christianity originates in the Middle East. It grows out of the Jewish religion based in Palestine. The milieu of both the Old and New Testaments is this intermingling of Greek, Egyptian, and Indian beliefs and customs. To these, we can add the influence of Persia, Syria, and Italy (all of which periodically rule Palestine during biblical times). Reincarnation is a widely accepted belief throughout the thousands of years represented in the Bible. It is na�ve to believe the concepts of karma and reincarnation, which "have done more than any other belief to shape the whole of Asian thought" are not known and accepted among the people of the Bible.
Josephus, the first century Jewish historian and contemporary of the apostle Paul (37-100 C.E.), verifies the presence of a belief in reincarnation within the Jewish community. He describes three philosophical sects among the Jews of the first century C.E.: the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes. The Pharisees teach reincarnation for the good souls only: "They say that all souls are incorruptible; but that the souls of good men are only removed into other bodies, but that the souls of bad men are subject to eternal punishment." The Essenes teach pre-existence of the soul: "For their doctrine is this: �That bodies are corruptible, and that the matter they are made of is not permanent; but that the souls are immortal, and continue for ever; and that they come out of the most subtile air, and are united to their bodies as in prisons, into which they are drawn by a certain natural enticement; but that when they are set free from the bonds of the flesh, they then, are released from a long bondage, rejoice and mount upward.�" A belief in the pre-existence of souls is the foundation of reincarnation. Many scholars are convinced, for three reasons, that the Essenes accept reincarnation. First, they have high regard for the Jewish Kabala, in which reincarnation is taught as a basic belief. The earliest known Jews to call themselves Kabalists are the Tanaiim who reside in Jerusalem during the early third century B.C.E. Second, the Essenes come under the influence of Buddhist monks who travel, in great numbers, throughout the Middle East during the centuries before Jesus� birth. Reincarnation is basic to Buddhism. Third, the Essenes� doctrines and communal practices reflect a knowledge of the Pythagoreans, who are reincarnationists. Thus we find two of the three Jewish sects with which Jesus is familiar accept reincarnation. We also know that the apostle Paul is a Pharisee, and thus a believer in reincarnation.
"So why does the Western Church consider a belief in reincarnation heretical?
The belief in reincarnation is like removing the lid from a pot of boiling water�it lets the steam out. No longer is the steam screaming to be released from the small confines of one lifetime. Knowing that we have lived before and will live again releases a tremendous amount of bottled up emotional energy.
The belief in only one physical life does more to distort our perceptions concerning life, God, and each other than any other concept. Failure in a career means failure for life: "There will be no other opportunity." Failure to meet a suitable mate cuts deeply into the self-esteem of the individual: "No one has loved me enough to marry me." The loss of a mate through divorce or death can be devastating: "I�ll never be happy again." The brilliant young person killed in an automobile accident: "His only chance at life is cut short." The person born with a debilitating physical condition has no other alternative than to believe, "God made me like this." Homosexual and transvestite persons are faced with the same conclusion. Consider what this says about God to the afflicted one. God is a God who loves some people and hates others. Think about what this says to the individual about herself. "God has to hate me; otherwise, why would God create me this way?"
