Reincarnation Q UESTIONS AND O BJECTIONS LESSON. The Christian world is in a deep sleep; nothing but a loud shout can awaken them out of it!

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1 76 LESSON 76 Reincarnation The Christian world is in a deep sleep; nothing but a loud shout can awaken them out of it! GEORGE WHITEFIELD Kirk s Comment It amazes me that so many believe in the lie of reincarnation. While there are many religious philosophies that appeal to our senses, we must always go back to what God has said on the subject. And He has said, It is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). That means there will be no second chance to reverse our karma through reincarnation, but rather we must each give an account of our life to God and receive the gift of heaven or the punishment of eternal hell. Q UESTIONS AND O BJECTIONS Hell isn t a place. This life is hell. Skeptics who say this are trying to dismiss the reality of hell. They might like to think that life as we know it couldn t get any worse, but the sufferings in this life will be heaven compared to the suffering in the next life for those who die in their sins. This life is the closest thing to hell that Christians will ever know, and the closest thing to heaven that sinners will ever know. 510

2 LESSON 76 REINCARNATION O ne of the most popular beliefs in the world concerning death is the transmigration or reincarnation of the soul. This belief is the main competitor today to the Christian concept of heaven and hell. Hollywood stars such as Shirley Maclaine have given reincarnation great popularity. There are increasing references to it in TV shows and movies, and the supermarket tabloids run sensational stories proving it every week. What is reincarnation all about and how should Christians respond to it? The orthodox Hindu idea of reincarnation teaches that when you die, your soul does not go to heaven or hell. Instead, your soul goes into some other kind of body here on earth. This body can be an insect, fish, animal, or human body. This is why Hindus practice vegetarianism and will not even kill the pests that destroy their harvests. When occultists such as Edgar Cayce realized that the thought of reincarnating into animal and insect bodies would not be attractive to Westerners, they decided to alter the concept. Using the Western concepts of evolution and progress, they taught that through reincarnation the soul always progressively evolves up the scale of being. Thus you cannot regress back into an insect or animal body once you have reached the human stage. You are either born into another human body or you are absorbed back into oneness, depending on your karma. In Hindu theology, there is no personal God who hands out rewards and punishments like in the Bible. Instead, the non-personal principle of karma determines, based on the good and evil you have done in this life, whether you will be reborn as rich or poor, healthy or handicapped, slave or master, etc. Karma teaches that your suffering or prospering in your present life is due to the evil or good you did in a previous life. If you are born as a poor crack baby in Harlem with terrible physical and mental sufferings, you are only getting what you deserve. You must have done some very evil things in a past life to have such bad karma. But if you are born into a rich family with health and wealth all your days, then you too are only getting what you deserve. You must have done some very good things in a past life to have such good karma. 511

3 SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL EVANGELISM The Arguments for Reincarnation Believers in reincarnation offer the following arguments as proof of its validity: It solves the problem of evil karmic reincarnation by viewing it in terms of punishment and reward. People suffer or prosper based on their actions in a past life, so everyone is only getting what they deserve. Karmic reincarnation does not solve the problem of evil. There is ultimately a first life in which there was no previous life to explain the evil in it. Otherwise, evil is eternal, which only extends the problem, not solves it. Reincarnational recall proves it. In addition to déjà vu, recall types can be spontaneous, hypnotic, or psychic. These arguments are erroneous. The dictionary defines déjà vu as the illusion of having already experienced something actually being experienced for the first time. Déjà vu can be felt with things built in your lifetime such as a house or a city as well as with people. Spontaneous recall never happens under scientific conditions; thus it is worthless as evidence. Hypnotic recall is highly unreliable (as in the example of Bridey Murphy), and psychic recall is plagued with the problem of fraud. How can you tell if the psychic really knows who you were in a past life? Besides, why are recalls usually of important people? And why is it that all recall experiences teach Hindu doctrine? In the hundreds of cases I have researched, I did not find a single instance where orthodox Christians were recalled. Where are the recalls of Spurgeon, Calvin, Edwards, etc.? Also, logically speaking, when more than one person at the same time claims to be the present reincarnation of Jesus, Buddha, Elvis, etc., either one is right and the others are liars or they are all liars. But they can t all be right. The Bible teaches it. John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah, and Jesus told us we must be born again into a new body at death. Matthew 11:14 is often used to justify belief in reincarnation by claiming that Elijah was reincarnated as John the Baptist. But John merely 512

4 LESSON 76 REINCARNATION came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). And, since Elijah never died (he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind; 2 Kings 2:11), he cannot be reincarnated. The new birth that Jesus spoke of has to do with spiritual regeneration in this life (John 3:5,6; Romans 8:9 11; 1 Peter 1:23). Christianity once taught it, but it was later removed by church councils. What council? When? Where? There is no evidence of this in church history. The early church fathers all wrote against it. The Christian s response to reincarnation is twofold: the atonement of Christ makes reincarnation unnecessary, and the resurrection of the body makes reincarnation impossible. As Hebrews 9:27 shows, there is no such thing as reincarnation. It is merely wishful thinking for guilty sinners. They like to think that if they don t get it right in this lifetime, they ll have multiple opportunities in future lives. That people don t need to trust in Jesus before they die is one of Satan s greatest lies. Adapted from The Riddle of Reincarnation by Dr. Robert A. Morey. Q UESTIONS 1. Why is reincarnation an attractive alternative to the Christian faith? 2. Name an actress who helped to popularize reincarnation. 3. According to orthodox Hinduism, what happens at death? 513

5 SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL EVANGELISM 4. How is the Western concept of reincarnation different? 5. What is the theory of karma? 6. How would you answer the argument that the Bible says John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah? P REACHER S P ROGRESS Ray N. Carnation: I believe that we are reincarnated. Christian: Why? Ray N. Carnation: It just seems to make sense. Christian: What do you think you were in past lives? Ray N. Carnation: I think I was Napoleon. Christian: Bonaparte? Ray N. Carnation: Yes. Christian: And before that? Ray N. Carnation: I m not sure. Christian: What happens if you live an evil life? Ray N. Carnation: You come back as a fly or a spider. Christian: What did you do in a previous life to come back as a human? 514

6 LESSON 76 REINCARNATION Ray N. Carnation: What do you mean? Christian: If you did evil, you would be a fly. So to be a human, you must have done something good that is, if you believe that the human being is higher on the life chain than a fly. Ray N. Carnation: Yes, I do. I don t know what I did. Christian: Do you think you will come back as a fly or a human in the next life? Ray N. Carnation: A human. Christian: Why? Ray N. Carnation: Because I have lived a good life. Christian: Do you want to do a check? Ray N. Carnation: Sure. Christian: Okay, we will go through a few of the Ten Commandments to see if you deserve to come back as a human or a fly. Have you ever told a lie? Etc. Memory Verse It is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment. HEBREWS 9:27 Ray N. Carnation: Okay, so I m a lying, thieving, adulterer-at-heart, and will come back as a fly. So what? Christian: Reincarnation is not the exciting mysticism it s made out to be. It s actually a hopelessly spiraling Hindu doctrine, and there is no truth to it. The Bible says, It is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment. So there is no second chance. If God treats you according to your sins, you won t even make it as a fly. You will be damned in hell forever. Pretty scary thought, huh? Last Words The Duke of Hamilton, as he was dying, was visited by his old tutor. As they were talking about astronomy, the Duke said: Within a little while, sir, I will know more about the stars than all of you put together. 515