Do you believe in reincarnation?.

[Dowell]

12 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Reincarnation gives us all eternal life.

I am not sure I understand how reincarnation works. Does the spirit just hang around couples likely to conceive, and just pop in when the union occurs, or does it go on a waiting list somewhere. Is there a privacy issue here somewhere?

[CITIZEN_2015]

1 hour ago, Dowell said:

I am not sure I understand how reincarnation works. Does the spirit just hang around couples likely to conceive, and just pop in when the union occurs, or does it go on a waiting list somewhere. Is there a privacy issue here somewhere?

There are different theories here, One scenario is what you mentioned above. Reincarnation can take up to 50 years (reported from cases when a child born in 21st century recalls being a fighter jet pilot being shot down by Japanese in WWII.) to almost immediate. Another scenario saying that it happens within family. Like a grandmother reborn in the grandchild.

[Dowell]

17 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Our souls will go through many stages in each learning and advancing to the next. No one will burn in hell but if sinful will be reborn in poverty or as a  suffering  soul.

Advancing to what? Who decides what stage you go to? Is it all random, or is someone in charge of ordering all this?

[CITIZEN_2015]

37 minutes ago, Dowell said:

Advancing to what? Who decides what stage you go to? Is it all random, or is someone in charge of ordering all this?

Advancing from one level to higher level depending how much the soul learned in previous cycle.

Apparently they call it Council of Elders who decides.  I don't remember it myself. I just say things coming out of my research on reincarnation. I don't know it myself.

I think that females have more advanced souls also called old souls (have gone through many cycles already and learned). Maybe one reason why crime rates and violence is far less among females.

[CITIZEN_2015]

Anyone with info on reincarnation and how souls advanced to next level and by who please post here. Any believer in Hinduism or Buddhism here?

[blackbird]

quote 

What do Hindus believe? What is Hinduism?

Hinduism is the world's third largest religion. The origin of Hinduism can be traced back to the Indus valley civilization around 4000 to 2200 B.C. Much of its history is uncertain. However, it is clear that around 4,000 years ago a developed group of people lived in Northwest India. The major influences of Hinduism occurred when nomadic, Indo-European tribes invaded Northern India (around 1500 B.C.) from Russia and Central Asia. They brought the religion of Vedism (an ancient religion that included chanting and sacrifices). Their beliefs mixed with the local Indian native beliefs. Religious principles mixed, including the Hindu beliefs of reincarnation, multiple gods (polytheism), and the spiritual unity of humanity (monism or "one ultimate reality").

Over time, this religious mix of ideas grew through written scriptures known as the Vedas. Originally passed down orally, these ideas were written down between 1400 and 400 B.C. The Hindu scriptures are massive, and consist of:

The Veda: The oldest of the Hindu scriptures is the Veda, which literally means "wisdom" or "knowledge." The Vedas contain hymns, prayers, and ritual texts. The four Vedas are the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajuraveda, and the Artharvaveda.

The Upanishads: The Upanishads are a collection of writings composed between 800-600 B.C. that marked a change to mystical ideas about humanity and the universe, particularly noticeable in the idea of the Brahman and the atman (the self or soul). The Upanishads came to have a great influence on Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

The Ramayana: The Ramayana is one of the two major epic tales of India, the other being the Mahabharata. A sage-poet named Valmiki wrote the Ramayana that consists of 24,000 couplets describing the life of Rama, a righteous king who was supposedly an incarnation of the God Vishnu.

The Mahabharata: The Mahabharata is the second epic. It is the story describing the deeds of the Aryan clans. It consists of some 100,000 verses composed over an 800-year period beginning about 400 B.C. Contained within this work is a great classic, the Bhagavad Gita, or the "Song of the Blessed Lord."

The Bhagavad Gita: The Bhagavad Gita is the most sacred of all Hindu books and is also the best known and the most read of all Indian works in the entire world. This is despite the fact it was added late to the Mahabharata sometime in the first century A.D. The story in the Bhagavad Gita describes man's duty, which, if carried out, will bring nothing but sorrow. This story has had great impact on Hindu belief in its endorsement of bhakti, or devotion to a particular god, as a means of salvation.

Since Hinduism does not share a unified system of beliefs, all that can be done here is to identify its main concepts in comparison with the Bible.  Unquote

What do Hindus believe? What is Hinduism? (compellingtruth.org)

I hope this will help to understand exactly what the Hinduism religion is all about.   We need to go back to basics and examine these belief systems if we are going to know what this subject of reincarnation is all about and where the idea came from.  This is the first part.  The next part I will quote sheds more light and compares Hinduism with Christianity and gives more detail.

 

[blackbird]

Quote  Part 2:

Since Hinduism does not share a unified system of beliefs, all that can be done here is to identify its main concepts in comparison with the Bible.

God: In Hinduism, God (Brahman) is believed to be unknowable, the one impersonal, ultimate, spiritual reality. Hindus claim that there are 330 million gods. The Bible, in contrast, teaches there is one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—who can be personally known. God is all-powerful and omnipresent, but is not monistic (God as everything).

Creation: Hindus accept various forms of pantheism and reject the Christian concept of creation where God is separate from his creation (Genesis 1:1). According to Hinduism, Brahman alone exists; everything (the universe, earth, man, rocks, animals, fire, etc.) is ultimately an illusion (maya). Brahman caused the illusion of creation. There is no beginning or conclusion to creation, only endless repetitions or cycles of creation and destruction. History has no value since it is based on an illusion.

Humanity: The eternal soul (atman) of each human is supposedly a manifestation of Brahman mysteriously trapped in the physical body. A person must live repeated lives or reincarnations called Samsara before the soul can be liberated (moksha) from the body. On the other hand, the Christian God says each person is important. God created all people, including you (Genesis 1:26-27), so you could freely choose to know and love Him (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Sin and Salvation: Hindus have no concept of rebellion against a holy God. There is no clear plan of salvation in Hinduism. Moksha (freedom from infinite being and final self-realization of the truth) is the goal of existence. Yoga and meditation are taught by gurus (religious teachers) and are supposedly ways to attain moksha. Hindus hope and strive to eventually leave the cycle of reincarnation. In contrast, Christianity teaches that one's personality, soul, body, and mind are important to God and unique. God desires to have a personal relationship with every person, not have people become a part of Him.

Jesus: Jesus is not seen as the Messiah, God's Son, or as physically resurrected. He was simply a man who realized his divine nature. In contrast, the Bible presents Jesus as God's perfect Son, holy, divine (second person of the Trinity), resurrected, and also fully human.

Hinduism stands in complete contrast with the Bible's view on many of the key issues of life. Hinduism is not just another way to God; it is a completely opposing system of belief that promotes worship of a multitude of gods. Ultimately, the Bible compels Hindus to leave their beliefs and come to faith in Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and calls Christians to share the message of Jesus with Hindus whenever possible (Matthew 28:18-20).  Unquote

What do Hindus believe? What is Hinduism? (compellingtruth.org)

This information is important to know.  Jesus said ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.  Knowledge and truth are something we should all strive for if we want our minds to really be free.

 

[blackbird]

"Pantheism is the belief that reality is identical with divinity,[1] or that all things compose an all-encompassing, immanent god or goddess.[2][3] Pantheist belief does not recognize a distinct personal god,[4] anthropomorphic or otherwise, but instead characterizes a broad range of doctrines differing in forms of relationships between reality and divinity.[5] Pantheistic concepts date back thousands of years, and pantheistic elements have been identified in various religious traditions. The term pantheism was coined by mathematician Joseph Raphson in 1697[6][7] and has since been used to describe the beliefs of a variety of people and organizations.

Pantheism was popularized in Western culture as a theology and philosophy based on the work of the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza, in particular, his book Ethics.[8] A pantheistic stance was also taken in the 16th century by philosopher and cosmologist Giordano Bruno.[9] Ideas of pantheism existed in South and East Asian religions (notably Sikhism, Hinduism, Sanamahism, Confucianism, and Taoism) and in Tasawwuf (Sufism) within Islam."

- Wikipedia

This is one of the main differences between Biblical Christianity and eastern religions such as Hinduism and the other is eastern religions.  That is, they believe in a multitude of gods and think that the material universe is identical with the gods..  While the Bible teaches God is a distinct personal God who can be known in a personal way and who knows each individual who establishes a relationship with his Son in a personal way.  This God is not a part of the material universe as in Pantheism of eastern religions, but is transcendent from it since he created it.  It is important to understand the nature of these religions if one is going to engage in meaningful discussion about their beliefs on subjects like reincarnation, which is unknown to the Bible or the God of the Bible.

Edited April 23, 2022 by blackbird

[Dowell]

21 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Advancing from one level to higher level depending how much the soul learned in previous cycle.

You might want to read this study published by the Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. It's study doesn't seem to be consistent with reincarnation, but correlates very strongly with what the bible teaches. That being said ones religious beliefs seem inconsequential to the experiences noted.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/

Edited April 24, 2022 by Dowell

[CITIZEN_2015]

3 hours ago, Dowell said:

You might want to read this study published by the Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association. It's study doesn't seem to be consistent with reincarnation, but correlates very strongly with what the bible teaches. That being said ones religious beliefs seem inconsequential to the experiences noted.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/

Thanks for the interesting attachment.  I have done a lot of research on experiences related to Near Death Experiences too.

Please note the important point as the name says it is near death experiences.  In all reported cases not even one actually died and returned to report about after life but reached to the near point of death. Second point is that near death experiences only indicates the possibility of after life and not reincarnation.

I do believe that it is quite possible that after we die our soul does go through some of the NDE levels specially meeting the loved ones (some have reported seeing angels or Jesus instead of loved ones but I don't believe that).

I remember my grandfather a few days being dying was talking to her dead wife whom he loved very much all his life. She had come to take him to heaven.

My beloved Mom described seeing her parents who were at very young age (they were so young my mom was not even born) dressed well asking her to come and join them a few days before passing (a recent event that hurt me so much that I started research on reincarnation and afterlife) .

I myself when sleeping and when about to wake up have seen my Mom at my bedroom door standing there and watching me for a fraction of a second. When I fully wake up she is gone. They say when we sleep our soul is freed and ready to unite with other souls.

Edited April 24, 2022 by CITIZEN_2015

[CITIZEN_2015]

6 minutes ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

I myself when sleeping and when about to wake up have seen my Mom at my bedroom door standing there and watching me for a fraction of a second.  When I fully wake up she is gone. They say when we sleep our soul is freed and ready to unite with other souls.

Anyone has had similar experiences with a loved one? Please share. Thanks in advance.

[Dowell]

6 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Please note the important point as the name says it is near death experiences.  In all reported cases not even one actually died and returned to report about after life but reached to the near point of death.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/

Near-death experiences often occur in association with cardiac arrest.  Prior studies found that 10–20 seconds following cardiac arrest, electroencephalogram measurements generally find no significant measurable brain cortical electrical activity. A prolonged, detailed, lucid experience following cardiac arrest should not be possible, yet this is reported in many NDEs.

When cardiac arrest occurs, the heart stops because the brain stops sending signals to it. When this occurs the brain dies because it gets no oxygen. When the brain dies you are medically dead. Yet these people had prolonged, detailed, lucid experiences.

These people approached a light, and were given a choice to return to physical life or join the light. There was no choice to choose a different body.

He bible tells us: Ecclesiastes 12:  and the dust returns to the ground it came from,and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

It is interesting to note that the experience was similar for all despite their religious beliefs.

[CITIZEN_2015]

9 hours ago, Dowell said:

 

These people approached a light, and were given a choice to return to physical life or join the light. There was no choice to choose a different body.

Interesting that it appears overwhelming majority decide to join the light rather than return to life because NDE is a small portion of all. I would assumed everyone wanting to return to life if given a choice thinking how scare we all are of death and thinking of our loved ones hurting!!!!!!!.

[Dowell]

6 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Interesting that it appears overwhelming majority decide to join the light rather than return to life because NDE is a small portion of all. I would assumed everyone wanting to return to life if given a choice thinking how scare we all are of death and thinking of our loved ones hurting!!!!!!!.

While no two NDEs are the same, there are characteristic features that are commonly observed in NDEs. These characteristics include a perception of seeing and hearing apart from the physical body, passing into or through a tunnel, encountering a mystical light, intense and generally positive emotions, a review of part or all of their prior life experiences, encountering deceased loved ones, and a choice to return to their earthly life.

Doesn't seem too scary, I would consider it more of a homecoming. The separation between man and God was never intended to be permanent.

[CITIZEN_2015]

31 minutes ago, Dowell said:

 

Doesn't seem too scary, I would consider it more of a homecoming. The separation between man and God was never intended to be permanent.

No doesn't seem too scary IF it is true. Other possibilities are there is no afterlife and once our body dies then that is the end of everything. The other possibility is that what religious people are saying is true and only a small fraction of us (those really believe in God and also pure in actions) go to heaven and the rest of us end up in hell.

I personally don't have the answers but consider the possibility of reincarnation and afterlife (soul existing) as strongest over all other possibilities.

[Dowell]

2 hours ago, CITIZEN_2015 said:

No doesn't seem too scary IF it is true.

Don't know why these people would lie. My takeaway is that it is best to please the Father, by trying to become the people that we were hoping our children would grow up to be.

[CITIZEN_2015]

3 hours ago, Dowell said:

Don't know why these people would lie. 

Well to get attention for one or be interviewed by famous people or national TV for another. May be even paid for their stories? I don't know I am just saying the possibility is there. Or maybe indeed they hallucinated because oxygen was cut off to their brains so their brain became hyper and caused hallucinations. I for one hope that it is true both the afterlife and reincarnation..  

[CITIZEN_2015]

Just to note important points.

1 - Evolution does not contradict the existence of God.

2 - Reincarnation does not contradict the existence of God.

The materialists or atheists are saying that everything came from nothing. Logic however says only nothing comes out of nothing.  Even if you multiply nothing by a trillion you still get nothing not everything.

[CITIZEN_2015]

I personally would take reincarnation over any other religion which encourages heaven and hell in the afterlife.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Cases_Suggestive_of_Reincarnation

That said there is heaven and hell in reincarnation too. Those evil people in previous life will receive a miserable life in the next life and those good people in previous life will be reborn as the rich and famous or in a loving family or in civilized Christian countries, Russia excluded.

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by CITIZEN_2015

[Dowell]

Believe what you will. I believe that we were created by design. When God saw that man chose responsibility over  innocense, it became necessary to separate those who chose the common good from those who cared only for themselves. I believe it is appointed to man once to die then judgement. I don’t think the afterlife is a matter of musical chairs. Time will tell who is right.

[CITIZEN_2015]

2 hours ago, Dowell said:

Time will tell who is right.

Are you saying that one day technology will advance so much to prove existence of God or ack of it? or the truth to reincarnation? We are centuries away neither of us will be around to see that day. Not sure how time can tell me.

[Dowell]

On 4/30/2022 at 11:44 AM, CITIZEN_2015 said:

Are you saying that one day technology will advance so much to prove existence of God or ack of it? or the truth to reincarnation? We are centuries away neither of us will be around to see that day. Not sure how time can tell me.

I do not think that technology, or rather it’s partner science will ever find God, because it is not looking. I bekieve that time will tell, because our bodies will at some point no longer support life and our spirit will return to our Maker.  As for technology, it seems to be a mixed blessing. It and science have brought us many things that have improved our quality of life, but also damaged our environment.  It also has the answers to solving these problems by things such as the Trans African Pipeline that aims to green the Northern Sahara, machines that optimize the production of algae and capture carbon, while producing eco friendly plastics and fuels, hydroponics for producing food, and many other solutions. Many believe that we don’t have the will to make the necessary sacrifices or time to implement them, and that the increasing human population will make our planet unfit for human life.  If you read revelations you might see some parallels. It tells of this earth coming to a terrible end, and God bringing in a new Earth, where He is the light. You don’t need to believe this, but might want to read it anyway.

[CITIZEN_2015]

On 4/17/2022 at 12:52 PM, ExFlyer said:

If God is so loving, why did he invent Hell?

I personally don't believe in hell as described in religions, however, to answer your question maybe because God is also righteous.  Those people committing  heinous crimes like rape and murder cannot just get away with their actions.