Reincarnation: A Forgotten Truth
by Ulysses Castillo, PhD.
(C) 2007 Spirit and Science

Introduction

Reincarnation, understood as soul evolution, is a central tenet in Spiritism as well as in several Eastern religions and philosophies, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Theosophy, and others.

Unfortunately in Christianity this concept has been wrongly understood in many historical occasions, and it was even declared anathema in one ecclesiastic council when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. However, history shows that the belief in reincarnation was popular among many early Christian groups and was supported by some Church Fathers; and there is even some evidence that Jesus taught reincarnation.

Fortunately, thanks to the research of several historians and scholars on the origins of Christianity, today we know how and why this apparent discordance between Reincarnation and Christianity happened. Also, thanks to the important research of several scientists, today we have compelling evidence about the reality of reincarnation.

Reincarnation in The Bible

In The Bible there are enough references to reincarnation and re-birth, to argue that the ancient people of Israel knew the concept, and that this concept was very important in the Kabbalah and in some Jewish sects like the Essenes.

For Christians, the most significant references about reincarnation should come from the words of Jesus in The Gospels.  Let us see some examples:

Notes: These quotes are taken from the New International Version of The Bible.
The line in parenthesis is a brief comment to emphasize the implications of the quote.

During the transfiguration Jesus answers a question from the disciples about Elijah:
But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.
Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
[Matthew 17:10-13] [Mark 9:11-13]
(Implying that John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah)

Jesus talks to the disciples about John the Baptist:
And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
He who has ears, let him hear.
[Matthew 11:14-15]
(Explicitly saying that John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah)

Jesus heals a man born blind:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life".
[John 9:1-3]
(Implying that the man had lived before being born blind in the present existence).

Before Abraham was born, I am:
You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
[John 8:57-58]
(Implying that Jesus is eternal having lived before).

No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again:
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
[John 3:3]
(Clearly saying that we must be born again, that is, we must reincarnate).

In my Father's house are many mansions:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
[John 14:1-3]
(There are many inhabited worlds in the Universe. Reincarnation can occur in any of them).

Reincarnation removed from the official Theology

If in fact Jesus and the early Christians professed reincarnation, it is fair to ask why this knowledge was lost in Christianity as we know it today.

The historical answer to this question starts with the political struggle around the First Counsel of Nicaea in 325 AD when Emperor Constantine decided to make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and continues with the events of the Second Counsel of Constantinople in 553 AD sponsored by Emperor Justinian where the idea of soul preexistence (another name for the concept of reincarnation) was declared anathema.

Thanks to the discoveries of some important historical documents, like the Gnostic Gospels found in Nag Hammadi (Egypt) in 1945 and the Dead  Sea Scrolls found in Qumran in 1947, today we have a much better idea of the diversity of interpretations and beliefs among early Christians. The process of Christianity becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire in the Western world has been studied by several scholars and researchers, some of which are mentioned in the References at the end.

For example, in Chapter 14 of the book  Children's Past Lives by Carol Bowman and Steve Bowman there is an excellent summary of how this process happened. An extract of the book (Dogma Bites Man) is available online here:  http://www.childpastlives.org/dogma.htm.

Frequently Asked Questions on Reincarnation

For a better insight on reincarnation and its implications, we recommend the books of Allan Kardec beginning with The Spirits' Book which consists in 1019 questions and answers, many of them explaining how reincarnation works, as well as its spiritual and practical implication according to the Law of Cause and Effect and its relationship with the concept of Divine Justice. Also, in our section What is Spiritism we have provided some answers to the most common questions about reincarnation from the Spiritist perspective.

Scientific Research on Reincarnation

The acceptance of the reality of reincarnation is not a matter of religious faith only. Today the study of reincarnation phenomena is one of the most rigorous empirical research that has been done in the areas of parapsychology and the survival of consciousness (afterlife).

An excellent summary of the scientific evidence that supports the reality of reincarnation can be found in Chapter 24 of the book A Lawyer Presents the Case for the Afterlife by Victor Zammit, which can be downloaded here: http://www.victorzammit.com/book/4thedition/chapter24.html

Within all the different kinds of evidence that exist on reincarnation, it is worth noting specially the following:

The research work of Dr. Ian Stevenson about cases of children that remember their past lives:
Dr. Ian Stevenson (Personality Studies)
Children's Past Lives Research Center

Interestingly enough, besides the well known cases of Shanti Devi, Ravi Shankar, and others mentioned in the previous links, not many people are aware of how widespread his phenomena is around the world, including among  American children. For example, the ABC network show The Unexplainable recently presented the case of James Leininger, a six years old boy that remembers his past live as a World War II pilot.

Another kind of evidence can be found in the study of Xenoglossy and Birth Marks. Xenoglossy is the fascinating psychic phenomena in which some people can speak and write in a language that have never learned in their current life: http://www.victorzammit.com/book/4thedition/chapter22.html

Hypnotic Regression is a technique that can offer a different kind of evidence of reincarnation because of its healing value and the many cases that have been reportedly cured using this method of therapy. Among the physicians using this technique it is worth noting Dr. Michael Newton author of Life Between Lives and Dr. Brian Weiss author of Many Lives, Many Masters.

In Another Life: Reincarnation in America - Video

A highly recommended introduction to reincarnation can be downloaded at http://www.ial.goldthread.com/ (select View Trailer). The full video is a very professional production and if you live outside the U.S. and Canada you can purchase a copy $25.00 plus S&H. If you are in the US ask your nearest PBS station to broadcast it.

The interview with Dr Jim Tucker who talks about the reincarnation research of the University of Virginia is worth watching. He is one of a number of experts whose interviews are featured on In Another Life- Interviews. It’s interesting to learn that the wonderful academic research on the afterlife at the University of Virginia came about because of a bequest by Chester Carlson, inventor of the Xerox machine.

Additional Sources

There are several other sources that provide insightful information on the subject matters of reincarnation and the afterlife. Among these non Spiritist sources we would like to mention some that we consider very significant because of the amount of information they provide and because they are readily accessible in the Western world, even though they may differ with the Spiritist interpretation in some details.

Edgar Cayce, internationally known as the American Sleeping Prophet, is arguably the person whose psychic abilities have been best documented. Several websites, including the site of the A.R.E. (Association for Research and Enlightment), provide ample information about Edgar Cayce on reincarnation and karma:
http://www.edgarcayce.org/about_ec/cayce_on/reincarnation/index.html
http://www.ciis.edu/cayce/melton.html

Theosophical Societies, based on the esoteric works of Helena P. Blavatsky, also advocate the concepts of reincarnation and karma. In Theosophy reincarnation is universal, not only limited to humans, but as opposed to esoteric Buddhism, regression to less evolved life forms in not possible:
http://www.blavatsky.net/topics/reincarnation/reincarnation.htm

Spiritualist Churches are Christian organizations that incorporate mediumship as one of their main religious practice, and whose origin can be traced back to the Movement of Modern Spiritualism initiated in America after 1848; when the news about the phenomena of "table rapping" and the Fox Sisters of Hydesville, New York, spread throughout Europe and the world. Although reincarnation is not a fundamental tenet in many Spiritualist Churches, some of them do belief and advocate the concept; and because of that they share many philosophical principles with Spiritism. See for example:
http://www.fst.org/kardec.htm

Famous People who accepted Reincarnation

The concept of reincarnation is not exclusive of a specific religion or culture. So it should not come as a surprise that reincarnation has been accepted by many famous people, even by some that define themselves as secular humanists, agnostics, and no theistic in general.
Famous Quotes:
http://www.reversespins.com/famousquotes.html
http://www.healpastlives.com/pastlf/quote/qureincr.htm
Famous People:
http://www.reincarnation.ws/famous_people.html
http://www.geocities.com/richard_holmes/reincarnation/faq.htm

Conclusion

The amount of evidence we have today about reincarnation provides more than ample room for, as Dr. Stevenson liked to put it, "a rational person, if he wants, can believe in reincarnation on the basis of evidence."

The study of reincarnation is important because when we accept it and consider its implications, this knowledge will clear the way to a better understanding of the many challenges of the human experience on Earth, and will hopefully provide solutions to these problems, too.

Finally, the study of reincarnation is obviously related to the more general question of survival of consciousness and the reality of the afterlife. For more information about this related area of research please visit our page about the Afterlife.

References: