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Reincarnation
Was reincarnation removed from the Bible?
Anthony W. writes:
When will
reincarnation be re introduced into the bible and the other books which were
removed please.
It would appear no
one seems interested, despite being a fact.
There are many
hints in the current version. The Jewish people using the Tora still teach the
fact!
Seems extremely odd
such a massive subject has never been re introduced?
Lita Cosner, CMI-US, responds:
Dear Anthony,
Thanks for writing
in. There is no evidence that the Bible has been edited in any systematic
way to remove teaching.
Furthermore, the
entirety of Scripture teaches against any idea of reincarnation, and many
biblical doctrines would be undermined if reincarnation was true.
The
entirety of Scripture teaches against any idea of reincarnation, and many
biblical doctrines would be undermined if reincarnation were true.
First, humans are
uniquely created in God’s image.
While this may not
be something you were thinking of, many forms of belief in reincarnation — including
Hinduism and Buddhism — state that a single soul may be reincarnated as plants,
bugs, animals, or people.
But if humans are
uniquely in God’s image, how can God’s image become not-God’s image, or vice
versa?
Second, being in
God’s image means that humans are eternal beings.
To use mathematical
concepts, God is eternal in the same way that a line is, extending forever both
when we look back and forward — there has never been a time when God did not
exist, and there will never be a time when God ceases to exist.
Our existence has a
beginning, but no end, like a ray which has a beginning point and then extends
forever in one direction.
But if I will be
reincarnated, I will end when my soul becomes a new entity.
Third, the entirety
of Scripture
teaches that conception is the beginning of human life — which science supports.
No biblical text
speaks of someone pre-existing his or her conception, with the exception of
Christ Himself (obviously a special case because He is God).
Fourth, this life
is the basis for our eternal destiny.
If I had ten lives
before this one, and in those lives I did not believe in Christ, but in this
one I do, where will my soul spend eternity?
Was Scripture lying
when it said someone who does not believe in Christ before death will be
forever lost?
Or what if I have
another life after this one in which I do not believe in Christ?
Will I then be
condemned, meaning that Scripture is lying when it says no one who believes in
Christ will ever perish?
Reincarnation
presents unsolvable soteriological problems that Scripture never tries to
address, because Scripture does not present it as even a possibility.
The
resurrection makes reincarnation impossible. If I had ten lives before this
one, when I am resurrected, will I be resurrected as me, or as one of the ten
previous entities?
Fifth, under most
doctrines of reincarnation, bad things that happen to a person in this life are
karma for bad things a person did in a previous life.
But this has
invidious consequences:
(a) a person’s punishment has no remedial value because he can’t
remember what he’s being punished for,
(b) we shouldn’t help a person who’s suffering, because that
will stop him working out his karma.
Sixth, the
resurrection makes reincarnation impossible.
We are promised
that all people will be resurrected, either to everlasting life or judgment (John 5:29).
If I had ten lives
before this one, when I am resurrected, will I be resurrected as me, or as one
of the ten previous entities? And what would happen to them?
Or would God split
my soul up so that each of the dead bodies could have a soul? The whole idea is
absurd.
These are only some
of the arguments against reincarnation. I also encourage you to read the
related articles below.
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Lita Cosner
Lita Cosner
Lita
Cosner,
B.A., M.A.
Biblical
studies, New Testament (USA)
Lita
Cosner
became a Christian in 2002, partially as a result of creation materials she
found through CMI which answered her questions about the Bible and Christianity
(see her own
account). She joined CMI as Information Officer in 2010, and is a prolific
contributor to the website, Creation magazine, and our in-depth Journal
of Creation. She is well-known for her gracious, yet challenging responses to
questioners and often detractors who contact CREATION.com
Lita is
a specialist in New Testament studies and obtained a B.A. (summa cum laude) in
Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 2008. She received an
M.A. (cum laude) in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in
2012. Her thesis is titled Jesus the Honorable Broker: A Social-Scientific
Exegesis of Matthew 15:21–28.
Her
passion is interpreting the New Testament in a way that is understandable to
the average Christian, as well as showing how the New Testament authors used
the teachings of the Old Testament as the foundation for their theology,
particularly in the area of Creation. She is the co-author of the
booklets How
Did We Get Our Bible? and Gay Marriage: Right
or Wrong?. Her talk, Creation in the New
Testament and Why it Matters, is available as a video download.
Lita is
available to speak at conferences, seminars, and specialist women’s events.
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