| Question:
Is belief in reincarnation consistent with Christian faith?
Reincarnation is a doctrine found in varied religions in
different forms. Behind it lies the search for a meaningful,
moral, just world order. It essentially says that an imperishable
principle (soul) exists in every human being and comes back
on this earth after death in a new form. It is an understanding
perhaps most associated today with Hinduism and New Age philosophies.
Since Buddhism does not posit an imperishable principle or
soul, it does not espouse reincarnation as such, but rather
the transfer at death of karmic energy from one form to another.
The doctrine of karma is found in both these Eastern religions.
According to karma, the fate of every person in this life
and in future lives is determined by the consequences of good
or bad actions in the past or present. While Christianity’s
understanding differs in a number of significant ways from
that of Hinduism and Buddhism, what is common to all three
is a recognition that liberation (salvation) is preceded by
purification of some kind.
The Bible makes no mention of reincarnation, but there are
several biblical passages that set forth a different understanding
than one finds in Hinduism and Buddhism as to how that necessary
purification occurs and whether we are granted more than one
lifetime. The Letter to the Colossians states the Christian
understanding as to how purification occurs when it says that
“when you were dead in your trespasses, God made you
alive together with him (Christ) when he forgave us all our
trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with
its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross”
(2:13, 14). And the Letter to the Hebrews responds to the
question of “more than one lifetime?” in saying
that it is “appointed for mortals to die once, and after
that the judgment” (9: 27).
If the record of all our trespasses has been erased, there
is no need to come back again and again trying to expunge
by dint of our own striving the negative imprints on that
record. The central message of the gospel is that our fulfillment
is not our doing or the result of our own efforts, but rather
a gift of God’s grace. So neither one nor many lives
can be adequate for reaching perfection. At the heart of Christian
faith stands a savior. “This saying is sure and worthy
of full acceptance,” wrote the apostle Paul: “that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1
Timothy 1: 15).
It would be a mistake to read this as a license to passivity
and wanton living. Some of the stories Jesus told, such as
the parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:1-9), indicate that we
are expected to bear fruit in response to God’s grace,
and are not given an indefinite time in which to do so. Each
person is given one lifetime, and must maximize the use of
that time for bearing fruit. What is the standard by which
one will be judged? In the parable of the laborers in the
vineyard (Matthew 20:1-6), the stress is upon God’s
mercy rather than upon an inflexible standard of recompense.
In writings of Paul, a recurring theme is “that we are
justified not by our works and deeds, but through faith in
Jesus” (Romans 3:20-28; Galatians 2:16).
In an overall perspective, there are other points where Christian
faith diverges from the theories of reincarnation and rebirth:
• A different view of time and history – Some
religions see time and history through the image of an eternal
cyclical return. The Bible’s approach to history is
not cyclical, but linear; it has a distinct beginning and
end, a consummation leading to something radically new, and
God is the Creator and sovereign over time.
• Unity of body and soul—In reincarnation, it
is the soul that repeatedly advances to a new body, leaving
the old one behind. Christian faith speaks of “the redemption
of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23)—their liberation from
their bondage to decay—and speaks of a “spirit-body”
that is no longer restricted to an earthly mode of existence.
It sees the body as inseparable from the soul.
• Different perceptions of the meaning of suffering—The
Christian view of suffering is not to see it as a punishment
for past failures or sins but as a test case for basic trust
in God, who challenges us to make decisions based on hope
and trust.
• The Resurrection of Jesus—in his glorified risen
body, Jesus claims to have the power to share this new risen
life with others. In his resurrection, Christians see their
own future foreshadowed.
What should be observed about both reincarnation and bodily
resurrection in a singular and unique existence is that both
are unprovable convictions rooted in faith. Despite the many
reports of reincarnation or transmigration of souls, there
are no scientifically undisputed, generally recognized data
to back them up; neither is there for the resurrection of
Jesus.
When we interpret events that touch upon the afterlife, we
do so with reference to a philosophical or religious understanding
of human nature and of our origin and destiny. It is not likely
that there will ever be scientific proofs or refutations of
either reincarnation or the bodily resurrection. Both are
the objects of faith, and faith means “the acceptance
of things unseen.” What should be recognized is that
one cannot claim to believe in reincarnation without compromising
key tenets of Christian faith, most notably the atoning role
of Jesus’ work and the critical role of grace and forgiveness.
Fr. Tom Ryan |