This question asked is about Christ and reincarnation and the concept of Karma. Do not hesitate to ask further questions as these discussions are for my growth and yours.
You mention past lives. Do you believe in reincarnation? How do you follow Jesus and believe in reincarnation if you do?
Yes, I do believe in reincarnation, but let me say that you can believe anything you would like to. I do not believe in a single opportunity to grow to be like our Creator exhibiting Love and Forgiveness and Compassion. I also do not believe that if you do not become enough like our loving God in a lifetime, then you burn in Hell forever. I do not believe in fear based threats, nor do I believe in a Satan. Our God is only Love and True Love would not create fear, Hell, or a devil to tempt us to do things that hurt others or ourselves. I believe we have many opportunities to incarnate here and we can do that until we become like our God as Jesus did or like a Buddha. We have free will and can choose anything without the threats of punishment. God is not a punisher. God is Love.
Many religions and mystical groups believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief that our Soul or Spirit is reborn into a new body after death. This has been a central tenet in many religious and philosophical traditions throughout history. In American or other European Christian based views of Christianity, it is insanity that reincarnation exists. This is based in a dogma of constructed Christianity that is imprinted on our belief system since the 4th century when the institutionalized church controlled Christian based teachings. I used to think that it is far fetched that reincarnation could be.
If you view our human history, reincarnation is widely believed to a great extent beyond the one life Christianity touts. From the beginning of recorded history, ancient Indian religions spoke of reincarnation as Truth. Celtic and Druid traditions believed this way. Ancient Greek philosophers like Pythagoras and Plato found this view to be true. The indigenous and tribal people of the Americas, Africa and Australia believe this way. Taoists and Chinese folk traditions are believers in reincarnation. Egyptians and other Middle Eastern traditions are included. Even the early Christian church and the Gnostics believe this way based on the non-canonical texts that were deemed too dangerous for those controlled by the church to know. The most evident form of reincarnation is Jesus himself with the words … You must be born again! This isn’t a command as much as it is reality. Many take this as a metaphor which it is. I believe that when we make a choice with a bad result and we choose a different route, then that is a type of rebirth. When I crumbled as a human with terrible choices and caustic behavior and I threw my hands in the air to say … I don’t know what to do! Please help me! This is when I had a rebirth or was “born again” as the traditional form of Christianity says. I go further. Why would Jesus say something so bold and not mean the entirety.
My personal belief in Jesus is that he was a true person as historical texts like those written by Josephus state. There is no mention of this man in the traditional Bible between the ages of 15 and 29. It is theorized that he was taken on the Silk Road by the men who found him as a child (the 3 “wise men”) back to the North where they came from (India or Tibet) and taught the Truth of Eastern Philosophy which includes the birth/death/rebirth cycle or reincarnation along with all the other Eastern Truths like turn the other cheek or the kingdom of Heaven is within. By the way, how is the Dali Llama or other historical religious leaders found? They were announced as the great new spiritual leader like Krishnamurti and the like as a baby. Jesus was announced to be the new leader of spiritual truth as a baby. At 29, Jesus came back to his home to teach “The Way”. His teaching was one of rebirth and reincarnation.
If you study the early writings that were deemed too dangerous for people to read because control by the few would not be possible, the early church believed in reincarnation. There was a 3rd-century Christian theologian named Origen who speculated about the pre-existence of souls and their potential for multiple lives. His views were later declared heretical like the Gnostics and mystical Christians after Jesus was gone.
So, it is evident that more people throughout the world believe in reincarnation than those that do not. It is not insane or blasphemy to have such a belief and still believe in Christ. It is not insane to believe this no matter what. We are given the greatest gift of free will. We are supposed to choose what we want to choose based on our unique needs and history in this life or past life. Karma is a part of reincarnation and we can bring our learning and results of our actions both positive and negative into this lifetime we are living.
What is Karma and how is it related to past lives and reincarnation?
Karma is simply cause and effect. Many people associate Karma with payback in a negative way like punishment. This is true to an extent. Karma is automatic. It is autonomous like our breathing or heartbeat. It just happens. It is the result of the “good” and “bad” things that we do. I put those words in quotes because there is not blame for our choices, just outcomes that may be unsavory or beneficial.
Karma in traditional spiritual teachings suggest that every action, thought, or intention both positive and negative creates an energetic consequence that will come back to the individual in the future. Essentially, it’s the idea that the energy you put out into the world will return to you in ways that reflect the nature of your actions whether that be in this lifetime or in future ones.
Karma isn’t necessarily about punishment or reward, but about balance. It teaches that our actions shape our experiences. Learning through consequences is crucial for our spiritual growth.
Karma is also associated with our thoughts. Whatever we focus on and the emotions we feel bring the result of action into our lives. Our thoughts manifest to create action. Our vibrational frequency brings Karma. Ironically, we can have freedom from our past history and live in the present moment which can heal our karmic debts and provide personal and spiritual growth. Karma is always present, but with intention we can use our history to begin anew as a rebirth.
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