Is there such a thing as reincarnation?

**Hand of Nergal** · October 07, 2008, 01:53 AM

Have you ever had the odd feeiling that you been somewhere before or met someone, even ages ago. Are you nagged by a persistent memory that seems as real as any other, without being able to explain how or why? Enter reincarnation. Something that ancients from Ireland to India have touched upon, and something that I personally believe in and confess to (for I am convinced that in a prior life I was a Mesopotamian warrior of some mention).
I have been told that every day the typical human consumes millions of dust particles, most of them dead human cells...
Also, that somewhere in your body is an atom that might have once belonged to Jesus Christ, or Ghandi, or Hitler.
Somehwere in your body is probably an atom or particle from a star that died millions of light years away and billions of years ago.
According to the theory of the conservation of mass and energy matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed, all of it was created billions of years ago and simply breaks down and forms back up somewhere else.
There is a theory that there is such a thing as cellular memory, and organ recepients can sometimes share the memories and past experieneces of their donors.
In a sense, everyone has had a cell or a something donated to them, if there is a soul, and it is a part of our material universe, that is with matter and energy; then is it such a stretch of the imagination to believe that we are sharing our spirits and our bodies?

**MaximiIian** · October 07, 2008, 02:18 AM

I believe so, yes. I cannot speak for all pagans, and certainly not for all religious people.
But, in most forms of non-reconstructionist neopaganism, Wicca foremost known among them, reincarnation is a big part of our core beliefs.

**deadlyshadow187** · October 07, 2008, 02:24 AM

I believe when u die it's over end of story, I don't need some illusion to get me threw the day, but with that mentality it makes every moment your on this planet,a million times more important cause when u don't believe in any of the spiritual crap, u never take a day for granted cause u know u don't have a second chance, always live it to the fullest no regrets, peace

**Roman_Wolf** · October 07, 2008, 10:04 AM

I am a firm believer in reincarnation. ( but don't confuse that with the belief that people are reincarnated into animals or other stuff). I believe that only beings with souls (humans) reincarnatate. so humans only reincarnatate into other humans. I believe this process is happening from the beginning of time, and will carry on forever.

Needless to say, I'm a religous person who believes in God. so the basis in my belief of reincarnation comes from the idea that God is fair. So if God is fair (which he is) its not fair that people living in different times in different places and differnet wealth and ethics will be judged equaly. So that's why reincarnation fixes this problem. All of us live lots of lives having all the options such as rich\poor .... so now we could all be judged equally.

**Manco** · October 07, 2008, 10:50 AM

Reincarnation presupposes some sort of metahuman entity, such as a soul or an eternal mind, in every human. But we know that the mind is just a bunch of electrochemic processes in the brain.

Of course you could come with the witty 'you have to believe that a soul exists', but then I say we neither have any memories of past lives (save for the mind tricks like deja vu's and the like that can be explained by much simpler means), nor do those past lives effect us in a direct (influenceable) way so we might as well ignore it, nor do we have a way to measure or perceive that entity or the process of reincarnation. Occam's razor says that assuming no reincarnation happens is preferable to the unprovable and effectless possibility of reincarnation, it's simpler you see.

By the way how does reincarnation explains the growing amount of life (both human and animal) on our planet? By allowing new entities to be born? Who'd in effect be the same as the older, so we might as well assume we're all first-generation, and ergo ignore the possibility?

**Roman_Wolf** · October 07, 2008, 11:02 AM

i don't know about other's belief in reincarnation, but in my belief, past lifes don't affect you physically as you have no memory of it whatsoever, but will effect you spiritualy in judgment.

By the way how does reincarnation explains the growing amount of life (both human and animal) on our planet?

the increase of animal life doesn't matter as only humans reincarnatate.

as for the increase for the human amount of life, I guess I'm really skeptical about the numbers. ancient querries were hardly accurate, not to forgot that emrica wasn't even discovered yet. as for modern censis, its still hardly accurate but the number are almost fixed i guess.

**Manco** · October 07, 2008, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Roman_Wolf

i don't know about other's belief in reincarnation, but in my belief, past lifes don't affect you physically as you have no memory of it whatsoever, but will effect you spiritualy in judgment.

So you think that an unprovable and unperceivable process that we have no way of telling really happens, influences a judgement that's unprovable and unperceivable and that we have no way of telling really happens?

Originally Posted by Roman_Wolf

the increase of animal life doesn't matter as only humans reincarnatate.

Says who?

Originally Posted by Roman_Wolf

as for the increase for the human amount of life, I guess I'm really skeptical about the numbers. ancient querries were hardly accurate, not to forgot that emrica wasn't even discovered yet. as for modern censis, its still hardly accurate but the number are almost fixed i guess.

Are you really saying that Earths population has been the same at all times? You do realize that Earths population in times we do have sufficient data to estimate population levels, has more than hexipled (sp?increased six times)?

**Roman_Wolf** · October 07, 2008, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Maraud

So you think that an unprovable and unperceivable process that we have no way of telling really happens, influences a judgement that's unprovable and unperceivable and that we have no way of telling really happens?

this is a religeous thing. so i'm not going to go into discussion about this as it has been covered millions of time.

Originally Posted by Maraud

Says who?

says me, as I was telling you about my view of reincarnation and other poeple's beliefs

Originally Posted by Maraud

Are you really saying that Earths population has been the same at all times? You do realize that Earths population in times we do have sufficient data to estimate population levels, has more than hexipled (sp?increased six times)?

i'm not calling you a lier or anything, but I believe that estimates are crap and false.

**Sebdeas** · October 07, 2008, 04:24 PM

It would be nice having another life, as long as I don't end up being a snail or something.

**Roman_Wolf** · October 08, 2008, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by Sebdeas

It would be nice having another life, as long as I don't end up being a snail or something.

nop you definately won't be a snail. you will be another human and you will have no memories of your previous lives. (at least that's what I believe)

**H.r.E.** · October 08, 2008, 06:52 AM

depdends on your opinion , of course there is de-ja-vu and stuff but ..ya.. depends

**Portuguese Rebel** · October 08, 2008, 06:55 AM

So far i'm still wating for someone to return... Present proofs or it isn't happening.

**Roman_Wolf** · October 08, 2008, 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by Portuguese Rebel

So far i'm still wating for someone to return... Present proofs or it isn't happening.

this thing can't be proved because you will have no recollection about your previous lives.

**Portuguese Rebel** · October 08, 2008, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by Roman_Wolf

this thing can't be proved because you will have no recollection about your previous lives.

If you can't prove it then how can you believe in it? If you use that standard then you can literally believe in everything...

Present proofs on a phenomenon which, in almost all documentation, is nearly completely untraceable?

Untraceable as in "non-existant"?

When you die your matter scatters and you cease to exist as an entity. That's it as far as science goes. You can invent all the fairy tales you need to keep happy. That won't change the fact that no human has ever returned from the dead. Once your brain goes you're gone.

**Djûn** · October 08, 2008, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Portuguese Rebel

Untraceable as in "non-existant"?

Don't twist my words. Untraceable means untraceable, far from non-existant. I could just as easily say that until you can prove that the laws of Physics have been unchanging since the beginning of time, then that subject is basically one huge fallacy.

You evidently do not believe that reincarnation or ressurrection does exist. I, however, hold an agnostic stance on this. There are many people who claim that such a phenomenon exists, not the least of which being the Buddha Gautama himself. Without the ability to either disprove or affirm this belief, there is little which will change my position that there is not enough evidence to present either of these conclusions as a final result.

**Roman_Wolf** · October 08, 2008, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by Portuguese Rebel

If you can't prove it then how can you believe in it? If you use that standard then you can literally believe in everything...

Untraceable as in "non-existant"?

When you die your matter scatters and you cease to exist as an entity. That's it as far as science goes. You can invent all the fairy tales you need to keep happy. That won't change the fact that no human has ever returned from the dead. Once your brain goes you're gone.

actually yeah no human have ever returned from the dead. when you die your body will be dead. but your soul is immortal. and the soul is reincarnated into another body which has nothing to do with the previous body.

like i said before, my belief is totally due to religeous reasons which explains the fairness of God. besides it doesn't affect my everyday life. so its just a belief which makes sense to me.