Christian sects with belief in reincarnation

[ajay0]

The Bible makes it clear that we have only one life on earth before we receive an eternal judgment and verdict before God. We don’t get several lives here on earth to make the right decision.

Given this difference and a few others I could detail, I don't think the afterlife Christianity offers should be equated to reincarnation.

Christianity as taught by the church in modern times is markedly different from the original Christianity taught by Christ 2000 years back.

It is quite possible that teachings of reincarnation were there in the original christianity taught by christ as there were christian sects then that believed in reincarnation. Many christian gnostic sects had the belief in reincarnation.

Origen is said to have taught reincarnation in his lifetime and it is alleged that when his works were translated into Latin these references were deliberately concealed.

Modern christianity as defined by the church came into existence when christianity was accepted by the romans after centuries of brutal persecution of christians. Many of the roman pagan festivals were transplanted into christianity.

The romans, while being proficient in war, administration and political science, were not adept in spirituality and a religious culture.

The councils of Constantinople and Nicea compiled the biblical scriptures and editted them as per roman sensibilities. All other versions that varied with the roman version was considered heretical and ruthlessly wiped out, as was evident with the Cathars and Paulicians and Bogomils.

Hence there is every chance for truth to be a casualty over here, and the present version of Christianity is not necessarily the same as early Christianity.

 

[ajay0]

It seems like some sort of cruel punishment like eternal recurrence. I wouldn't want to be Groundhog Day tripping for all eternity.

There is no eternal hellfire and Devil in the eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shintoism.

Reincarnation is not an eternal process , and one can come out of the cycle of death and rebirth through destruction of karma by spiritual exercises like being in present moment awareness, total love, virtuous conduct, selfless service and so on.

 

[Kenny]

Yes, we live, die, are judged, become new creations, live our lives according to the judgement, and recycle over and over and over eternally. "Who is John the Baptist? "He is Elijah, if you can accept it."

It's our way of learning the ropes ... If you can accept it.

Mathew 11:14

In my understanding, "He is Elijah, if you can accept it" - isn't a reincarnation but simply "of the same type of spirit". For "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Which brings me back to "if today's society is a product of millennium of rebirths, there is no hope".

I prefer once and forever.

 

[ajay0]

A pdf booklet by Geoffrey Hodson of the Theosophical society on reincarnation in early Christianity.

https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/articles/ReincarnationChristianity.pdf

Members of the Christian faith sometimes object to the doctrine of reincarnation on the grounds that to accept it would be a violation of Christian doctrine. While it is true that a Council of Constantinople in the sixth century A. D. pronounced belief in the pre-existence of the soul to be heretical, an examination of the Scriptures strongly suggests that the doctrine of rebirth was generally accepted in those days and that Our Lord himself believed it. Whether this be the case or not, the student of the Christian doctrine may well ask whether a decision made by a group of men in the sixth century should be regarded as binding today.

This objection to reincarnation by Christians, on grounds of doctrinal fidelity, is sufficiently important to merit a somewhat detailed examination. From this it is found that reincarnation has neither been proclaimed nor condemned by any general council of the Church or by any creed accepted by a general council. The Council of Constantinople held in 543 A.D., which proclaimed heretical Origen’s teaching of the preexistence of the soul and affirmed the doctrine of special creation, was not a general council, and so not universally authoritative. It was a local and not an ecumenical council or synod. Furthermore, it did not condemn reincarnation but only pre-existence, which has nothing to do with rebirth.

 

[Balthazzar]

In my understanding, "He is Elijah, if you can accept it" - isn't a reincarnation but simply "of the same type of spirit". For "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Which brings me back to "if today's society is a product of millennium of rebirths, there is no hope".

I prefer once and forever.

Yup ... I wouldn't be able to argue against that point. That's how I view it also. I also believe in reincarnation and being born again. The spirit quickens, the flesh profits nothing. We become new creations.

 

[ajay0]

'The Order of The Cross' is a Christian sect having belief in reincarnation. It was founded by John Todd Ferrier in 1904. He was also a proponent of vegetarianism.

John Todd Ferrier - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Order Of The Cross, a Vegan/Vegetarian and Pacifist Fellowship following a Spiritual path of Mysticism with a reinterpretation of Christianity, the Jesus and the Christ Life and Reincarnation

The Order Of The Cross, a Vegan/Vegetarian and Pacifist Fellowship following a Spiritual path of Mysticism with a reinterpretation of Christianity, the Jesus and the Christ Life and Reincarnation.

www.orderofthecross.org

 

[ajay0]

Spiritism or Kardecism is a relatively new religious movement founded by writer and educator Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail (a.k.a. Allan Kardec). Kardec considered his doctrine to derive from a Christian perspective.

Kardecist spiritism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SPIRITISM > CHAPTER 4 - EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD > RESURRECTION AND REINCARNATION

RESURRECTION AND REINCARNATION4. Reincarnation was part of the Jewish dogmas, being taught under the name of resurrection. Only the Sadducees, who believed that everything ended with death, did not ac...

kardecpedia.com

16. So there is no doubt that under the name of resurrection, the principle of reincarnation was a fundamental belief of the Jews. A point which Jesus and the prophets in general confirm, and from which it follows that to deny reincarnation is also to deny the words of Christ One day, however, when they have been well meditated upon, without preconceived ideas, His words will be recognised as an authority on this point, as well as on many others.

17. From the religious point of view we add to this authority the philosophical view point of the proofs resulting from the observance of the facts. When we try to discover from the effects what the causes might be, reincarnation becomes an absolute necessity, an inherent part of humanity, in a word: a Law of Nature, By its very results it becomes evident in a material manner, so to speak, in the same way that a hidden motor reveals itself by its movement, It is the only way Man can find out where he came from, where he is going and why he is here on Earth and still be able to justify the many abnormalities and all the apparent injustices which present themselves during life. *

Without the principle of the pre-existence of the soul and the plurality of existences, the maxims of the Gospel in the most part become unintelligible, which is the reason why they have given rise to so many contradictory interpretations, This is the only principle which will restore them to their true and original meaning.

 

[Glaurung]

I'm actually sympathetic to the possibility of reincarnation being real, but the narrative pushed by the OP annoys me. (Christianity as a conspiracy theory).

The claim that early Christianity taught [insert eastern religion] until Constantine/Nicaea used the state to remake the religion is a historical just so narrative with little in the way of truth. We know quite a lot about what early Christianity taught. We not only have the New Testament, but we also have the writings of the Church Fathers the earliest of whom are claimed to have met the Apostles and or their immediate successors.

That's not to say politics didn't play a role in solidifying Christian orthodoxy, but casting the development of said orthodoxy as a top-down conspiracy to deny reincarnation is Hindu/New Ager fantasy.

Christianity as a sect emerged from Second Temple Judaism. As an intellectual and doctrinal tradition Christianity was Hellenistic, not Brahmanical. Reincarnation has never been a normative Christian belief no matter how much people like the OP wish otherwise.

 

[Sand Dancer]

In Christianity there is no reincarnation. When your dead you’re dead and will be reunited with Christ when he returns.

It makes more sense than to think that just because someone said the "sinner's prayer" but are still jerks, they will be in heaven. Give them more chances to actually act like Jesus before they get to heaven. Not everyone who says, "lord, lord" will enter the kingdom.

 

[ajay0]

I'm actually sympathetic to the possibility of reincarnation being real, but the narrative pushed by the OP annoys me. (Christianity as a conspiracy theory).

The claim that early Christianity taught [insert eastern religion] until Constantine/Nicaea used the state to remake the religion is a historical just so narrative with little in the way of truth. We know quite a lot about what early Christianity taught. We not only have the New Testament, but we also have the writings of the Church Fathers the earliest of whom are claimed to have met the Apostles and or their immediate successors.

That's not to say politics didn't play a role in solidifying Christian orthodoxy, but casting the development of said orthodoxy as a top-down conspiracy to deny reincarnation is Hindu/New Ager fantasy.

Christianity as a sect emerged from Second Temple Judaism. As an intellectual and doctrinal tradition Christianity was Hellenistic, not Brahmanical. Reincarnation has never been a normative Christian belief no matter how much people like the OP wish otherwise.

Reincarnation is not exclusively 'eastern religion' , "Hindu' or 'Brahmanical ' as you put it.

Reincarnation as a belief has roots in the indigenous European religions like the Greek Orphics, Celtic Druidism, German paganism and so on.

There is a Greek term Metempsychosis meaning 'reincarnation' which is part of ancient greek philosophy and the likes of Pheracydes, Plato, Pythagoras were its exponents.

There is even an Abrahamic religion called the Druze which is monotheistic and has reincarnation as one of its beliefs.

The Cathars and Bologmils were old Christian sects with belief in reincarnation that were persecuted to genocidal extinction by the Catholic Church for the fault of differing from the Catholic belief system.

 

[stvdv]

There were some old sects that believed that God will send you back until you get it right.

Seems fair

I wouldn't like that. No kid wants to be sent back to the fifth grade. The fifth grade was hell.

IF you get approximately 75 years to master fifth grade, I would say that is quite do-able , "Hell" can be avoided