Ask a Question - or - Return to the Spiritual Warfare Forum Index

Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Refuting Reincarnation	Janet	Friday, September 26, 2008
Question: Bro. Ignatius, I have a relative who attended a huge New Age symposoium where a psychologist had everyone meditate, open their minds and be open to past-life regression. She told us that she "cleared her mind and emptied herself" and claims she was a young Civil War Solidier who was stabbed in the back, and in her next life she was yet another young lad in the 1950's (believe it or not was also murdered this time around--shot in the back - wow.) I found this whole story to be a ridiculous pile of you know what. I was tempted to ask her if she walks around with persistent back pain, but I kept my mouth shut. She claims the Catholic Curch is the only religion that denies reincarnation (that even Muslims believe this,is this true?) She feels she is very knowledgable about life and its mysteries and that perhaps the Church has just brainwashed the rest of us poor schumucks who are not savvy to reincarnation and that we have many chances to "get it right" before we go on to Nirvana. My simple explanation is that reincarnation is totally at odds with the resurrection and that if such a ridiculous belief were true then there would be no need of a Savior. We cannot deny Christ. I prefer to be raised again in a glorified body and see His face for all eternity. I want to be me and only me...not hundreds of other people. When she finally makes it to Nirvana after the 135th try, what name will she call all the loved ones she lost while on earth--Ralph, Alice, Lassie, Fluffy all somehow rolled into one big soul? How ya gonna find em? I want to see my deceased loved ones and have no doubt who they are! Alll kidding aside, what do you make of all those who supposedly regress, speak foreign languages fluently and give details of past history? This must be demonic in nature...I don't doubt they are seeing something--but I would be awfully frightened by it. How can we defend our faith and stand up to this belief. I will certainly pray for her.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Janet: Don't forget that one of her past lives may have been a cockroach. So in addition to Ralph, Alive, Lassie, and Fluffy are roach-head, ratboy, flygirl, and dung beetle girl. Reincarnation is utter nonsense not only theologically, but also philosophically, metaphysically, and ontologically. Past-Life regressions are created by hypnotic suggestion and piecing together information stored in subconscious memory. Even languages can be a result hearing the language in passing somewhere and stored in the subconscious. Nearly all so-called past-life regressions are created this way. In the rare instance where information is known that does not come from hypnosis and dubiousness factors the information was planted in the mind of the person by the devil. The Catechism states: 1013 Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once" (Hebrews 9:27). There is no "reincarnation" after death. Pope John Paul II said this about Reincarnation in his Apostolic Letter "As the Third Millennium Draws Near": 9. Speaking of the birth of the Son of God, St. Paul places this event in the "fullness of time" (cf. Gal. 4:4). Time is indeed fulfilled by the very fact that God, in the incarnation, came down into human history. Eternity entered into time: What "fulfillment" could be greater than this? What other "fulfillment" would be possible? Some have thought in terms of certain mysterious cosmic cycles in which the history of the universe, and of mankind in particular, would constantly repeat itself. True, man rises from the earth and returns to it (cf. Gn. 3:19): This is an immediately evident fact. Yet in man there is an irrepressible longing to live forever. How are we to imagine a life beyond death? Some have considered various forms of reincarnation: Depending on one's previous life, one would receive a new life in either a higher or lower form until full purification is attained. This belief, deeply rooted in some Eastern religions, itself indicates that man rebels against the finality of death. He is convinced that his nature is essentially spiritual and immortal. Christian revelation excludes reincarnation and speaks of a fulfillment which man is called to achieve in the course of a single earthly existence. Man achieves this fulfillment of his destiny through the sincere gift of self, a gift which is made possible only through his encounter with God. It is in God that man finds full self-realization: This is the truth revealed by Christ. Man fulfills himself in God, who comes to meet him through his eternal Son. Thanks to God's coming on earth, human time, which began at creation, has reached its fullness. "The fullness of time" is in fact eternity, indeed, it is the One who is eternal, God himself. Thus, to enter into "the fullness of time" means to reach the end of time and to transcend its limits in order to find time's fulfillment in the eternity of God. Here are some other articles on the subject: Reincarnation and the Bible What the Church Fathers said about Reincarnation RESURRECTION AND REINCARNATION by Father Michael Hull God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Refuting Reincarnation

Janet

Friday, September 26, 2008

Question:

Bro. Ignatius,

I have a relative who attended a huge New Age symposoium where a psychologist had everyone meditate, open their minds and be open to past-life regression. She told us that she "cleared her mind and emptied herself" and claims she was a young Civil War Solidier who was stabbed in the back, and in her next life she was yet another young lad in the 1950's (believe it or not was also murdered this time around--shot in the back - wow.)

I found this whole story to be a ridiculous pile of you know what. I was tempted to ask her if she walks around with persistent back pain, but I kept my mouth shut.

She claims the Catholic Curch is the only religion that denies reincarnation (that even Muslims believe this,is this true?) She feels she is very knowledgable about life and its mysteries and that perhaps the Church has just brainwashed the rest of us poor schumucks who are not savvy to reincarnation and that we have many chances to "get it right" before we go on to Nirvana.

My simple explanation is that reincarnation is totally at odds with the resurrection and that if such a ridiculous belief were true then there would be no need of a Savior. We cannot deny Christ. I prefer to be raised again in a glorified body and see His face for all eternity. I want to be me and only me...not hundreds of other people.

When she finally makes it to Nirvana after the 135th try, what name will she call all the loved ones she lost while on earth--Ralph, Alice, Lassie, Fluffy all somehow rolled into one big soul? How ya gonna find em? I want to see my deceased loved ones and have no doubt who they are!

Alll kidding aside, what do you make of all those who supposedly regress, speak foreign languages fluently and give details of past history? This must be demonic in nature...I don't doubt they are seeing something--but I would be awfully frightened by it. How can we defend our faith and stand up to this belief. I will certainly pray for her.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Janet:

Don't forget that one of her past lives may have been a cockroach. So in addition to Ralph, Alive, Lassie, and Fluffy are roach-head, ratboy, flygirl, and dung beetle girl.

Reincarnation is utter nonsense not only theologically, but also philosophically, metaphysically, and ontologically.

Past-Life regressions are created by hypnotic suggestion and piecing together information stored in subconscious memory. Even languages can be a result hearing the language in passing somewhere and stored in the subconscious.

Nearly all so-called past-life regressions are created this way. In the rare instance where information is known that does not come from hypnosis and dubiousness factors the information was planted in the mind of the person by the devil.

The Catechism states:

1013 Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once" (Hebrews 9:27). There is no "reincarnation" after death.

Pope John Paul II said this about Reincarnation in his Apostolic Letter "As the Third Millennium Draws Near":

9. Speaking of the birth of the Son of God, St. Paul places this event in the "fullness of time" (cf. Gal. 4:4). Time is indeed fulfilled by the very fact that God, in the incarnation, came down into human history. Eternity entered into time: What "fulfillment" could be greater than this? What other "fulfillment" would be possible? Some have thought in terms of certain mysterious cosmic cycles in which the history of the universe, and of mankind in particular, would constantly repeat itself. True, man rises from the earth and returns to it (cf. Gn. 3:19): This is an immediately evident fact. Yet in man there is an irrepressible longing to live forever. How are we to imagine a life beyond death? Some have considered various forms of reincarnation: Depending on one's previous life, one would receive a new life in either a higher or lower form until full purification is attained. This belief, deeply rooted in some Eastern religions, itself indicates that man rebels against the finality of death. He is convinced that his nature is essentially spiritual and immortal.
Christian revelation excludes reincarnation and speaks of a fulfillment which man is called to achieve in the course of a single earthly existence. Man achieves this fulfillment of his destiny through the sincere gift of self, a gift which is made possible only through his encounter with God. It is in God that man finds full self-realization: This is the truth revealed by Christ. Man fulfills himself in God, who comes to meet him through his eternal Son. Thanks to God's coming on earth, human time, which began at creation, has reached its fullness. "The fullness of time" is in fact eternity, indeed, it is the One who is eternal, God himself. Thus, to enter into "the fullness of time" means to reach the end of time and to transcend its limits in order to find time's fulfillment in the eternity of God.

Here are some other articles on the subject:

Reincarnation and the Bible

What the Church Fathers said about Reincarnation

RESURRECTION AND REINCARNATION by Father Michael Hull

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.