PROBLEMS INHERENT within REINCARNATION

(plus a comment from a friend & "LAST THOUGHTS")

By Byron LeBeau

For anyone who has read my essays &/or web pages over the last six years or so regarding reincarnation, you may find the present re-examination of same as somewhat of a surprise – even a shock! Ever since early adulthood, I had the feeling that reincarnation offered the answers that seemed to be lacking in a strictly Biblical orthodoxy, especially when it came to the problem of God wishing all men to be saved (as in the scripture, 2 PETER 3:9)! To me ~~ this was the parameter I used in believing in this controversial subject, (and not as a delay tactic to avoid judgment or to take one’s faith in a casual and irresponsible manner,) since the alternative seemed so unfair to so many people who would never get a chance to even choose Jesus as their Lord & Savior since they would have died before ever being able to even make that choice…and then dying far too young with no second chance to have this opportunity.

[[Cf. my essay, REMEMBRANCES, that details my heretofore beliefs, both Biblically & through outside ostensible empirical data, at:]]

http://www.alienlovebite.com/byron11.htm

To me, this was a seeming stumbling block to write reincarnation off as – at least – an opportunity for so many people that had lived and died in this world – not to mention those who were never even aware of The God of the Old Covenant, Yahweh, nor His Son, Yahushua, (who later became known to our ears as Jesus the Christ.) When you throw in the doctrine of “infant damnation” which St. Augustine penned as regards to children who died before they were baptized, the subject reaches very disturbing levels of concern; what about these same children who grow up – not even in a milieu that does not even have a Christian baptism as an option, so it is not even a case of negligence? This, to me, borders on insanity to condemn anyone based on such parameters – especially if it is God’s wish that ALL men be saved!

Compounding this problem, there also seemed to be ostensible evidence of young children that had demonstrated a verifiable “proof” that they were recently incarnated, giving details of a past life that when checked out – (as in the case of Ian Stevenson’s “TWENTY CASES SUGGESTIVE OF REINCARNATION,” seemed to validate this dynamic; there is also the verifiable case of the English-born Jenny Cockell, who ostensibly came back to see how her children were doing, being their mother as Mary Sutton around 1930, dying, and being reborn as Jenny, with all the secret knowledge of the intimate “whos & whats” of her obscure children living in Ireland under the wing of their mother Mary. This is a classic case for the alleged validity of reincarnation, unless there is something unseen afoot going on here. [SEE FINAL COMMENTS WHICH ADDRESSES THIS ISSUE IN FULL.]

I still feel empathetic toward anyone who had the same heart-felt feelings that I have, with no one seemingly who could give me a satisfactory answer to these disturbing concerns unless we were to factor in reincarnation, but if we, as a group of thoughtful people had been somehow misled, I would be the first to broadcast it to the world – as I am doing now in this very essay.

My analysis of the below book will address sundry pitfalls of a belief in reincarnation, even though it does not address my aforementioned chief concerns per se; however, at the end of this essay, I will address these very concerns, since I found something that might answer my concern, without having to depend on reincarnation to do it…and by use of the Bible and some intuition and praying, I may finally have found the answer I was looking for; what makes the cheese even more binding, I also have included the remarks of a friend of mine WHO DOES BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION, who himself addresses the "earning heaven" issue, so all-in-all, you may find the complete read intriguing, to say the least, and you may not even know if I am playing the DEVIL'S ADVOCATE or not, after reading...just as Job's question of chapter 14 where he was not given an answer to his question about living again.

The aforementioned book in question was written by a lawyer, one F. LaGard Smith, and is probably one of the most thoughtful books on the subject of reincarnation, by a Christian who really seems to understand what it means to be a Christian – i.e. relying on his God, (Yahweh), and His only begotten Son, Jesus (Yahushua-‘’the savior of Yahweh’’.) The key word here is reliance which I have come to see as the key concept in both the Old and New Covenant (called Testaments today.) Bear with me while I go through his thoughtful arguments where Smith examins the ideas of Shirley MacLaine on reincarnation, packaged within the NEW AGE literature; the work is called, OUT ON A BROKEN LIMB, published by HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS, Eugene, Oregon, in 1986, and it tries to counter Shirley’s book, OUT ON A LIMB.

After finishing the book, I clearly saw the major tenet of Smith in discounting reincarnation as being Christian or true: WE CANNOT EARN HEAVEN! It comes to men as a gift from God through His Son Jesus, who died once and for all for the sins of mankind. Regardless of any other arguments, this key concept is paramount, with the only condition that we choose to rely on the words of Jesus, and rely on his words only, i.e. HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST!

If one accept this as a foundational building block, then one will be able to follow the arguments Smith presents as a counterbalance to the seemingly intelligent questions and concerns of Shirley MacLain, and moreover, see through the not-so-well developed arguments and beliefs of her spirit guides and channelers. {{It is important to see that these spirit guides and channelers could very easily be led themselves by the so-called familiar spirits that tend to have the ear of present-day mediums, featured in “SHOW & TELL,” which also expresses a similar point of view, (as related to Ufology & the demonic abduction phenomenon,) and can be found at:

http://inspectorblebeau.pbwiki.com/SHOW%20AND%20TELL

{{This one concept may also be behind (or what fuels) the “knowledge” that psychics seem to possess about things they could not possibly know about, unless given to them by certain spirits who do know certain things….Speculatively, this may also answer the conundrum that surrounds the knowledge relating to past lives, yet this subject was not specifically addressed by Smith, since many of these specific issues only manifested after his book was written. I think this an important dynamic to keep in mind, especially if reincarnation is proved to be NOT TRUE!}}

In any event, I will address some of these issues as the author presents them, since Shirley MacLain’s understandings are wrapped around THE NEW AGE fallacies, and the author (for the most part) does a good job in exposing these same fallacies. {{I do not think he has fully aired out certain subjects, so I will fill in these ideas as the subjects come up, in a spirit of sharing what I have researched, and in no way meant to lesson the import of what the author is presenting.}}

IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK

Smith, in his ‘PREFACE,’ was amazed at how Shirley tried to blend her ideas on reincarnation with the Bible, for his opinion is that these two concepts cannot be reconciled. [I myself have previously put up similar notions, somewhat similar to what Shirley assumed to be true, on “REINCARNATION: A CHRISTIAN REFLECTION UPON at:

http://hey_223.tripod.com/bulldoglebeautaketooooo/id43.html

{{Smith will be referring to some of the included arguments for reincarnation, and by his interpretation, will show how they mean just the opposite; for anyone who has tried to examine these things, the meaning seems to turn on how one interprets key words. Yet, I believe it is worth looking at the other side of the picture from one (like Smith) who favors a Biblical non-reincarnational approach, but his arguments go far beyond just Biblical interpretations, as we shall see in reviewing his book about Ms. MacLain ~~ so when I mention Smith’s interpretation, know that the reincarnational interpretation will be mentioned within the above link.}}

THE PLAYERS IN MS. MacLain’s worldview:

Firstly, there is Kevin Ryerson – a kind of spiritual guide & psychic medium from San Francisco; he uses trance to get in touch with “cosmic truth;” this process is known as “channeling.” He thinks a state of superconsciousness can be achieved by uniting diet, exercise & meditation.

Smith says that Ms. MacLain’s reality is what each of us decides it is, and the logical inference of this is that since reality is only judged by our perceptions, the nature of (even evil) becomes a subjective matter. To Smith, who could not disagree more, does this mean that such relativism could possibly justify terrorist bombings & Nazi atrocities? Smith thinks that this subjectivism is the first mistake of the NEW AGE thinking, which will eventually lead into more egregious types of thinking. (33)_

According to the author, what distinguishes humans from all other life forms is our conscience. Without absolute truth (which the Bible teaches,) the sky is the limit as far as subjective choice, and blur our minds to real truth.

To Shirley, even bad experiences are good learning experiences, but the author’s credo states otherwise, starting on page 37:

Life is not an illusion

Truth is not relative

Reality is not what I simply perceive it to be

God (as Creator) does not tease us with illusions

He does not hide truth behind doors of relativity

He does not leave me to myself to achieve oneness with Him through futile efforts at self-enlightenment.

He does not send me continuously to the earth-plane until I “get it right”

RATHER

HE IS THE LIGHT THAT ENLIGHTENS EVERY MAN COMING INTO THE WORLD…and Smith spends the rest of the book unmasking the errors contained within the NEW AGE wrappings that Shirley has somehow incorporated as her truth – echoed within her book, OUT ON A LIMB. Smith thinks this is like dancing in the dark out on a broken limb. (207) [Ms. MacLain also wrote a book called, “DANCING IN THE LIGHT,” so Smith is having a little word-play fun as he criticizes her beliefs….

One of the reasons why Shirley cannot see things properly is because she takes us into a twilight zone of curiosity filled with “mystics, mediums, trance-channeling, déjà vu, ESP, and UFOs. {{I am in agreement with the author on most of these things, but it is only recently that I have come to a slightly different conclusion about UFOs, and what they really represent, as discussed fully within “THE BITE OF THE SERPENT” series, located at:

http://inspectorblebeau.pbwiki.com/THE-BITE-OF-THE-SERPENT-SECTION-SERIES

Ironically, UFOs are just another facade used by the DARK FORCES (which Smith addresses somewhat while doing an excellent job of unmasking the subject of mediums, but I, personally was not certain of this demonic UFO connection fully, until I examined ‘The Book of Enoch,’ and saw the demonic connection, especially within the ‘alien’ abduction phenomenon. The tricks of the devil (Satan) seem to include all of the above, and may be tied into the further trap of reincarnation…but we are getting a little ahead of ourselves in this complicated analysis.

To the author, to hang your hat on these things is a recipe for spiritual disaster…so they are not simply parlor games and idle curiosity; I have personally witnessed two people who have had “dark forces” seemingly influence them after having consulted the Ouija board, so this (like consulting psychics) could very well be a good example of what not to do (since the Bible itself forbids these types of activity) where dark forces can be brought in ~~ even if someone thinks it is only a game! This, indeed, then, would be a dark seducing trick…and how often we humans fall for this out of mere curiosity.

“Jesus promises that those who reconcile with God in ‘this’ lifetime inherit and experience eternal life.”

{{This is a key statement, and if it is the parameter of things, it needs to be more fully discussed and understood, in my opinion, so it can apply to all men and not just the favored few!}}

Starting on page 51, Smith rightly connects demonic activity with those who may influence what today we call mediums; in the old days they were called witches! He takes those who listen to spirit guides to task for not “testing the spirit,” (which is the advice of St. John in his epistle. (I JOHN 4:1) He also rightly points out that this is part of the problem with the NEW AGE adherents: Because it comes from a spirit guide, it must be ‘good’ information, since they are our advanced brothers who have gleaned much from their past lives and/or enlightened state. - so who’s to argue this?

Smith says that such an attitude (in so many words) can only lead one down the slippery slope of spiritual oblivion! {{And who can rightly argue with this logic, assuming there are demonic entities, whether it is being whispered by fallen angels (as in Enoch) or in the earthbound demons that Jesus himself cast out!}}

THE AKASCHIC RECORDS or UNIVERSAL MIND:

Smith is on record as saying that this “tapping in of” by people like Kevin (as a spiritual medium) is a lot of bunk! Of course I have read and was somewhat impressed in my former days by the “readings” of Edgar Cayce, but one must remember, (and Smith points this out,) it is just another form of psychic channeling, nerely dressed in a different outer coat! Smith also points out that Cayce must have been given false information (if the Bible is correct,) since he said within these readings (from some group interpreting these same AKASCHIC RECORDS) that Jesus was the spirit who inhabited both the soul of Adam, and the soul of Enoch…but…there is one problem, as Smith pointed out:” if you read chapter five of Genesis, and do a little math, Adam was still alive when Enoch was born…so…either the Bible is wrong…or…we cannot trust this source. YOU CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!!

{{SCORE ONE VERY BIG POINT FOR SMITH, as in channeling of any sort cannot be trusted, and why we are strongly enjoined to not pay attention to its whisperings & murmurings.!}}

On page 56, Smith cites a very interesting and telling concept of NEW AGE thinking: “spiritual mentors and guides acknowledge that Jesus lived in the flesh as a historical human personality, but they do not acknowledge his unique deity as ‘Christ’ – that is, as Messiah, Savior, and only Son of God. The application of the legitimate “spirits test” in this case is all too clear.”

I personally have found this to be an interesting barometer for “

following” an alleged Eastern saint’s thought, namely Paramahansa Yogananda; however, recently, it dawned on me that even this alleged saint had indicated in THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST series that Jesus was an advanced human, and not God as a devout Christian would understand the above description. If you follow the Eastern thought in this regard, if one was a holy person, one became a “guru” for another, as Yogananda had said of Jesus: that he was the disciple of John the Baptist, but in a former life (as Elishia,) somehow or other the disciple became greater than his guru – who at that time was Elijah.

This is significant for a number of reasons, since Yogananda had attested to the fact that he was told in a vision by Jesus himself in the opening part of the SECOND COMING… series, that what he was giving insight to was, in fact, true. What he was giving “insight” to was the notion that Jesus was an advanced human (not God) who became more holy than Elijah, and because of this, Jesus “knew” the past life of John the Baptist (as Elijah,) but John, because he was not as knowledgeable in understanding past lives, was ignorant of his past life as Elijah.

Yogananda used this to explain one of the points reincarnationalists use as an argument for past lives ~~ namely, that the spirit of Elijah had gone from one body as Elijah to a second body as John. Of course, Smith does not interpret John going forth in the spirit of Elijah as the same as being the reincarnation of Elijah…but the point of Yogananda would certainly cloud anyone’s thinking in this regard – unless Yogananda is also wrong about the divinity of Jesus as the Christ ~ a very distinct possibility!. {{Is that perfectly clear? I always had trouble with this, especially when I read in my own Catholic Bible that “John was Elijah (Elias)…” and not simply having the spirit of…(MATT 11:14)

WHY SMITH DOES NOT REGARD KARMA AS A TRUE DYNAMIC

The author literally picks apart John Van Auken’s views on karma, much like he would tear apart a defendant as a prosecuting attorney in court. Starting on page 77, he states that the Creator appeared, but only as an idea, and what came from this was the so-called law of karma – which Smith would dismiss as “void for vagueness,” (78) In Van Auken’s argument for karma, he does not mention how Earth came into existence, nor any explanation of the origins of the laws of nature; he also does not explain how something which is created can become a “co-creator,” and his take on how spirits first manifested within animals (79) seem incomprehensible to Smith. [Smith is already on record that there is something terribly wrong with today’s modern notion of “EVOLUTION,” which the author does not believe in; {{note: I myself agree with the author on this point. If you review just one excellent DVD on this subject, namely, UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF LIFE, which can be found on the following web page:}}

‘PERSONALITY beyond DARWIN,’ located at:

http://inspectorblebeau.pbwiki.com/PERSONALITY-beyond-DARWIN

THE NEW AGE would, of course, not be troubled by the lies of EVOLUTION, nor try to combat its insane conclusions, and probably there is a (disconnect) in its logic that would have the spirit of men first going into the bodies of animals, and working their way up. Many ideas fostered by the NEW AGE would be readily accepted by today’s secular humanism, which uses EVOLUTION as the backbone of its belief structure…that, in itself, is an interesting ploy to ease God (the Creator) out of the picture.

IS NOT THIS THE SAME MISTAKE SATAN AND COMPANY MADE EONS AGO???

The long & short of the argument, as presented by Smith: KARMA IS IMPERSONAL whereas our loving FATHER CREATOR is very personal and takes care of His creations, judging them with both justice and mercy, the latter concept never a concern of KARMA…since the impersonal karmic law could give two hoots about mercy!

Besides Kevin, Shirley has David as her spiritual mentor. What does he suggest to her?

Firstly, David’s friend, Mayan, is an extraterrestrial woman from the cluster of stars known as the Pleiades. (62) {{UH-OH: HERE WE GO AGAIN!}} I will cite what he thinks as we go further into Shirley’s mystical adventure…but first it is worth pointing out that Shirley (although she believes in reincarnation, does not believe that humans migrate from animal to human, but simply human to human; the former is a Hindu belief (although even among Hindus, there is a difference of opinion on this matter.) This makes Shirley a type of Buddhist, since she also believes that the soul eventually is integrated into the absolute spirit, called nirvana although the author cannot seem to determine whether this belief means “integration” or “extinction” as part of the Buddhist tradition. {{In any case, to me this sounds so depressing to be worshipping an impersonal essence, the end journey of which is to lose your own personality; I think I would rather a personal relationship with a caring, loving God, which is exactly what Jesus is telling us that the Father wants of us – to be ‘’one with the Father as Jesus is one with the Father.’’ This thought is admirably expressed in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John.}}

Where Smith really has a problem with reincarnation, is when they tried to Christianize it – “Western style” a la Edgar Cayce. (80) As the aforementioned Van Auken states:

“According to the secret teachings, the first soul to volunteer to go through every trial, overcome every temptation, dispel every illusion, conquer every challenge and reach perfection was that soul we call Jesus of Nazareth.”

Shirley’s friend, David, apparently had no problem with the above concept. Smith does – BIGTIME! As the author so wryly puts it on page 83: Is this what we are going out on a limb to believe?

DON’T BELIEVE WHAT DOESN’T WORK

What doesn’t work? How can we choose our lives when there is absolutely no evidence that we can control our continued living? (84) Why are we so helpless when it comes to the time of our death? (84) How come only Jesus can be documented to have gone from a higher to lower to higher dimension again (unlike either Buddha or Krishna?) (85) What evidence is there of missing links? What evidence of evolutionary soul progression? (85)

If it is proof that Shirley MacLain is seeking, then, according to Smith, Jesus’ resurrection is the verified exhibit upon which God rests his case.(86) He ends the chapter with some words of encouragement: “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14).

SOME TECHNICAL POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION

The author asks: Why is it that no one remembers their supposed past life? {{This book was written in 1986; since then people have come forward, claiming to be people from past lives, people such as Jenny Cockell, who was the alleged reincarnatied soul of Mary Sutton, coming back to see what became of her five remaining children. Her story was posted on THE PHIL DONAHEW SHOW, “SIGHTINGS” & ‘UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.’ Her story was also mentioned in Carol Bowman’s book, “CHILDREN’S PAST LIVES,” also mentioning Jenny’s book, “Across Time and Death;” as a matter of fact, besides Bowman’s book, (which I was quite impressed with at the time, especially since it had to do with the verifications of children’s remembrances (including her own,) the author gives quite an impressive bibliography, including the aforementioned, Ian Stevenson, who himself wrote many articles and books addressing case histories of children’s past lives, Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, being one of those books…and his interviews did not involve any type of regressive hypnosis…so…if a traditionalist is going to address the full problems inherent in the reincarnational thesis, the modus operandi of this problem would be on the top of my list of items of concern {{Outside of making a blanket statement that ALL of these cases involve “familiar spirits,” I do not see how this subject could be adequately explained (from a non-reincarnational point of view,) especially when you consider that the cases run into the hundreds…and that is being conservative. On the other hand, Satan is a busy fellow, with many assistants, and he seemingly has all the time in the world to perform a myriad of tricks – until THE DAY OF THE LORD when this activity will be halted for quite some time.}}

Believe me when I say, I AM NOT AN APOLOGIST FOR REINCARNATION…simply one who wants to get to the bottom of this perplexing enigma, without skirting or dodging embarrassing issues like the one just addressed – and not addressed by F. Lagard Smith….[Again, these items will be addressed in my final comments.]

Leaving this touchy issue aside (again, remembering that Smith wrote before these people and works came to the forefront of social awareness,) let us continue with many of Smith’s really good points, as he does a fine job unmasking some of the pitfalls of the NEW AGE as it relates to true Christianity.

The question of “child prodigies” appears less than satisfactory when Smith tries to poo-pooh the idea with the off-handed comment: “…even child prodigies have to learn to tie their shoelaces.” (91) I know that Smith is not a cheap debunker, but he does appear to be ‘’begging the issue here’’ at least a wee bit! {{I would rather he had simply said, I DON’T KNOW…and use the same line that St. Augustine once used: Maybe there are mysteries we are not supposed to know about…or words to that effect. {{This issue will not be addressed within my final comments on this subject…but just remember that Satan is a supernaturally gifted arch angel who is a master of deceit, and skilled in presenting things to the minds of men. WHAT WE SEE IS NOT WHAT MAY BE REALLY REAL}}

Under the section, “THE BIASED FINDINGS,” I think that Smith did a good job unmasking the weak assertions of Helen Wambach, based on the findings in her book, “Reliving Past Lives.” Her group data does seem unconvincing, especially when a group can be made up of very ditsy and imaginative and weak-minded people, already perhaps predisposed to certain belief structures. (95) Of course, Ian Stevenson did not use regressive hypnosis, as Wambach did, but since his work is not addressed by Smith, there is little else I can say regarding this matter, other than the speculation presented above.

The author arranged a meeting with the aforementioned Kevin, and although he found him to be bright, articulate & thoughtful, when it came time for the acid test, Kevin failed miserably! Smith purposely misrepresented the fact that his mother was no longer living, but Kevin never corrected him on this misrepresentation, which according to Smith, he should have been able to do, if he were, in fact, a good psychic! (102) In the final analysis, he found Kevin’s cosmic awareness speculative & imaginative, and no better than the average person could do.

WHAT CHRIST REALLY TAUGHT

1) Jesus taught only one rebirth…i.e., that of “water & spirit” It has nothing to do with multiple earthly lives, but rather, spiritual regeneration is its focus. This new relationship with Christ is such that one who feels this commitment as a new person, does so in the same body!!!

2) The famous scene of the man born blind (John, chapter nine,) is shown – not to represent a proof for reincarnation (which many have reasoned to,) but rather to show that blindness, per se, is not connected to sin! {{As I stated before, these various interpretations by ‘’well meaning men’’ vary depending upon your take on reincarnation; cf. “REINCARNATION…” link as mentioned previously for details,

3) John the Baptist was not Elijah, but only going on before the Lord, “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” {{Notice here, the author quotes LUKE 1:17, instead of MATT 11: 14, which gives an entirely different nuance, that is, (at least according to my Bible as equating John with Elijah; didn’t I tell you that this subject was not an easy one to put to rest, unlike the question of “familiar spirits” as mediums, which is cited as being dangerous in myriad parts of the Old Testament. Inherent in this difference, of course, is the possible variance of translations since the time of Emperor Constantine, so it leaves things somewhat up in the air, unless there are other things specifically confirming one idea or the other.}}

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Smith is quick to point out that Jesus never said this. It was stated by St. Paul in Galatians 6:7-10…which simply meant that by doing good (sowing) we will reap an eternal reward. {{I believe what St. Paul means here is that once one relies on the words of Christ as divine pronouncements from the Father, one will of necessity try to do “good,” but this disposition is not meant to suggest that we can “earn heaven,” since Paul later states in his epistles that only Christ’s death can repay the debt…a debt which was an awful price to pay for our salvation…but done lovingly since the Son came (not to do His will,) but the will of the Father. {{BTW: No other religion has God coming to Man; rather the motif in other religions is Man going to God or becoming co-creators: This is, therefore, a unique beauty of Christianity…but, at the same time, tends to drive rationalists crazy, since their whole lives are premised as earning one’s keep, since no one gets something for nothing in this world. I will address this issue also in my final comments, since I believe there is a parable spoken by Jesus that may address this hard-to-grasp dynamic.}}

Jesus also never said, KNOW THYSELF although Shirley’s friend David puts Plato’s words in Jesus’ mouth, also attributed to Socrates & Pythagoras, but never Jesus. (pp.118-119) At the end of this chapter, Smith divulges what Christ really meant by reaping & sowing: “In Christ we reap the spiritual benefits of what others before us have sown on our behalf. We reap so much more than what we could ever sow, but…if we submit our lives to Jesus Christ, “we are promised that God will provide for us even when our sowing has been inadequate. According to Jesus, we don’t karmically get what we deserve. We get far better than what we deserve.

{{Who could argue with this beautiful dynamic of boundless generosity?!? Not I, says himself, reincarnation or no reincarnation! In fact, if you had followed me this far, the argument almost seems moot – except for MY CONCERN I brought up in the very beginning, which I promise to attend to at the very end. PROMISE!!!}}

{{SCORE ANOTHER POINT FOR SMITH, and let’s remind Shirley to get another advisor…one who has a better grasp on historical personages, and what is attributed to them.}}

There is one hurdle which there seems no question about: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Every non-reincarnationalist I know of, points to this one scripture to show that reincarnation is a fallacy. When I first inquired about this many years ago, I was told by an adherent to “THE CAYCE FOUNDATION”, or Association for Research & Enlightenment,) that one could easily substitute the word “ego” for man, meaning that man has only one ego, and when it dies, allegedly after taming this ego after many lives, the following judgment will be a positive uniting or integrating of our small ego within the Father’s, or becoming one with the Father, as Jesus had urged us to be (again, from the 17th chapter of John.) Smith, of course, would have a BIG PROBLEM with this interpretation, as noted from his above discussion.

This “ego argument” sounded reasonable to me at the time, although I had no way of knowing if it were absolutely true, Later, I read Marilyn McDermit’s book, REINCARNATION: A BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, and having a Doctor of Divinity degree, she devoted a whole book showing how this one quote from Hebrews (9:27) was taken out of context, and means just the opposite, i.e. that after each death of the body, we judge ourselves' ' and then take on a new body with the same ego, as we perfect ourselves from lifetime to lifetime until it is fully tamed and integrated.

“For the living know that they are to die, but the dead no longer know anything. There is no further recompense for them, because all memory of them is lost. For them, love and hatred and rivalry have long since perished. They will never again have part in anything that is done under the sun.”

Before I submit my last intuition regarding “my concern” about God wishing to save all men, allow me to mention just one parable, that I believe may have a bearing on the dynamic of just having one life to make the right choice. It has to do with the parable of the earning of a penny. As you may remember, many people (at the day’s beginning) contracted for a penny to work in the master’s field, and bore the burden of the sun’s rays all day; during the day, the master saw other people standing idly by, so he sent them into the field to earn the penny, and so also, as the day grew longer, the same happened to others. Finally at the 11th hour, the master saw a man who had not been hired because no one would hire him, so he was told also to go into the field, and he would get his reward.

The master told them that they had settled for their wage when they were contracted, so why should they be angry or upset if the master decided to be generous to the last of those that toiled?

The author mentioned in “A REINCARNATION WATERGATE?” chapter that Origen rejected previous incarnations (135); in my own research, I remember Dr. Quincy Howe stating just the opposite, and actually quoted Origen’s “’’ON FIRST PRINCIPLES’’” to back up his point. This is the quote from Howe about Origen:

“…Nor does one find injustice because Jacob supplants his brother Esau in the womb. We should only realize that Jacob is so worthily loved by God on the merits of previous lives MY ITALIX and hence deserved precedence over his brother.” (2.9.7.)

YET IT FINALLY DAWNED ON ME that the heavenly Father, in His infinite wisdom, may have INDEED been giving us a clue as to “my concern.” If He knew what both Jacob & Esau would do in life, and foresee both lovingness toward Jacob and hatred toward Esau, then that would imply that He could foresee what anyone would do or become before they left the womb!!! EUREKA?!? – PERHAPS!

Thank you for your indulgence if you have followed me to the bitter end of this essay. To those who know me, it is only by asking the tough questions, seeking for the real answers, and then knocking so hard – that finally – the right door will inevitably open to us. This approach will always be my modus operandi as a truthwarrior, and not as one guided by simple blind faith. I trust this effort was not in vain in helping others to choose the right door of understanding to the future wonders our loving Father, who has promised good things for those who seek Him, doing it through His only begotten Son.

UPON FURTHER INSPECTION VIA A FRIEND WHO I KNEW BELIEVED IN REINCARNATION, so that no stone would remain unturned ~ I inite you to read further:

Below is a heart-felt email I received from an anonymous friend (who I knew believed in reincarnation) who I had asked to read my essay (above) and comment on it...

This is his response, which also caused me to think about certain things and add my own comments at the bottom of this web page. This is my tentatively final comments on the subject of reincarnation, ending with my final caveat to those who think they may have all the time in the world "to straighten up and fly right!"

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Dear Byron

{{BELOW IS A VERY INTERESTING LINK (from the above anonymous friend) THAT FORCES ONE TO TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK AT JUST WHY REINCARNATION LOOKS SO VIABLE, AND EVEN CONTAINS REFERENCES FROM HEBREWS as well as ECCLESIASTES that reflect just the opposite opinion as was expressed in my above essay. It was written by Dr. Michael G Millett, so if one couples this with the suggestion that we really do not (nor can we) earn heaven (since it is a God-given gift,) then we can look on reincarnation as a way for all men to at least be given an opportunity to have their respective buds BLOSSOM ~ some returning 100 fold, others 60 fold and others 30 fold. For those who reject the kind offer of the gift, (after being given the opportunity,) they will not only receive nothing, but even what they have (life) will be taken away from them. For those who actually contend against the Father, well a more severe fate may indeed await them, a la the FALLEN ANGELS' FATE as expressed so vividly in 'The Book of Enoch.'}}

Strangely, to me reincarnation now is a moot point. Why? Simply because we know there is going to be "the end," whether it is after one life or thousands of lives. The key is to always be ready & vigilant because we do not know the day or the hour, as per the advice of Jesus in the New Testament.

POSTSCRIPT: For those who believe that St. Paul was given the truth by Jesus the Christ, and had communicated that truth to us through his epistles, it may be instructive to read & meditate on chapter two of Ephesians. It may go a long way in shedding light on this subject so we are not left in a confused state.

And lastly...

One of the five true stories in Malachi Martin’s classic book on exorcism called, HOSTAGE TO THE DEVIL, is itself named, “The Rooster and the Tortoise.’’ In this revealing tale, reincarnation is shown to be …in the words of Martin, deceptions induced by the evil spirit (379.) This was the first time that I had seen this statement in bold print, and so concisely declared!

The exorcist actually elicits this information from the evil spirit (called Tortoise) which is inhabiting its victim (Carl, a parapsychologist) and could give knowledge to Carl as if Carl were actually there (387.)

Toward the end of the story, Carl (now freed of his evil spirit,) said: Any idea of reincarnation I championed was an attempt to trick. I was not a shaman. Just a sham'' (404.) In short, Carl had followed the path of Eastern mysticism, looking for “THE ALL,” but instead of searching for Him in the Bible, went down the roads of delusion, until he met up with the evil spirit called Tortoise, which wanted to bring Carl into the same pit that it was now inhabiting.++++++++++++++++

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For a second read on the subject, go to my review of a good old & short look on reincarnation by a lay Christian, Phillip Swihart; go to the link:

http://inspectorblebeau.pbwiki.com/EDGAR-CAYCE--FALSE-PROPHET

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Finally, two quotes from the OLD TESTAMNET:

"For he remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again." [Ps. 78:39]

Also, see DANIEL 12:2.

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