REINCARNATION

The eastern religions - Buddhaism, Confucianism, Hinduism, all are like jellyfish. They absorb Christianity by saying Jesus was a terrific teacher, but just NOT the Son of God. They all say any way-of-life is fine, do your thing, you have plenty more lifetimes to make up for your blunders.

Religions of the Far East push the appealing idea that you will not be JUDGED harshly on what you do in this lifetime. They say that you will have many more lifetimes, reincarnating as different people facing a variety of challenges with more chances to solve them.

This they say allows you to approach perfection over the many billions of years we still have to go. They say you have had past lives as various different people. How you handle each different life's issues adds or subtracts from your Karma, your ever-improving group-soul's balance sheet.

In this reincarnation ball-game there is no moment-in-time of JUDGMENT. Buddhism puts self-realization first, with self-improvement the basis for living. There is no need for forgiveness, because you get many more lives and chances to undo errors, and correct improper reactions and poor decisions.

The Christian God, not fitting into these eastern religious equations, is left out. The individual rules supreme, ever improving, taking his or her sweet time approaching nirvana perfection without ever having to deal with a JUDGMENT.  

Some people argue that reincarnation used to be in the Bible but was removed. However, this appealing philosophy goes against what else is presented in the Bible. The idea of reincarnation could never have been there. The Bible makes clear that we each will be judged just on the one life we live. What real sense does it make for there to be 17 of you, or 43, or over 100?

The judgment standard is not one that you develop for yourself.

It is a defined standard presented consistently all through the Bible Old and New Testaments.

Not everybody will live forever in Nirvana according to the Bible which says few will gain eternal life, most people living lives not worthy of selection, therefore judged by God to go to non-existance.

Reincarnation is a comforting way of life, but is completely incompatible with Christian beliefs. Just know that it is either one or the other. You can’t plant one foot in one camp and one in the other camp and get away with it.