POLL: Reincarnation

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Doesn't it bug you, Mathetais, that heaven is always described as a place of wondrous glorification and happiness, not just the same ol' stuff that goes on down here? Wishful thinking at its best...

 

C'Jakob:

As I already said, I believe, not nearly all christians have become christians of their own choice. In Finland, among other countries, it is a common custom that a newborn should be baptized to a christian. Religion here doesn't play even nearly the part of your everyday life it does in the US. A person who openly speaks of God and religion as if He was a real thing is an oddity that gets frowned upon by many a people. It is a strange thing to believe in a religion like that. Speaks of foolishness and simple mind. Not always, but generally speaking this is the public opinion. No-one will say it, but everyone can see it. There are the rare few that go to church sundays, but that's very rare, compared to the total amount of christians at least.

I'm a christian, but I never joined that belief or organization of my own will. It's always been like that. A part of why christianity is so widely spread across the world is precisely this. We have other christian religions here as well who work more with the idea of that you have to join it yourself of your own choice, and monetary donations are not necessary. Many people do leave the christian church, however, simply because of that 1% of tax payment you save by doing so.

 

You left out Buddhism as a religion!!! That is THE religion that believes in reincarnation!

Basically, if reincarnation is true that means that all souls are "equalized". They are berated for benevolence and benefit for benevolence. If a good-looking and smart person commits crimes, then in his next life, he shall be a pathetic bug eaten as a larva by a bird. But if reincarnation makes all life fair, then how is life unfair? Essentially, reincarnation is the same as karma, right?

 

It can actually be debated if Buddhism really is a religion. It is more of a pure life philosophy as there is no real divine precsence in their faith, just the machinations of the universe. The different Buddhas are only dudes that were really good and were able to return to help guide people along the right path.

 

C'Jakob

They place their faith in well being. Gods are there to regulate and balance the world. So, if i don't commit crime and bring happiness to the public, i would have a better life in next life.

Different people worship different gods, mostly related to their job, status, origins and purpose of worshipping. For Chinese, carpenters worship Lu Ban, mafia and police worship Guan Gong (how ironic), students and teachers worship Confucius, housewives and almost every family worship Local Earth God. If i want to have children, i would worship Give-child Guan Yin. If i want to earn a fortune, i would worship Justice Fortune God, etc. Though they still believe the presence of other gods but there is only one or a few gods that they worship daily. Of couse, the reason they worship gods is unlike what Christian and Muslim. The requests are simple, to protect their daily life.

 

Okay, after reading BTA's and teekc's comments, I cansee how people such as the Hindus and Chinese would believe in reincarnation and the Gods that (according to them) provide help for their daily needs.

But I suppose my previous comment was directed more toward Buddhism and/or other spiritual beliefs like New Age stuff that have less emphasis on deities.

Foradasthar: I'm not sure what you're trying to say to me. I can see how people can be of a faith in word only, and I can also see how people wouldn't believe in something that wouldn't affect them to any significant.

[ January 22, 2003, 22:20: Message edited by: C'Jakob ]

 

For everyone especially C'Jakob,
when you are in college, if you have to chance, pick up world religions or similiar course. On top of the fact that it lets you better understand other religions in the world, it will certainly make you are better person in respecting other religions (i am not saying that you don't now).

 

C'Jakob:

Well if you understand that, then I guess I'm saying nothing. Just that I know some people who can't fathom that there are countries where religion is nothing more than a fancy word in your information registry.

It's extremely odd to me, for example, that there are so many people here (Edit: here = in this forum) who actually take their religion into every single discussion, as if they assumed people would take anything they say seriously. I really am only learning not to skip the text with an attitude of "oh allright, here we go again" when someone puts something with the style of "but according to the bible..." or something suchlike. Well I've never really skipped them, but the feeling I get is pretty much that. And I'm not even a complete atheist! A part of our culture is that you don't see people openly declaring their religion. If some christian person would make a great speech here, it would be watched by many, surely. And not even laughed at as much as some think. But still, it IS embarrasing for any individual to come forth with what they believe in. Then again, Finns are sheep in many other things as well, considering our problems with the social care, taxes and alcohol.

[ January 23, 2003, 10:04: Message edited by: Foradasthar ]

 

I don't believe in reincarnation at all.
Riddle me this:
If a person is who they are because of past experiences and their genes, how is it that someone who has a "full stock" of memories when they die, be reborn with absolutely no experience at all, and still be the same person, not to mention that their genetics would be completely different?
Wouldn't the reborn infant be a completely different person?

PS- I have taken a world religions course, and it actually made me have *less* respect for Buddhism and Hinduism.

 

And you say this to prove to us that you are a ???? person?

[Now, now, no need to insult people for their opinions - BTA]

Edit. But i get so pumped up when people cannot show some respect on other's people religion especially they have learnt more about it.

[ January 27, 2003, 19:02: Message edited by: teekc ]

 

Possibly inadequately taught person?

 

Please. Without commenting on Buddhism or Hinduism or any other religion, why this assumption that everything and everybody deserves respect? I'd be willing to make a bet that not many of you here have much respect for the Raelians. If the guy doesn't have much respect for these religions, perhaps it is because of what he sees as legitimate logical inconsistencies, or maybe they offend his moral sensibilities, or any of half a dozen things.

 

No one they'd necessarily be the same person, now did they? After all, the point of reincarnation as it is commonly seen would be a sort of spiritual growth, to make then better people through this whole karma system.

The idea has nothing to do with genetics, but rather with the spirit, carrying whatever memories or experiences it has, along with it through its time on this plane of existence. The person may never know of these past lives, as their experiences in their present incarnation shape their lives in one direction or another.

Who bloody knows. That's the thing about faith, it doesn't have to make perfect sense. No one really knowns until they die, and perhaps not even then. I for one am content to wait and see.

 

I know this topic has sort of fallen off the recent ones, but I love discussing religion.

First of all, you might've considered providing an "other" under religion. There are, after all, thousands of faiths.

Second, karma is not the equivalent of reincarnation. That is mostly found in the Hindu faith, where your re-incarnations will ascend or descend in level based on your karma. By the way, the highest level on the Hindu ladder before Moksha (release) is that of a Cow.
Buddhism doesn't have that same concept, mainly as the Buddha tried to step as far away from the Caste system as possible.

Okay. Explain me this - how is it more logical to believe that there's a Superhuman Creator God in the sky who gave souls only to humans, and when they die, they're either good or bad by unknown standards, rather than in reincarnation. You want evidence, look at the world around you. Humans aren't set apart from the cycles of nature. As the seasons change, life blossoms, harvests, decays, and is born again. Water flows from rivers to the sea, to the rain and the rives again. It's a balance of sorts.

There is also the sheer amount of people who report knowing people and places and feelings when they shouldn't, or who get uneasy feelings when looking at houses or such. I've known people before I've met them too.

Me? I don't have any opinion. If you asked me whether I believe it's possible (and likely), I'll say yes. I won't really know until I die.

 

I don't believe in reincarnation. But I can see why it would make sense to some. Even some ancients noticed that nothing is really created or destroyed, just recycled (BTW, Rallymama, that joke was cute). If the same thing applies to matter, I can totally understand why someone would theorize that the soul must be on a similar cycle.

As for religious respect (a subtopic that has appeared) I have to state that I respect any religious position if they don't try to assault mine -- they can try to convince me, but I get hostile if they try to force me.