Past lives

[nobspeople]

While it may seem reasonable that christianity doesn't accept or believe in past lives, I've heard, in various podcasts, that some people claiming to be christians DO in fact believe. While some may say 'well, those aren't real christians', that's not what this thread is about (surely there's a thread about what is or isn't a christian for that discussion).

For discussion:
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

[Purple Knight]

Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?

I've been doing a lot of exploring the Christian canon and meta-canon since joining this site.

And the answer is yes.

One of the ideas I've run across is the idea that God wants to save you, and so he will... eventually. You're going to go back, and go back, and go back, until you get it right.

One thing this solves is why a benevolent God doesn't save everyone. One problem that arises is Hell, which there is not any need for if this is the case. Some scholars don't believe in Hell anyway.

I'll try to find a link for this later.

[theophile]

While it may seem reasonable that christianity doesn't accept or believe in past lives, I've heard, in various podcasts, that some people claiming to be christians DO in fact believe. While some may say 'well, those aren't real christians', that's not what this thread is about (surely there's a thread about what is or isn't a christian for that discussion).

For discussion:
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

I suppose all things are possible, but the focus in the bible is more on resurrection than reincarnation.

So the most compatible version of a 'past life' would be, say, the life Jesus had before he was resurrected. But was he a different person before and after? Or does that 'process' repeat multiple times? I don't see any evidence of that in the bible.

[1213]

...
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

I don't think it is a Biblical belief, because:

Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,
Heb. 9:27

[nobspeople]

While it may seem reasonable that christianity doesn't accept or believe in past lives, I've heard, in various podcasts, that some people claiming to be christians DO in fact believe. While some may say 'well, those aren't real christians', that's not what this thread is about (surely there's a thread about what is or isn't a christian for that discussion).

For discussion:
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

I suppose all things are possible, but the focus in the bible is more on resurrection than reincarnation.

So the most compatible version of a 'past life' would be, say, the life Jesus had before he was resurrected. But was he a different person before and after? Or does that 'process' repeat multiple times? I don't see any evidence of that in the bible.

Thanks for the response.
Why do you say the bolded above? What makes you have that belief?

[theophile]

While it may seem reasonable that christianity doesn't accept or believe in past lives, I've heard, in various podcasts, that some people claiming to be christians DO in fact believe. While some may say 'well, those aren't real christians', that's not what this thread is about (surely there's a thread about what is or isn't a christian for that discussion).

For discussion:
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

I suppose all things are possible, but the focus in the bible is more on resurrection than reincarnation.

So the most compatible version of a 'past life' would be, say, the life Jesus had before he was resurrected. But was he a different person before and after? Or does that 'process' repeat multiple times? I don't see any evidence of that in the bible.

Thanks for the response.
Why do you say the bolded above? What makes you have that belief?

That's the hope and the promise, right? That in the last days when death is finally conquered we'll be resurrected? 1 Corinthians 15 makes this point most directly. But also the gospels, and Jesus' resurrection (him being the firstborn to the life to come).

[alexxcJRO]

Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?

Christian doctrine says after the final judgement human souls either go in the lake of fire/hell or heaven.
Literalist(YEC) say that the sending to hell is a punishment where one experiences forever physical and/or phycological torment.
More modern Christians(OEC) believe in a free will theodicy of hell where one soul can theoretically could leave hell but don’t choose this. And that hell is more akin to a separation from God then a place of torture and torment, of fire and brimstone.

Christian concept is not compatible with Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism doctrine: all life goes through birth, life, death, and rebirth and this is known as the cycle of samsare(which ends if a person attains nirvana, the "blowing out" of the desires and the gaining of true insight into impermanence and non-self reality). Once a living being dies, its atman will be reborn or reincarnated into a different body(human being, or animal, or plant, or spirit, or as a being in some other non-human realm of existence) depending on its karma from its previous life.

When one goes and say anything can mean anything and one can metamorphosis anything into anything the value of words go out the window.

[nobspeople]

While it may seem reasonable that christianity doesn't accept or believe in past lives, I've heard, in various podcasts, that some people claiming to be christians DO in fact believe. While some may say 'well, those aren't real christians', that's not what this thread is about (surely there's a thread about what is or isn't a christian for that discussion).

For discussion:
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

I suppose all things are possible, but the focus in the bible is more on resurrection than reincarnation.

So the most compatible version of a 'past life' would be, say, the life Jesus had before he was resurrected. But was he a different person before and after? Or does that 'process' repeat multiple times? I don't see any evidence of that in the bible.

Thanks for the response.
Why do you say the bolded above? What makes you have that belief?

That's the hope and the promise, right? That in the last days when death is finally conquered we'll be resurrected? 1 Corinthians 15 makes this point most directly. But also the gospels, and Jesus' resurrection (him being the firstborn to the life to come).

Is it? I haven't seen anything saying this is the bible's focus. Maybe that's what some believe, but I can't find anything that says that specifically.

[theophile]

While it may seem reasonable that christianity doesn't accept or believe in past lives, I've heard, in various podcasts, that some people claiming to be christians DO in fact believe. While some may say 'well, those aren't real christians', that's not what this thread is about (surely there's a thread about what is or isn't a christian for that discussion).

For discussion:
Is the idea of past lives (I'm alive now, but I was once a woman in the year 1601, and also a man in 1489 and 908) compatible with modern christian beliefs? Can a person be a christian and believe in past lives? If so, how?
What about in your christian belief?
Or in ancient christian belief, as you understand it?

I suppose all things are possible, but the focus in the bible is more on resurrection than reincarnation.

So the most compatible version of a 'past life' would be, say, the life Jesus had before he was resurrected. But was he a different person before and after? Or does that 'process' repeat multiple times? I don't see any evidence of that in the bible.

Thanks for the response.
Why do you say the bolded above? What makes you have that belief?

That's the hope and the promise, right? That in the last days when death is finally conquered we'll be resurrected? 1 Corinthians 15 makes this point most directly. But also the gospels, and Jesus' resurrection (him being the firstborn to the life to come).

Is it? I haven't seen anything saying this is the bible's focus. Maybe that's what some believe, but I can't find anything that says that specifically.

You've read the Gospels right, and the climactic event they describe? Also worth noting that Christianity's holiest day is Easter, which celebrates the event of Christ's resurrection...

From 1 Corinthians 15:

"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead then ... our preaching is useless and so is your faith."

Paul goes on to speak here of the broader mission and trajectory (of God / the bible) when death is at last conquered and we're all recipients of this grace.

[nobspeople]

[Replying to theophile in post #9]

You've read the Gospels right, and the climactic event they describe?

Too many times

Also worth noting that Christianity's holiest day is Easter, which celebrates the event of Christ's resurrection

Yes. But that itself doesn't say to me past lives can't be real

when death is at last conquered and we're all recipients of this grace.

See bolded prior response

I see your POV but that doesn't say, to me, past lives aren't possible at all.