By Dr. Jonathan Isibor.
It is worthwhile mentioning that the doctrine of reincarnation has been established in creation to assist man or lift him up from the forest of errors.
The beliefs of man cannot change the laws of nature. They operate according to the laws of cycles.
That reincarnation is as true as life itself becomes obvious when one considers the many evidences in support of it.
In the first instance when one reflects on the preachments of Jesus Christ during His ministries one will wonder why it became necessary for Church leaders to labor assiduously to alter or modify the simple truths-unalterable spiritual truths –spoken by Jesus to His disciples.
Many divine laws and mystical principles and doctrines had been in operation even before the birth of Jesus.
In the Christian sacred book (to be precise Matthew Chapter 5, verse 17), Jesus is quoted as saying “Do not think that I have come to set aside the law of the prophets, I have not come to set them aside, but to bring them to perfection”.
The doctrine of reincarnation has been taught throughout ages. The greatest philosophers of the Western world such as Socrates, Plato, Plotinus, Pythagoras, St Augustine, St, Clement, and Origen accepted and taught about this doctrine.
As in many facts of life, uncertainties and mere beliefs soon give way and are set aside in favor of the unalterable operations of natural and spiritual laws that guide the affairs of man irrespective of their beliefs.
For instance, the law of gravity remains whether one is a Moslem, a Christian, a Buddhist or an Atheist; irrespective of race, age, or gender.
In fact, it is quite interesting if one studies the history of how modern Christendom came to reject the doctrine of reincarnation.
This is detailed by a prominent Christian theologian, Dr. Geddes Macgregor in his book titled, “Reincarnation and Christianity”.
I do not intend to bore my readers with already documented and copious information about the several meetings held by the Church fathers to discuss the doctrine of reincarnation.
But one has only to remember the Fifth Ecumenical Council convened by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian at Constantinople in 553AD.
It was at this meeting that it was decided that the doctrine of reincarnation be expunged from the Bible.
Emperor Justinian was able to compel the ruling Church Cardinals to draft a Papal decree stating that “If anyone asserts the fabulous preexistence of souls, and shall assert the monstrous restoration which follows from it: let him be anathema”.
The doctrine of reincarnation was expunged from the Bible not because it was considered untrue; rather, it was because the Church thought the people might become lax in their resolve to attain perfection.
If people thought that they have more than one life with which to become a perfect Christian, they might resort to sinfulness in this life thinking “I’ll atone in my next, and may no longer support the church.”
“The powers that be” then felt it could be better to control the actions of communicants by telling them stories about hellfire and heaven, and that final judgment awaited them at the end of this life than by letting them continue in the knowledge of eternal and individual justice.
Consider what this decision did to the right interpretation of “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”.
Poor Church fathers! Little did they even know that the doctrine of reincarnation does not attempt to soothe the weariness and struggles of life; nor blunt peoples’ minds to the obligations of life.
“The doctrine does not do away with redemption, salvation, and the ultimate judgment of our sins”.
The great philosopher, Voltaire, wrote that the doctrine of reincarnation is “neither absurd nor useless”, adding, “It is not more surprising to be born twice than once”.
According to an early Church leader, Origen (185-254 AD), “Each soul enters the world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats of its past lives. Its place in the world is determined by past virtues and shortcomings”.
“With a good understanding of the doctrine and the law of karma, man is brought face to face with the fact that as man sows, so must he reap; as he demands, so must he compensate; as he demands, so must he pay.
Above all, the doctrine of reincarnation assures us that if we live the Christian spirit, or follow the highest teachings of our religion, whatever it may be, we will earn certain rewards.
Such rewards, it is believed will strengthen and prepare us for another life in which we can earn additional rewards and reach a higher state of development.
Through these continued existences on earth we can gradually attain that perfection and that degree of Christian spirit in our consciousness that will make us ready to stand before the Great Judge and receive the highest benediction”.
What do some other religions say about reincarnation?
There are several references in the Quran to the doctrine of reincarnation: In the “Essential Koran”, by Thomas Cleary, it is related that “God is the one who created you all, then provided you sustenance, then will cause you to die, then will bring you to life (Quran, Sura 11,verse 38).
Quran, Sura 2, verse 28 reads: “How can you make denial of Allah, who made you live again when you died, will make you dead again, and then live again, until you finally return to him?”
The final part of this article would be published in our next edition.
Dr. Jonathan Isibor is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State of Nigeria. He can be reached at: joe_isibor@yahoo.com
