Reincarnation: Not Just Running Around in Circles

Just a clarification for Christian friends and family who may ask," How can a Christian believe in reincarnation?"

I do not believe in infinite incarnations, but that God, in His Infinite Power, Wisdom and Mercy, can provide reincarnation as a means of working out the kinks we throw at Him in our finite power and misuses thereof.

Orthodox Jews believe in a finite number of reincarnations, or gilgulim. It comes from the Hebrew "to roll." I have heard that the maximum is four. Interestingly, some Hasidic Jews also believe tht sexual transgressions result in returning as the opposite gender. Just recently I learned from a hindu co-worker that Hindus do not believe in infinite reincarnations either. According to my colleague, they believe in a maximum of seven. After that, you either enter Eternity with God or if you don't get it right by then, POOOOF!!!

As I understand it, though there are some minor differences among denominations on faith vs. works regarding salvation, everyone believes that sin distances you from God while living a proper life brings you closer. Jews say "Mitzvah gorreret Mitzvah and averah gorerret averah." Keeping a commandment leads to keeping more Commandments, but sin leads to more sin. We certainly see this in our lives. Reincarnation offers someone who has sinned in one lifetime a chance to come into the world with a different set of strengths and weaknesses especially suited to address and repair the results of their sin and prepare for a closer relationship with God.

As far as the number of incarnations, I believe that is God's business, He is the ouly guarantee, and life is a precious gift that should not be taken lightly whether it is received in one, three, four, seven, or seventy installments.

You should also not judge a human life based on its perceived "quality." God gives each individual what they need. I have a mild visual impairment. However, I happen to know that God gave me enough ability and opportunity to have a significant amount of freedom and enough physical disability and limitation to not have the option of taking it from others out of anger. Actually I have more freedom than most non-disabled people in our culture because I was not readily included in its hypersexualized aspects, in which people are manipulated, exploited and pitted against each other to break down families and communities and create the emptiness of superficial relationships so they seek satisfaction in consumption.

Considering how and why I came into this world it would have been a major bummer to have been screened out by an amnio.