Maddenation
Reincarnation
What’s this fascination with past lives our culture has embraced of late? I just read another book, Golfing with God, in which the main character develops a close relationship with God on the golf course and discusses past lives matter-of-factly with the Creator of the Universe. Countless other books and movies use plot devices that dramatize reincarnation and the spirit world. And, of course, there’s Shirley MacLaine.
I realize that reincarnation (a great word, by the way) is an appealing concept, especially for those who are currently struggling with bad karma. And even our scientific knowledge seems to support the idea of recycling souls. After all, we have conservation of mass/energy, and we know that the atoms that comprise our body today are continuously recycled. So it kind of makes sense that, after we die, our souls get back in line for another sojourn.
On the other hand, Christian religious teaching does not allow for reincarnation (with one exception). And frankly, for reincarnation to work well, wouldn’t it be helpful to have some recollection of the lessons learned in past lives? I’m not talking about hypnosis, or dj vu, or those occasional insights we all get to resolve some problem. I’m talking real memory, where you can say to yourself, “That didn’t work when I tried it on Attila the Hun.”
Still, lots of people believe in reincarnation, including the Dali Lama. And it would be nice to get a few more chances to get our act together. Like those video games. It might help us in our decision making. And our excuses.
Dad • Observations • 01/18/06 • 1 comments
Comments
David • 01/23/06 • 10:17 PM:Reincarnation could be true - just ask Dave Barry, who makes The Case For Past Lives
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