Do you believe in past lives?
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Cornerstone
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Yes.
It makes no sense that of the millions of years life has been around and the billions more that something has been present that I as I am currently would show up in 1991 AD and live a single human lifespan that could last ~100yrs or could end right now.
Now.
Now.
Now.
Alright, I won't push my luck.
It just doesn't fit with what I know of everything else around myself.
Where, how, in what form and whether incarnations follow the linear timeline we recognise...I don't know and I figure if I needed to know, it would be known.
So, in short, yes. I do. But that is where my inquiry pretty much ends until I feel the need to look into it further.
It makes no sense that of the millions of years life has been around and the billions more that something has been present that I as I am currently would show up in 1991 AD and live a single human lifespan that could last ~100yrs or could end right now.
Now.
Now.
Now.
Alright, I won't push my luck.
It just doesn't fit with what I know of everything else around myself.
Where, how, in what form and whether incarnations follow the linear timeline we recognise...I don't know and I figure if I needed to know, it would be known.
So, in short, yes. I do. But that is where my inquiry pretty much ends until I feel the need to look into it further.
Brodskizzle
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I don't personally, mostly because I think that each human is so fantastically extraordinary that they can't possibly be based on anyone else.
Dr. Holly
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For me personally, definitely not. I believe there is one Creator (God) and 2 lives: our temporary life in this shell/body on Earth and eternal life. Sometimes it may "feel like" you've lived a certain path in another life (especially us INFJs for some reason).
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My thoughts/ideas on this are so hard for me to put into words that I almost don't even want to try. I will try a bit though.
In short, I think I do believe in a sort of reincarnation. Sort of. I don't really believe each individual person has their own individual soul though that is being reborn. I essentially believe that there is one big soul powering all of us and then when we die, we discover our true self, and are reborn to continue learning. Consciousness is consciousness is consciousness. It all stems from the same pool. (Not making these as statements of fact, just what currently makes the most sense to me. So just my opinion.)
Did any of that even make sense? Ugh. This is why I didn't wanna try.
In short, I think I do believe in a sort of reincarnation. Sort of. I don't really believe each individual person has their own individual soul though that is being reborn. I essentially believe that there is one big soul powering all of us and then when we die, we discover our true self, and are reborn to continue learning. Consciousness is consciousness is consciousness. It all stems from the same pool. (Not making these as statements of fact, just what currently makes the most sense to me. So just my opinion.)
Did any of that even make sense? Ugh. This is why I didn't wanna try.
Soulful
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Yes. I do.
I have mixed feelings about inter-species reincarnation, but human-to-human reincarnation makes the most sense to me of the before/afterlife scenarios I've encountered.
The idea conveniently explains things like personality preferences, why we're born equipped with certain skills, why we may identify with something in spite of not having prior exposure to it and for reasons that cannot be explained logically, as well as otherwise unexplainable phobias. None of these are proof of reincarnation, but I suppose are nicely explained by it if you already believe in the concept.
I also wonder whether there is something to be said about the capacity for wisdom and compassion, and that a diversity of life experiences results in greater opportunities for the development of wisdom and a variety of skills.
Lastly, I'm wont to offer credence to personal accounts by people who can "see" or "know" they've had past lives. This is especially interesting when you consider very young children, perhaps 2-4 years old, who announce something about a past life to family who do not identify with such beliefs.
I have mixed feelings about inter-species reincarnation, but human-to-human reincarnation makes the most sense to me of the before/afterlife scenarios I've encountered.
The idea conveniently explains things like personality preferences, why we're born equipped with certain skills, why we may identify with something in spite of not having prior exposure to it and for reasons that cannot be explained logically, as well as otherwise unexplainable phobias. None of these are proof of reincarnation, but I suppose are nicely explained by it if you already believe in the concept.
I also wonder whether there is something to be said about the capacity for wisdom and compassion, and that a diversity of life experiences results in greater opportunities for the development of wisdom and a variety of skills.
Lastly, I'm wont to offer credence to personal accounts by people who can "see" or "know" they've had past lives. This is especially interesting when you consider very young children, perhaps 2-4 years old, who announce something about a past life to family who do not identify with such beliefs.
In a hypothetical and technical manner, yes. A human being is a collective mass of energy. When we pass away, our energy loses its previous collective form, and disperses. As the energy disseminates, it joins to other forms of energy, to collectively transform into a new object or being. Throw in a mystical force, such as Karma, and this will determine whether your energy becomes worms and rocks, or become a rockstar.
Otherwise, I have no belief for or against reincarnation. Like the question about the existence of God, I do not wish to pursue it for fear of knowing the answer either way. I am not ready for such knowing.
Otherwise, I have no belief for or against reincarnation. Like the question about the existence of God, I do not wish to pursue it for fear of knowing the answer either way. I am not ready for such knowing.
Are you perhaps a believer in Jung's theory of the collective unconscious, perchance?
Soulful
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What is the relationship between monotheism and reincarnation?
Surely, reincarnation could be the case under one God and is not inherently synonymous with polytheism, were it to exist.
ZcM4xzkjgzCjytBc
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Maybe
But not within the time Earth has existed
and probably nowhere near earth, nor the universe we know
But not within the time Earth has existed
and probably nowhere near earth, nor the universe we know
Dr. Holly
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Hi Soulful,
Good to hear from you
Let me first say that even if I disagree with a person's beliefs or point of view, I still always have respect for that person & how they feel/think. I just wanted to say that because I definitely don't want anything I ever say to come across as "bashing" or rude or anything negative. I do need to ask you this though: Is your question how or if monotheism and reincarnation are compatible? -- I ask because I want to be 100% clear so that there aren't any misunderstandings.
So if you don't mind, I'd love to have clarification on this. Thanks Soulful!
Soulful
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@Dr. Holly
My question arose as an inquiry into your disassociation of monotheism with reincarnation, and being curious whether that is how you conceptualized it (and if so, curious about that) or whether I had interpreted your words differently than you had intended them. Nothing more. I apologize if it sounded ostentatious.
My question arose as an inquiry into your disassociation of monotheism with reincarnation, and being curious whether that is how you conceptualized it (and if so, curious about that) or whether I had interpreted your words differently than you had intended them. Nothing more. I apologize if it sounded ostentatious.
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Apone
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I don't believe that human beings are consistent phenomena, or that there's enough continuity even during the course of one person's lifetime to say that any person really exists for much longer than say, 7 years (the amount of time it takes for every single cell in your body to be replaced by a new one, I think). I look back at myself 7 years ago and I have very little in common with that person... and then even less in common with the person I was 14 years ago.
So no, I definitely don't believe in reincarnation or the idea of there being more than one soul or that some souls go to heaven or hell or limbo or come back. I mean, if that were the case then how would you account for the fact that the population has exploded in the past 100 years? I mean, is the universe 'making' new souls? Is God making them? Or is there a limited number of people with souls and then everyone else is actually soulless? Or maybe they're demons? Or maybe the souls of extinct animals have come back as people? Maybe James Holmes was some sort of Pacific sea creature driven to extinction by toxic waste, come back for revenge on the species that killed him. The whole thing is just so goofy and backwards. What if there's some sort of cataclysm? Where will the souls go? Do we include life on other planets here? Life in places we don't know about? Parallel universes? How many of these people who claim to remember their past lives actually remember anything other than life on Earth? Why don't we get people who remember advanced alien technologies, or like bring sudden developments to light? Why are we not making great leaps and bounds, and instead basically following a linear path?
I'm with the 'collective memory' thing-- I definitely think that certain aspects of memory are genetic and it's just a theory but I would even argue that things like prodigy are less a miraculous ability to absorb new things that an inherent familiarity with something that has existed for some time, and is probably the product of an inherited memory. I do think things are probably connected beyond genetics as well... learning isn't always a conscious process and information/stimuli doesn't always manifest in a coherent, linear fashion... I do think there are all kinds of machinations occurring 'just below the surface' that we could never be consciously aware of, or it would drive us insane. I'm obviously not superstitious/religious, but I definitely think that some spiritual or religious ideas are probably somewhat valid theories, even if there's currently no way to test them.
So no, I definitely don't believe in reincarnation or the idea of there being more than one soul or that some souls go to heaven or hell or limbo or come back. I mean, if that were the case then how would you account for the fact that the population has exploded in the past 100 years? I mean, is the universe 'making' new souls? Is God making them? Or is there a limited number of people with souls and then everyone else is actually soulless? Or maybe they're demons? Or maybe the souls of extinct animals have come back as people? Maybe James Holmes was some sort of Pacific sea creature driven to extinction by toxic waste, come back for revenge on the species that killed him. The whole thing is just so goofy and backwards. What if there's some sort of cataclysm? Where will the souls go? Do we include life on other planets here? Life in places we don't know about? Parallel universes? How many of these people who claim to remember their past lives actually remember anything other than life on Earth? Why don't we get people who remember advanced alien technologies, or like bring sudden developments to light? Why are we not making great leaps and bounds, and instead basically following a linear path?
I'm with the 'collective memory' thing-- I definitely think that certain aspects of memory are genetic and it's just a theory but I would even argue that things like prodigy are less a miraculous ability to absorb new things that an inherent familiarity with something that has existed for some time, and is probably the product of an inherited memory. I do think things are probably connected beyond genetics as well... learning isn't always a conscious process and information/stimuli doesn't always manifest in a coherent, linear fashion... I do think there are all kinds of machinations occurring 'just below the surface' that we could never be consciously aware of, or it would drive us insane. I'm obviously not superstitious/religious, but I definitely think that some spiritual or religious ideas are probably somewhat valid theories, even if there's currently no way to test them.
Dr. Holly
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@Soulful - No need for apologies
You did absolutely nothing wrong. I actually very much enjoy friendly discussion and think it's very healthy for us all, and your post didn't come across to me as ostentatious at all. I just felt it was about curiosity, just like how I feel. I apologize for the delay in response. I received an emergency therapy call while in the midst of writing a reply to your question, which is/was great by the way. I mean that sincerely. Hopefully I can do justice to your great question with an adequate response. I also hope it's okay to make two posts. I'm off to work on the answer to your question now. I hope that I didn't offend you in any way with my post either? If I did, I apologize as well. I know how easy it is for the best of intentions to come out wrong through mere words on a screen, not being able to hear one's voice inflections, etc.**** Update: Unfortunately I have to once again delay my reply due to insane work schedule. I have saved what I typed thus far and will finish to respond asap. The next week or so is jam packed but I really would love to continue this discussion because I find everyone's point of view very interesting. ****
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Soulful
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@Soulful - No need for apologies
No worries. It's no problem at all.
Kmal
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Something like that. The labels mean nothing, It can be called god, the collective unconscious, quantum consciousness, what is within, the spirit, the qi. Whatever the energy is that allows us to live is like a collective transcript. It holds all that was, all that is, and all that will be. I feel that the consciousness I use is the same one that you use and that thomas edison used and my children will use. So, experiencing past lives is looking within your self to see a part of your consciousness that was at a different point in time, because thomas edison is just as a part of you as you are.
