any Christians believe in reincarnation?

Originally Posted by Theophilus

"If this is true then there can never be an end to child abuse. If the abuser must suffer in a future life then someone he knows in that life must abuse him and then be destined to suffer the same thing in his future. The Bible says that in the last days many will depart from the faith and follow the teachings of demons and any teaching that the victim of child abuse deserves what is happening to him is clearly demonic in its origin."

I understand that that is not how the law of cause and effect works. We see only the outward signs of what other people do. We do not see why people do what they do. We do not know what they felt before they acted. It is not only the deed itself that is important but what made people do what they did is as important if not more important.

Gina Cerminara made a study of the karmic causes in the readings of Edgar Cayce. She found the following types of karma:
physical karma; karma of mockery, karma in suspension, karma and problems of health; retributive psychological karma; past-life origins of mental abnormalities; the lonely ones, karmic family entanglements etc.

Let's take, for example, the case where mockery set in motion the law of cause and effect. If we use your example, Theophilus, the one who mocked in a past life would be the victim of mockery in this one. However, this is what happened in the Cayce reading:

Of a woman stricken with infantile paralysis: "She had been among the royalty of the time and was closely associated with Nero in his persecution of the Christians. "And the entity laughed at those who were crippled in the arena--"says the reading--"and lo! that self-same thing returns to you.!"

Of a girl lamed by tuberculosis of the hip joint:
"The karmic cause, however, arose in the second life back, in Rome. Here the entity had been one of the aristocrats in Nero's court and had found it amusing to watch the persecution of Christians in the arena. She had laughed in particular at the girl whose side was ripped open by the claws of a lion."

I believe that the "I hit you, you hit me in the next life ad infinitum" will stop when one of the parties finds it in him/herself to forgive. I may be wrong though.

This is a nice webpage that traces the disappearance of reincarnation from the Bible. Perhaps Miss Hepburn added the link already. I forgot to check. Sorry.

http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen08.html

You can't control what people do, feel or think...many have tried and died in attempting to do so.

Whether Christian, Jew, Hindu, Agnostic or Atheist each will find the path, the formula, the mix that resonates, that works best for them. If that be reincarnation, with a mix of this, that and the other...so be it. We certainly like our labels don't we? Unfortunately they can become chains around us limiting our capacity for true understanding and atonement.

[Fresco]

Originally Posted by Vaughn

You can't control what people do, feel or think...many have tried and died in attempting to do so.

Whether Christian, Jew, Hindu, Agnostic or Atheist each will find the path, the formula, the mix that resonates, that works best for them. If that be reincarnation, with a mix of this, that and the other...so be it. We certainly like our labels don't we? Unfortunately they can become chains around us limiting our capacity for true understanding and atonement

Very, very well said!

All we can do is state our opinion(s) and hope that some of the good knowledge resonates. Other then that, its pretty much in one ear, out the other.

I believe this is what the Bible meant by: "Dont throw pearl before swine, if you do they will trample on it and attack you".

IMO it means if you try to even bother converting an atheist, they will first trample on whatever you told them, and then they will (verbally) attack you and tell you where to go.

Not all atheists will, but plenty

Even when I was part of catholic church I believed in the reincarnation and rebirth of the soul.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Bluegreen

This is a nice webpage that traces the disappearance of reincarnation from the Bible. Perhaps Miss Hepburn added the link already. I forgot to check. Sorry.

http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen08.html

I think this thread is getting very informative , great posts- post this link 10 times if that's what it takes to get looked at.

I just basically wanted to bring this thread back up.