Is Reincarnation Nihilistic?

[Aquila King]

Growing up in a strictly Christian household, I don't have a lot of experience in dealing with past lives and reincarnation. This may be me speaking from past experience, but I honestly don't like the idea of reincarnation. :( of course, it doesn't matter whether I like it or not, what matters is whether or not it's true.

So moving on to my main point, I guess I'm wondering if reincarnation means the me that exists today will essentially be completely gone and will only exist in memory. Will I basically be replaced with a completely unique personality? How much of me lives on in the next person? And how much of my past selves survive in me? I've heard some people say that essentially the only thing that makes us similar to our past lives is that we have the same consciousness, but that everything else is totally different. How is that different from just straight up atheism? I might as well be eternally annihilated when I die if that's the case. And what about past loved ones? Will they still be the people I loved or somebody completely different?

I'm sorry. There's just so much I don't understand about the whole thing... :(