Preface
Reincarnation is an old idea. When an itinerant teacher known as the Buddha spread his message throughout north India around 500 B.C., it was already an accepted religious assumption among his contemporary philosophers. Over the centuries it spread from India throughout most of Asia, where it became an established belief among the common people as well. In many parts of the Orient, reincarnation is not considered a theory so much as an established fact, a virtual "given," thought to be a universal law, almost like gravity.
In the West, however, it has never had much influence until the last century. About one hundred years ago Asian religious ideas were introduced to the West through scholars such as Max Muller, translator of The Sacred Books of the East (50 volumes), and Theosophical Society, a syncretist movement started by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Col H.S. Olcott, who tirelessly propounded Hindu and Buddhist doctrine and opposed Christianity. More recently, there has been a steady flow of Hindu gurus, commencing with the arrival of Swami Vivekenanda in the 1890s, Paramhansa Yogananda in the 1920s, and culminating with such figures as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation, the boy guru Maharaj Ji, Swami Prabhupada of the Hare Krishnas, and hundreds more of varying fame and
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influence. Not surprisingly, evidence has recently come to light indicating that this influx of Hindu masters is part of a concerted and well-organized "counter-mission" to the West — a reaction against two hundred years of Christian missions in India.
The penetration of Europe and the United States by Hindu and Buddhist teachings — especially reincarnation — has been remarkably successful. The 1982 Gallup Poll says that 23% of the U.S. population believe in some form of reincarnation, and the figures for European nations are similar.
Because this upsurge in reincarnation beliefs is a rather recent phenomenon, having occurred mostly in the last twenty years, few competent Christian thinkers and scholars have responded to it. Instead they have tended to devote their attention to social issues and intramural theological debates. As a result, most Christians are fundamentally ignorant of what reincarnationists actually believe, or the challenge they represent to Christian thought.
Consequently, contemporary Christian appraisals of the issue have generally fallen into two predictable categories: (1) the standard approach, which attacks reincarnation as unbiblical and offensive, and therefore wrong, but which is noticeably lacking in explanations as to why it is wrong; and (2) the perennial attempt to syncretize or blend reincarnation with historical orthodox Christianity. Neither of these responses has been particularly useful or fruitful.
With the advent of the so-called New Age philosophy and beliefs, which are an amazing blend of occultism, pop psychology, cosmic humanism, mediumship, seances, witchcraft, shamanism, astrology, after-death experiences, out-of-body travel, UFO contact, and elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, the influence of reincarnation continues to grow. It has become an exotic and esoteric alternative not only to Christianity but also to the hopelessness of scientific atheism and existential agnosticism. It has reached a near fever pitch in Hollywood, where many stars openly profess their belief in it.
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Sylvester Stallone says he was once a monkey in Central America, and Shirley MacLaine enthusiastically promotes it through books and TV specials.
Given this entire situation, the time has arrived to ask some hard questions about reincarnation. As the title of this book implies, I intend to unravel the subject from a Christian perspective, and that purpose should be made clear from the outset. While I have made every effort to present the reincarnation position fairly and accurately, I will present its counterpoint from Judeo-Christian thought.
Asking hard questions by verbal poking and pommeling is really the essence of genuine interfaith dialog, for it brings out the strengths and weaknesses of any religion or philosophy. At this confusing time in history we need to learn to think critically, and nowhere is this more necessary than in religion.
Reincarnation philosophy has established a growing beachhead in Western society, and the influence of this pivotal teaching has increased in direct proportion to the explosion of religious pluralism that has characterized the last two decades. Thus it cannot be ignored. Whether reincarnation is a notion "fitting for the chatter of frogs and fishes," as St. Gregory of Nyssa thought in the fourth century, or "a most comforting explanation of reality," as Albert Schweitzer once said, is the question before us. Whatever the answer may be, it is of utmost importance for those who believe in a life after death.
