Does the idea behind having past lives have any feasibility? What exactly are the ideas behind this concept?
Jarbaby Shrugged
Which is the lesser-known sequel by Ayn Rand.
IANA parapsychologist/psychic, but here’s MHO
Past lives are quite believable, and make more sense than the Christian afterlife (IMHO, I am not prejudiced against any religion): each life leaves you with different learning experiences, retained by your higher self (the persona of your first incarnation, tempered by every life since then). You are born with some hazy recollections of these past lives, which allow you to develop certain aptitudes more easily than others. Experiences may not have been in human form, say some opinionated people: past incarnations can extend over many thousands of years and many varieties of species, earthly and otherwise.
Some people can remember more than others: those who have a great many past lives and can remember relatively large patches are what we call “old souls” (I’m sure you’ve met a few kids who talk like 40-year-olds).
If there is a perfect God, considering He put us in a world with the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy, wouldn’t he recycle souls too?
Post back if you have any questions about what I’ve put down, I don’t want to rail on too long…
Why would a loving God make you go through life more than once?
Is the God you believe in loving? Why does he allow wars, plagues etc? Why do so many bad things happen to good people? Surely a perfect and loving God wouldn’t have to ‘test’ us because he/she’d know the answers?
Divine plans are ineffable… I was being trite by mentioning that God probably recycles, I really hope you were being trite back. :rolleyes:
WV_Womanm you believe that life is suffering? You would make a good Buddhist.
I’d just like to point out that reincarnation is really no more or less of a silly idea than a Heaven / Hell afterlife. It’s the belief of two major world religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) and many minor ones (a large portion of Pagans, for example). It’s as feasible as any part of a religion based on faith. We don’t have any evidence for or against.
I find that the idea of reincarnation is very attractive. To me, it makes more sense that we would live because living is somehow worthwhile in and of itself, and so is the knowledge that we gain from living. I find that much more compatible with the idea of (a) loving God(s) than being put on a world which is ultimately evil and full of deceit. I’m not a real believer, though – my mind isn’t really made up on the subject. YMMV.
Hey, loup: I love you, I kiss you…
[sub]It’s a Montreal joke.[/sub]
Where are all the extra souls* coming from?
[sub]Or whatever you want to call the essence that moves from a dying body into a newborn.[/sub]
I don’t understand what you’re asking. Why are these ‘extra’? Are you distinguishing from ‘regular’ souls in some way, or are you asking where souls come from in general within a system of belief that includes reincarnation?
The human population is increasing all the time. Where are all the new souls coming from? Are slug souls being promoted?
That could be the reason we do not completely remember all of our past lives…
God created humanity and gave us the benefit of the doubt. He gave us the capability to do good, but we can also do evil.Is there a past soul check-in? I’d bet money that if every person was regressed, we’d get some odd population distributions, and who knows how many monarchs.
Of course, the theory suffers from soul syndrome. Prove souls scientifically, and you’re good to go.
I don’t think so… there are a fixed number of souls, when none are available for a newborn, the child is born soul-less. This would explain most lawyers, Enron/Worldcom/Global Crossing CEOs, and some Holiday Inn Lounge singers.
The cognitive dissonance I’m getting from this–that is, the combination of this quote, and the thread title too, and the source of the username it’s coming from-- is really pretty nifty.
One of the problems I have with the usual formulation of reincarnation is how people keep thinking that it has to follow time’s arrow.
Why then is once OK? 
Because we didn’t get it right in the first time?
I believe in Reincarnation. That’s what HELL really would be.
I’ll bet Hitler is now an elderly disabled Polish lesbian Jew.*
*No offense to elderly disabled Polish lesbian Jews of course. Just saying that would be a good way to teach him some humility towards those he tortured.
To give a serious answer (not that any of the above were less than…):
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Feasibility? Why not? If “I” can be born once, then I don’t see why “I” can’t be born some more times; and if it makes no sense to say that “I” can be born more than once (because the individual in reference is nothing but a certain body), then to my way of thinking “I” can never be born in the first place.
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Would God do allow it, if there is a God? Don’t see why not, if the exercize of one’s will under various circumstances has a value, which it seems it does.
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Must everyone reincarnate? Perhaps not. It may be a matter of choice. It may be that there are alternative ways to get whatever a further life gives one.
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Does hypnotic regression allow one to recall past lives? Perhaps; perhaps any method that allows a certain focusing of the attention will allow veracious material to seep up from below. But hypnosis is far from a royal road to truth: it’s more like a dream containing occasional bits and pieces of real experience.
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The “population problem.” Not a problem. (a) The number of souls who have never been incarnate on Earth, but want to be, may be vast. (b) Whereas more people live on Earth at this time than ever before, the aggregate number of persons who ever lived prior to this generation is, I presume, much larger–and the span between successive lives may vary tremendously. © And–leaving slugs aside–perhaps are anthropoidal ancestors are now getting their chance. (d) Souls are incarnating from other planets. (e) New souls are being generated all the time, and are getting their first incarnation now. (f) Souls from the future are having incarnations now, in their “past.” —Enough?
Hmm… I think past lives makes some sense, more than many other supernatural things I’ve seen presented before. Dunno… I do know several people who believe in past lives, ranging all the way from strong beliefs that strongly shape the way they look on life and themselves, to being more of just another piece of background of their lives (Like my step-dad, who feels he was a bear in a past life, seems fairly sure of it, but it doesn’t really have any effect on him. Kinda makes sense, too, if I had to attribute an animal to him, it’d definatly be a bear. My mom believes in past lives too, and also feels she was a bear at least once). It also just “feels” right to me. It would certainly explain some things.
True or not, I still feel like I’m on my first life…
My feelings on it are that new souls can be created, or at the very least, there are souls that have not been “used” yet. I also feel that souls, while they may be of a particular species (Including ones that are now extinct, or have yet to be, or possibly will never be), they can cross species. I also feel that, with how little I really know about it, it’d be idiocy to insist that “my” version is necesarily right, much less try to convince someone else it is But it’s one of those things that, while I can’t prove to anyone else, does seem right to me.