Does Reincarnation Exist? :)

[shasta]

hmmmmmm...does reincarnation exist?

 

[son of baglimit]

I thought so in a past life, but currently i am a non-believer !!!

 

[MalteseBull]

this should be on a hindu forum not a sharemarket forum

 

[shasta]

that's why it's in general chat maltesebull looking at other topics in here it seems anything goes

yep son_of_baglimit but I'm having second thoughts now

 

[Blitzed]

If the bible is true and Adam and Eve were the first, where did Cain and Able come from? And who did they have kids with?

If we came from monkeys how come we still have monkeys and not something inbetween, you would think by now they would have evolved more.

And how come the earths population is growing. If reincarnation was true then it would stay the same would it not? Just Adam and Eve dying and being reborn.

 

[mit]

I know these are toungue in cheek but some people are serious about this.

If the bible is true and Adam and Eve were the first, where did Cain and Able come from? And who did they have kids with?

Cain and Able were their kids. Who they married is interesting but the people who believe the Bible is literal say they married their sisters. Our DNA was purer in those days so they say. However, they can never answer why Genesis 1 and 2 have creation in different orders.

If we came from monkeys how come we still have monkeys and not something inbetween, you would think by now they would have evolved more.

If we all came from Europe why are there still Europeans. Evolution merely selects the best for an environment there is no arrow. No body knows why no other homonids survived. Given what we are doing to the earth, I think that we outcompeted them.

And how come the earths population is growing. If reincarnation was true then it would stay the same would it not? Just Adam and Eve dying and being reborn.

Different set of Myths. I think that the belief is that new souls are continually being created and the perfect souls are being taken out of circulation.

 

[happytrader]

Hi there interesting topic. I have absolutely no idea if reincarnation exists but I absolutely believe in synchronicity. In fact I like to ask most everyone I associate with if they have ever had the experience of thinking about someone and over the next few days or whatever they see or hear of that person. Out of maybe 6 dozen or so people only one deaf person had not had this experience.

Has anyone here had this experience?

Cheers
Happytrader

 

[Julia]

Hi there interesting topic. I have absolutely no idea if reincarnation exists but I absolutely believe in synchronicity. In fact I like to ask most everyone I associate with if they have ever had the experience of thinking about someone and over the next few days or whatever they see or hear of that person. Out of maybe 6 dozen or so people only one deaf person had not had this experience.

Has anyone here had this experience?

Cheers
Happytrader

Can't this be explained by (a) coincidence, and/or (b) if you are thinking about someone, chances are that person is a part of your life in some way and you are therefore pretty likely to see or hear of or about them?

I sometimes think about dead people. What should happen then if your theory is right? If reincarnation does exist, wouldn't I then expect to have some "contact" from that dead person?

But then I suppose if reincarnation has occurred and my dead person has come back in a new form then I wouldn't recognise him/her. Gets awfully confusing, doesn't it.

I find it difficult to believe in reincarnation and don't accept organised religion or the Bible as having any meaning for me, but I have frequently had a sense of my much loved late grandmother's "presence" around me. I absolutely cannot explain this or describe it but the same phenomenon has never occurred with respect to any other dead person.

So a corollary to the question about reincarnation might be "does a spirit world exist". I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar sense of something as I've described with my grandmother.

Thanks for the interesting topic.

Julia

 

[happytrader]

Hi Julia

Interesting point you've brought up about thinking about dead people and the synchronicity thing. I've never asked anyone that one or had anyone actually bring that up in regards to my question. However, of the dozens of respondents I have only had one who had no idea what I was talking about. The usual response is immediate understanding and knowing.

Cheers
Happytrader

 

[srivest]

Here's how it works:

1- Everything is matter: you, your dog, a rock, my computer, jupiter, whatever. Matter is nor destroyed or created.
2- What people call "themselves" or "their souls" is a specific bunch of matter setup in a particular way that makes you think, feel, etc.
4- When you die, matter will eventually decompose and associate with other particles to create other things.
5- In the most unliquely event that your exact particles come back naturally together to form the same individual is statistically impossible.

So my answer is, reincarnation is statistically impossible.

Funny to think, after all these years of evolution, that there are still people believing in a god. Maybe simply because we have difficulty dealing with concepts like infinity or things that don't have a reason for being the way they are.

As to why certain people feel a known/unknown presence around them it's simply their brain making the whole thing up, like a dream while they are awake, this has been observed and documented before.

 

[krisbarry]

We as humans are still evolving:

primitive parts of the brain (in the base of the back of the skull) are shrinking...

Our frontal lobes (Forhead) are now larger than that of the caveman era, due to the more complexed nature of todays environment.

Since the advent of computers (keyboards) our wrists/arms are becoming more flexible, stonger and larger.

It is amazing what happens over a short period of time in the eveloution of the human race!

 

[wayneL]

I have no idea whether reincarnation exists, but I have a couple of comments.

1/ No-one can know that God, Allah, Buddah, Yaweh, Jehova, Infinite Intellegence, Cosmic Intellegence, whatever you want to call it, definately does NOT exist.

You can only believe he/she/it does not exist.

Therefore Atheism is a faith, just like Christianity, Islam, Wicca, Taoism, whetever.

2/ Christians (and others) are often criticized for their proselytising activities, yet the atheists are probably the most fervent proselytes there are. That is certainly obvious here on ASF.

3/ Christians (and others) tend to base their argument around the infallibility of the Bible.

Atheists tend to centre their arguement around inconsistencies in the Bible.

Could a God (or whatever) exist exclusive of what is said in the Bible? Of course! The Bible is irrelevent.

4/ People who believe in God (or whatever) tend to assign human qualities to their selected deity... jealousy, anger, revenge, need to be worshipped, need to be obeyed etc.

What if God (or whatever) wasn't any of the above. What if what you believe, doesn't matter?

What if we are ALL wrong? What if the truth nothing like any of us ever imagined?

What I'm trying to say here, is that we all get carried away trying to support, and substantiate our own beliefs. We try to manipulate others into our own belief system in order to support our own belief system.

I say it doesn't matter a damn. Each is on their own journey for whatever reason they're on it. Be happy and content with your journey, but please don't ridicule or proselytise. It's really quite peurile.

The only thing I say is believe what you want to believe, but have an open mind. I see a lot of narrow views defended with fuzzy thinking and lunatic logic at times.

Cheers and be cool.

 

[happytrader]

Can't this be explained by (a) coincidence, and/or (b) if you are thinking about someone, chances are that person is a part of your life in some way and you are therefore pretty likely to see or hear of or about them?

I sometimes think about dead people. What should happen then if your theory is right? If reincarnation does exist, wouldn't I then expect to have some "contact" from that dead person?

But then I suppose if reincarnation has occurred and my dead person has come back in a new form then I wouldn't recognise him/her. Gets awfully confusing, doesn't it.

I find it difficult to believe in reincarnation and don't accept organised religion or the Bible as having any meaning for me, but I have frequently had a sense of my much loved late grandmother's "presence" around me. I absolutely cannot explain this or describe it but the same phenomenon has never occurred with respect to any other dead person.

So a corollary to the question about reincarnation might be "does a spirit world exist". I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar sense of something as I've described with my grandmother.

Thanks for the interesting topic.

Julia

Your grandmother sounds like she was very, very special to you. Would it be correct to assume that you felt particularly safe in her presence? If this is so, then it is quite likely your body has retained a memory in the form of your described response. How wonderful.

Cheers
Happytrader

 

[Mouse]

Can't this be explained by (a) coincidence, and/or (b) if you are thinking about someone, chances are that person is a part of your life in some way and you are therefore pretty likely to see or hear of or about them?

I sometimes think about dead people. What should happen then if your theory is right? If reincarnation does exist, wouldn't I then expect to have some "contact" from that dead person?

But then I suppose if reincarnation has occurred and my dead person has come back in a new form then I wouldn't recognise him/her. Gets awfully confusing, doesn't it.

I find it difficult to believe in reincarnation and don't accept organised religion or the Bible as having any meaning for me, but I have frequently had a sense of my much loved late grandmother's "presence" around me. I absolutely cannot explain this or describe it but the same phenomenon has never occurred with respect to any other dead person.

So a corollary to the question about reincarnation might be "does a spirit world exist". I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar sense of something as I've described with my grandmother.

Thanks for the interesting topic.

Julia

I had a similar experience with my Grandfather after he died Julia. We were very close. He died suddenly and I "knew" before the phone call. Also another time after he died I was thinking "Come on Grandad give me a sign", and a book fell from the gym and almost hit me on the head (I was in the middle of doing situps), the window and door to the room were closed so there was no breeze.

On a different but similar topic, I also had an experience where I dreamt one Thursday night that we won 2nd division Gold Lotto, I told my Mum the next morning, and that Saturday we won 2nd division Gold lotto. It was only $9500 but better than nothing

Now if only I could "feel" which shares were going to go up!!!

cheers
Mouse

 

[macca]

Yes Julia,

Since my mother died last year she has visited me at Christmas, my birthday and mothers day....... sure has made it easier to accept her passing.

 

[Julia]

Wayne:

Interesting comments. But I don't think most agnostics or even atheists are quite as dogged in their attitudes as devout practitioners of any religions.

I'm really happy for people to believe whatever they want, and to practise accordingly, but I do get really irritated when those people keep repeating the same old Biblical quotations etc which, as you point out, are frequently contradictory anyway.


Happytrader, Mouse and Macca,

Thanks for your responses. I guess it's entirely possible that what Srivest suggests is correct. Could our sense of a "presence" be nothing more than either wishful thinking or happy memories of someone who was a very important part of our lives? i.e. do we miss that person so much that we are able to imagine them "being with us"? Possibly.

If that is the case, why don't I have a similar sense about someone else who died whom I also miss very much?

Perhaps it's possible that some of us who are not attracted to religion and/or are agnostic about any sort of God seek some sort of sense of support from the "spirit presence" of someone who has been protective towards us in their lifetime?

Julia

 

[mista200]

i believe in the spirit world

 

[Sean K]

Wayne,

Isn't the onus of proof of the person saying something does exist? Otherwise we can just make up any old crap and say , 'well, prove it doesn't'.

I was taken up in a flying saucer last night.

 

[Jadefox]

A problem can't be solved on it's own level. If my awareness of the rules of maths is limited to 'one plus one equals two' then I'll have trouble trying to solve a complex algebraic equation. A more expansive awareness is required.

If I want answers to questions about the soul and the physical body I need to have experienced higher states of awareness - or accept guidance from someone who has gone beyond the mundane level of consciousness in which most of us function ie total identification with a body/mind.

Direct experience is knowing not believing. It may not convince others but what does it matter?

"This body has birth and death and when this body falls another body arises which is called reincarnation. But are you the body? if you find that you are not this body but the spirit, then you will be free from gross or subtle bodies
and then there will be no limitations. Where is the world, physical or spiritual in the absence of any limitations?" - Ramana Maharshi

 

[wayneL]

Wayne,

Isn't the onus of proof of the person saying something does exist? Otherwise we can just make up any old crap and say , 'well, prove it doesn't'.

I was taken up in a flying saucer last night.

Kennas,

It doesn't matter in the end. If you want to be an atheist, fine.

But I notice an imperitave by atheists, to convert others to the atheist point of view. I contend that that is similar to having a bible shoved down ones throat.

Atheism IS a dogma. Atheists are proselytes. (I'm refering particularly to atheists and not agnostics) Instead of fear and guilt, they use ridicule and satire and it is equally unpalatable. It is just more socially acceptable in our society.

My point is; people don't seem to be able to have a discussion about this without a comprehensive polarisation and hardening of view. It seems silly, because none of us can possibly "know" the absolute truth.

We can only have beliefs.

In the end each of us are on our own journey, and thats completely fine so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.

Cheers