7 The Theory Of Reincarnation example essay topic

Christians and Americans different from Japanese. But here too the core experiences were the same. There are obviously two sides of the story. One must look at both sides with careful eye and determine for they what they believe is true. This is where the idea of reincarnation comes in.

Because it is 7 incorporated in so many religions, you find an answer to a question, which you truly want to know the answer to, and do not abandon your faith in doing so. Reincarnation is detected in many religions. Reincarnation is normally thought of as a Hindu philosophy and it is traced back to Hinduism, yet it can be found in Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism and in many more religions. In Judaism, reincarnation is known as Gilgul. Though it has a different name it has almost the exact same meaning.

Gilgul was a dominant teaching in Judaism for over three hundred years. Cabala, a book of Judaism, which is often, studied by Rabbi's, one of the holy books of the Jews which talks of reincarnation. Rabbi Steinsaltz (Cranston 181) is an authority on the Cabala. He states: According to Cabalistic doctrine, the Torah contains not only manifest but also hidden truths: the same transcendent God whom the Bible celebrates as supreme king and lawgiver is, from the mystical also an infinity of divine knight that exists as the foundation of every human beings soul.

For me, every soul is an emanation or spark of the divine, and its ultimate purpose is to rejoin the God it came from... I hope to demonstrate the secrets of the Cabbala-, which rationalistic Rabbi's of the nineteenth century dismissed as dangerous magic-, are fully consonant with traditional Rabbinic Judaism. (181) 7 this view is also held by a large group of Orthodox Jews known as the Hasidim. Reincarnation is universally taught among them. On the other hand, the soul, its life and immortality are rarely mentioned in the Old Testament. There is also no direct denial of it either.

In the Book of Job (14: 14), Job plainly asks", If a man dies will he live again?" but receives no answer. So in the Old Testament, reincarnation is not ruled out it is just not brought up as a major point in the book. On the other hand, if one were to look into the Bible, the question of like after death is brought up and answered. Professor Macgregor writes: Reincarnation is one of the most fascinating ideas in the history of religion, as it is also one of the most recurrent themes in the literature of the world. It is widely assumed to be foreign to the Christian heritage, and especially alien to the Hebrew roots of biblical thought. That assumption is questionable...

It has persistently cropped up in various crannies along the Christian Way, from the earliest times down to the present. It has also flourished in Judaism. (367) It is understandable that Christians today frequently object to reincarnation because for some it provides an excuse to postpone salvation 7 for the next life. To make it more confusing for Christians, Protestant's and Catholics have different views as to what happens after death.

Protestants believe that after death they are asleep until Judgment Day. Those asleep in the grave include people before and after Christ. They believe that when Jesus returns that they bodies of the saved are transformed and glorified. On the contrary, bodies of sinners are burned eternally. Some also think that between death and Judgment Day there is absolutely nothing. Catholics have an entirely different viewpoint.

They believe that damned souls go immediately to hell. Those who gain salvation still require purification and then go to heaven. And finally the saintly go strait to paradise. Because of this conflict and confusion Christians often look to Reincarnation to explain the mysteries of death. In the Bible, Jesus states", Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8: 56-58) Another example from the Bible says", [As Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind form his birth. And his disciples asked him, ' Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' " (John 9: 1 -2) Christianity has obvious connections with reincarnation as it does with Hinduism.

In Christianity, Jesus is the incarnation of Godhead, the Christian trinity. In Hinduism, Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu trinity. Both Jesus and Krishna were of royal descent and were born of virgins. Also Krishna was brought up by Shepard's and called the Shepard of God while Jesus was worshipped by Shepard's and called the Good Shepard. Because of all these similarities, Christian missionaries in India thought that the Hindu's were coping their religion.

Only later did they find out that Hinduism began hundreds of years before Christianity. 7 The theory of reincarnation is so common in India it is hardly reinforced any more. Cranston says: The acceptance of rebirth is so widespread in India that its philosophers and religious teachers felt no need to prove the doctrine, anymore than an instructor in our society would spend time demonstrating that day follows night, and night day. (227) Just as reincarnation pervades Indian thought, it also pervades the Bagavad- Gita. The main story of the Bagavad- Gita is of Arjuna and Krishna and the manner Krishna teaches Arjuna all of lives philosophy while Arjuna awaits a war among all of his relatives. Krishna tries to teach Arjuna that fighting them will not really harm them for their soul will always live on.

Krishna states to Arjuna", It is said the soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable, and unchangeable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body". (Text 25) Krishna was trying to convince Arjuna that he should not fear for them for their soul would not die and once the body died the soul would continue to live". As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up old ones and useless ones".

(Text 22) It is obvious reincarnation is a large part of Hinduism. But as in any great philosophy or theory there is still an argument as to who first came.