From: ata@hfsi.uucp (John Ata - FSO)
Subject: Re: A Course In Miracles / Reincarnation
Keywords: A Course In Miracles
Organization: HFS, Inc., McLean VA
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 04:22:32 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.093915.1573@ntb.ch> milsom@ntb.ch (Paul Milsom) writes:
>
>
> 
>
>				Tom Gorski and Erik Radmall 
>	had some questions about A Course In Miracles and reincarnation,
>	and John Winston and Doug Thompson gave some information about Nicaea
>
>So, Erik asks:
>		
>	>What evidence do you have that reincarnation was accepted before the
>	>5th century by Christians? Who edited it? What council decided it?
>	>What did the Bible originally say?
>
>It wasn't the Council of Nicaea (as John suggested). That was the one where, 
>as Doug puts it, they "invented" the Trinity. It was two Councils of 
>Constantinople, (334/348?), which decided to refute the teachings of Origen 
>(Origines Adamantius).They also confirmed the decision of the Council of 
>Nicaea to refute the teachings of Arianism (and therefore to raise Jesus to 
>the status of God). Origen was an early Christian philosopher who I think 
>went to Greece, although he was originally from Egypt. He taught the pre-
>existence of the soul. That is, the soul existed before you were born. This 
>goes along with the Old Testament, where it says in Genesis something like 
>"God created man in his own image" (*Past* Tense) When these Councils refuted 
>Origen, they automatically struck reincarnation from Christian dogma. 

Prexistence of the soul and reincarnation are two separate issues.
The former deals with existence of the soul as spirit before birth
while the latter deals with the same spirit living multiple human
lives serially.  Rejecting the latter does not necessarily mean
rejecting the former. 

>
>I read a lot about this when I was still "searching for the TRUTH", and have 
>forgotten some of it now, and most of the sources. One very interesting book 
>was called "Jesus lived in India", but it was in German (don't know the 
>author). There's probably a translation by now. It may not have been this 
>book that gave me the quotes, however.
>
>I remember that Jesus said, insisted in fact, that John the Baptist was the 
>reincarnation of Isiah. (Matthew 11, 15 confirms this, but I believe there is 
>a better quote somewhere.) Also, it is recounted that Jesus healed a man who 
>had been blind from birth. (John 9, 1) The disciples asked if the man had 
>sinned (to deserve this punishment) or his parents. How can a man sin before 
>he is born, unless he has had a life before?

Just so you know, this interpretation is commonly retold by
believers of New Age style religions who believe in reincarnation
(I first heard that party line back in 1974).  I can only advise
you to go and read the passages in context (a commentary might be
helpful), and then ask yourself if the likely explanation of these
events was really reincarnation.


>Heaven is the original state of everything. Bliss. Being one with God. We 
>have somehow altered this state for ourselves (by some *mistake*, not a sin) 
>and believe we are separate from God. We will all return to God (to the 
>"state" of Heaven) in the end. God has arranged this for us, but only when we 
>want, as we have free will. We are all souls. (Greys probably are too!) We 
>have decided (because we feel separate) to take up bodies and live lives. We 
>(our soul, our spirit) do learn through this procedure. It does help us on 
>the way back to God. The more we try, the quicker we get back. 
>	(Digression: We do have to try to improve our spirit, our mind. If we can 
>recognise our ego (the part of us that wants us to be selfish, to be angry, 
>to be afraid) then we are well on the way. Jesus gave us a good idea how to 
>get back to God, but unfortunately, until this century at least, not many 
>people have tried to follow his ideas. Any kind of punishment, revenge, is 
>against what Jesus said.)
>
>I am prepared to answer any further questions on Email. Or here, if they 
>warrant it. I am not an expert, however. I do not speak as an authority on 
>ACIM. I have not even completed the exercises yet, nor have I read all of the 
>text. I will do, however.
>
>A word of comfort to all of you who have struggled as far as this:
>	We *all* get to Heaven in the end, because we're all part of God. A 
>Course In Miracles says that there are thousands of ways back to God, and 
>ACIM is just one of these.

This is more of a New Age interpretation of Jesus which conveniently remembers
the loving aspect of God but ignores His justice.  Just for an example:

MAT 23:29   "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!   
            You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the    
            righteous.                                                         
MAT 23:30   And you say, `If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we   
            would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the   
            prophets.'                                                         
MAT 23:31   So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of  
            those who murdered the prophets.                                   
MAT 23:32   Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!         
                                                                               
MAT 23:33   "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being       
            condemned to hell?

Like I said, go back and read the book in context (in its entirety if possible).

>Paul Milsom


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