The psychological motivations through which the idea of reincarnation is hooked into peoples' consciousness, seem much more important to me than any logical defences of the idea. This has consequences for our pastoral dealings with people who believe in reincarnation. Allow me to draw a comparison with the problem of the habit of smoking cigarettes now so deeply ingrained in western culture.
Tobacco smoke is a real killer.
Smoking causes 30 percent of cancer deaths and is a major factor in coronary heart disease. Governments run campaigns by which people are constantly advised of the real danger involved in smoking. Schools run educational programmes, with the help of excellent film material and personal witnesses, to inform youngsters about the risks involved. As a result, the vast majority of people in western society know that smoking presents the highly increased likelihood of contracting cancer or heart disease. However, although the level of smoking has been reduced through these informational services, a very large proportion of people still continue to smoke.