The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-26
LIFE FOLLOWS LIFE
MR.. BURCHAM HARDING's PREsEN-
TATION OF THEOsOPHY.
The Doctrine of Reincarnation Pre-
scented in an Interesting Manner
Local SOcfety's Meeting.

nlr. Burcham Harding. lecturer for the
American Theosophical Society. appeared
before the Indianapolis Theosophical Society
last night at a meeting held at the Agricul-
tural rooms. in the Statehouse. He gave an
interesting presentation of the theosophist's
views on reincarnation. He said:
"Reincarnation seems strange doctrine
to those who hear it for the first time
soul lives for While in f BODY on ' earth,
ana then passes away to heaven:
that the tae,,rl heaven terminates and the
new body. and that We have been
doing this for an eternity in the past,
and may have to continue il in the future?
Such very strange doctrine. Strange as
dence to prove that reincarnation is
one of the great laws of exis-
tence Without it we cannot have a
or it's functions. The souls first attribute
is Immortality. Unless that is understood
there can be no positive comprehension OF
its existence. Reincarnation is the only
way of accounting for 1t. A soul cannot be
immortal at one end only; that is but
theological fiction, born in the darker ages,
but dying from the exposure to the light OF
common sense.
When theology cut out reincarnation
from the teachings Of the church it lost
all knowledge of that which reincarnates,
the immortal soul of man. To-day theol-
ogy tells its audiences that man has no i'm
mortal soul. 1t speaks of a soul which be-
gins its existence with this body, and
therefore is not immortal. Ii tells of con-
ditional immortality, not absolute, but linn
tied conditions. 1t says the soul is cursed
with original sin, born in wrath. and fit
only for hell fre-such is not Immortality.
If the theologians would study little the
osophy they would restore to man his i'm
mortal soul, and understand what IL is that
begins with this life. and then goes to
heaven, never to emerge. Until then they
will probably continue to torture them
At~ f%11<
of mans soul. Reincarnation explains the
eternity of the past. The SOUL which is
our real self. has lived many lives this
earth, coming back again and again, at
intervals of about 200 TO 1,500 wears.
THE SOUL THE sTOREHOUSE.
THE soul is the storehouse of the ex-
perience acquired in each one of the past
existences. After life of struggle and suf-
fering, we pass to heaven, where the re-
suits of the earth life are stored away and
assimilated by the soul, thus being made
immortal In heaven character is made
permanent; the thoughts and ideas Of earth
are lived out and become a permanent ex-
perience of the soul. The mind and char
acter gained In the present body represent
this personality; similarly the soul repre-
sents the real man. because it is the re-
pository Of the experience OF all lives in
the past.
There is vast mass of authority in
support of reincarnation. About 20 per
cent of the present nhabitants of the
world accept il. Every old religion has
taught il. Modern Christianity is about
the only religion that has lost II. The ig-
norant monks OF the sixth century cut it
out of the church teachings. The Jews be-
Iieved il during the time IL Is recorded
that Jesus lived among them and the Bible
shows that he accepted IL. Gibbons's
Rome clearly states that It was the belief
of the Jews and that in $50 A. D., Justinian
at the Council of Constantinople, caused the
anathema OF the church to be pronounced
against any one preaching IT. To dsobey
the church in those days meant death.
The best proof that II was taught i'm early
Christianity is that IL was cut out Dr. l.
l.. Mosheim. D. D., in his Church History
records the same facts.
1.-The writings of>Josephus. Philo and ether
Jews also relate several interesting things
was currently believed that Adam was re-
incarnated as David. and will appear again
as the Messiah Also. that Cain was bern
again as the Egyptian that Moses slew.
thus meeting his Just deserts. Herod and
others evidently believed Il, for when hear