Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-12
Religious Questions
DR.. S. Pdrkes Cadman.

@. Is there anything in the belief in
reincarnation which is incompatible
with the teachings of Christ, and is
there anything in the Bible which
might give one grounds for believing in
the doctrine of reincarnation? I think
perhaps know too little about the doc
trine to accept or reject it; but from
what l do know I sometimes find a So
luton for the problems of suffering and
inequalities in this world which moth
ing else seems to satisfy. Is it I'M
Christian to believe that the inequali-
ties of life are due to the previous
progress one has made, and that our
lives pass through various phases on
this planet, just as children advance
from grade to grade in the same school?
A. There have been numerous Chris
tians of note who accepted the theory
of reincarnation, and also schools of
Christian thought in which the doc
trine figured prominently. But the
Christian church, as a whole, has re-
jected it, believing that the soul, or
self, was created at birth. Concern
ing this, two theories have survived
one called creationism, which teaches
that the soul is directly created by an
act Of God; the other, called tradu-
cianism, which teaches that the soul
is an emanation from both parents.
The one passage in the teachings of
Christ which directly deals with the
issue is our Lords absolute denial that
blindness from birth was a result of
previous sin, either on the part of the
sufferer himself or of his parents. (See
st. Johns Gospel, ix.1-41}
1t may be considered indefensible to
use solitary passage for the purpose
Of defeating an ancient doctrine like
reincarnation. But the issue is not in
doubt According to our Lord, handi-
caps and limitations do not come from
the tranSgressions of an individual oc-
curing in a previous existence. The
appeal of the theory of reincarnation
in behalf Of ultimate justice is admit
tedly strong. You feel that it may ac-
count for grave inequalities in life, es-
pecially for the sufferings of the
righteous and the seeming happiness of
the unrighteous.
Yet appearances are Elusive, and you
often find happiness and good cheer in
dismal places which apparently forbid
these blessings. Moreover, inequality in
and of itself is not always the unjust
thing SO many conceive it to be. For
instance, take poverty and riches. Why,
1t is asked, should small and wealthy
minority be thus favored and the ma
jority left in near-distreSs. Andrew
Carnegie answered this question out OF
his own experience In his Empire OF
Business" he says, Il heartily subscribe
to President Garflelds doctrine that
the richest heritage a young man can
be born to is poverty"
Besides. a world without some sort OF
inequality would not be very interest
ing. 1 am not saying that any great
teacher lives today who can offer rea-
sonable explanation of all life's mys-
teries. l merely state that circum-
stances which are so favorable as to
demand no effort are not beneficial.
On the contrary. they are distinctly
hurtful
Read McTaggart's "Pre-existence'
and Walkers "Reincarnation" on the
one hand and the New Testament on
the other and be guided by the latter.
@. Old Testament errors, II such they
be, are perpetuated in the New Tesla
ment. st. Paul admits that "the SER
| pent beguiled Eve" If he was mistaken
on this point, may he not have been
mistaken about I Corinthians, XIV? II
Jesus did not vanquiSh death, then
| Christianity is a myth.
can believe in the resurrection and
| in Christian immortality, because the
! Bible emphatically declares them, but