The Reverend Harold A. Linn, Pastor

Resurrection or Reincarnation?

By Dr. Richard P. Bucher

There is a certain fascination with the new inherent in humanity. Of course, this is to be expected. For the new always has one basic advantage over the old. The new hasn't been scrutinized, analyzed, and criticized. By definition we don't know the new very well, so we haven't yet noticed all the flaws and weaknesses. For the time being we're too caught up in the excitement and charm of the new to notice the inconsistencies, problems, and potential dangers.

But the old, on the other hand, has to face the world without this advantage. The old has the serious handicap of being too familiar. The old by definition is very well known, either in fact or perception. And because of this handicap, it often generates little excitement. It often loses out to the new simply because its old, not because the new is better. And it often is taken for granted and neglected as well. This is true in all areas of life.

Especially is this true in the disciplines of religion and philosophy. History is littered with the pathetic souls who encountered religious ruin because they embraced something new simply because it was new.

Is such newology happening today? YES! And it even goes by the name of New Age. The only problem with the New Age is that it isn't really new at all. It simply does a masterful job of presenting very old lies in a shiny new package.

And there is one old-new lie in particular that we would do well in considering: reincarnation. It is alarming to see an increasing number supposedly finding the answers to life's great questions through this "new" teaching. Especially because many are abandoning the old teaching of the resurrection in the process. For these two teachings are diametrically opposed to one another. They are mutually contradictory. Either you are convinced that the New Age teaching of reincarnation is the truth OR that the old Christian teaching of resurrection is the truth.

With this in mind, I thought it would be interesting to compare these two teachings which are vying for the loyalty of so many Americans. To simplify things, I thought it would be beneficial to compare the answers each of them gives to three extremely important questions: (1) Where do we come from?; (2)Who are we/what are we doing here?; (3)What will happen to us after death?

Where Do We Come From?

Reincarnation says that in the very beginning the three gunas (qualities) of the godhead were in perfect balance and there was nothing but a great void. But a problem arose. Something caused an imbalance in the godhead which began the prakriti (manifestation). From this imbalance came a set number of individual souls which had broken off of the atman (the all-soul). That is how the world as we know it began.

Resurrection, on the other hand, says that man was created in the image and likeness of an all-powerful and personal Triune God. This God, who is the only true God, lovingly made man and everything else in the universe out of nothing. Specifically, the Creator made man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life so that man became a living soul. And from this first man (Adam) the entire earth has been populated through procreation.

Unfortunately, soon after he was created, Adam disobeyed the Creator by breaking His commandment. And as a consequence of this sin, his relationship with the Creator was ruined, his body was corrupted with sin, and aging, sickness, tragedy, and death came upon him. And this has been the lot of humanity ever since.

Who Are We?

Reincarnation says that the human race is the result of the imbalance that occurred in the godhead in the beginning. In other words, we exist only because of a cosmic mistake of gigantic proportions. According to reincarnation, all human souls on the earth today are the same souls who in the beginning separated from the all-soul. And since that initial separation, each of us has lived, died, and been reincarnated, hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

Reincarnation teaches that what we are doing here is trying to stop being reincarnated! Why? So that we can become one with the atman (all-soul) again, like it was in the beginning. How does a person do this? Reincarnation is based upon the Law of Karma. The Law of Karma is the impersonal law of reaping and sowing. It says that whatever you do in this life determines what you will come back as in your next incarnation. If you are evil in this life, then the Law of Karma will cause you to come back as a low-class citizen in the next incarnation--and you will be farther away from reunion with the all-soul. If, on the other hand, you are good in this life, then the Law of Karma will enable you to be reincarnated as a better person-- and you will be closer to getting off the wheel of reincarnation.

However, according to reincarnation, escaping reincarnation is extremely difficult and usually takes hundreds or thousands of lifetimes to build up enough good karma to be set free and to become one with the all-soul. How do you build up good Karma? It can happen in various ways, but basically it depends on the efforts and works of man. Meditation and other spiritual exercises are currently what is popular.

Resurrection gives a much different answer to the question "Who are we?" It teaches that mankind is a race of fallen and condemned creatures of the Triune, Creator-God. Each of us owes our life to Him who has caused us to come into being through our parents. And each of us has but one earthly life to live. Unfortunately, each of us has also been born sinful, guilty, and under the anger of our Creator; for each of us has inherited the sin of the first man. Like Adam, each of us has lost the right relationship with our Creator and are under His wrath.

What is our purpose for being here? According to the Christian teaching of resurrection, to once again find the right relationship with the Creator which we had in the beginning. To find this right relationship is to find eternal life and paradise. To not find it is to be punished with eternal damnation in a literal hell.

The good news of the Resurrection is that God Himself has taken the initiative to restore us to a right relationship with Him, for only He could do it. None of us can ever hope to do it by our good works for we are too sinful. Only the Creator could restore His creation to what it had been. But to do that, sin and death had to be done away with.

So because He loved us, God became man and came to His creation to do just that. Jesus Christ, the God-man, the Creator made human, took away sin and death by dying on the cross. He went to the cross to bear our punishment. And He was resurrected to prove that He had truly defeated sin and death once and for all.

And all of this: forgiveness of sins, the right relationship with God, and the promise of eternal life in a new heaven and earth, God offers to everyone for free! But it can be received only in one way: faith. Faith in Jesus as Savior is what restores us to the relationship which we had with the Creator in the beginning.

What Will Happen To Us After Death?

Reincarnation says that the answer depends on a person's karma. If a person builds up enough good karma, he will eventually (it takes thousands of years) get off the reincarnation wheel, escape death, and become one with the atman, the all-soul. That is the goal of all who follow the new teaching of reincarnation. But understand clearly what that means. Becoming one with the all-soul means losing one's individual identity and personality. You as a person cease to be.

How different is the true and joyful message of the resurrection! For the message of the resurrection is that we who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior have HOPE. For we have been promised that we shall rise from the dead one day even as He has triumphantly risen! Because Christ has conquered death through His crucifixion and resurrection, SO SHALL WE!! When He comes again on the clouds in glory He will raise up our bodies perfect and incorruptible, which never again will grow old, weary, sick, or die.

And He who raises us up will take us home to the new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells. And there we shall live in paradise in the presence of our loving Triune Creator forever!!!