Why I No Longer Believe In Reincarnation (A Metaphysical Perspective)
Before I begin, I want to make a note that these views are based on my current understanding on this topic. It may evolve as time goes on.
This piece is also by no means intended to invalidate other people’s views of the afterlife. Many people I respect and admire believe in reincarnation. I simply wish to expand the conversation around reincarnation, which is a highly complex matter.
Why This Article
Too often, dissenters of reincarnation theory tend to come from either a dogmatic religious perspective where even the very mention of reincarnation is frowned upon or the scientific community which only believes in what can be perceived by the five senses. On the contrary, proponents of reincarnation theory rarely challenge some of the glaring discrepancies in reincarnation theory and tend to view it in a solely positive light.
My hope is for this article to explore reincarnation from another angle highlighting its reasonable qualities as well as examining some of its contradictions.
What is reincarnation?
Mainstream reincarnation theory postulates that a person has countless incarnations until they finally attain total enlightenment, also known as “samsara” in the Hindi tradition or “satori” in the Zen Buddhist tradition.
How one attains this enlightenment somewhat varies among reincarnation proponents. Among non-dualists, usually this is a result of transcending the ego and understanding one is “not the self.” Among those in the spiritual (otherwise known as the “New Age”) community, this is understood to be a byproduct of mastering one’s karmic lessons and integrating their past lives. Though there can be an overlap, the non-dual tradition tends to focus more on detaching from the personality self whereas the New Age view of reincarnation tends to focus more on mastering lessons of the the personality self.
Why Mainstream Reincarnation Theory Is Appealing
In countries where Hinduism and Buddhism are prevalent, reincarnation is a commonly accepted paradigm to explain the purpose of life and what happens after death.
In Western countries, reincarnation is generally a fringe belief. Most adherents adopt reincarnation as part of their worldview after going on their own individual spiritual journey. The progression of their beliefs usually goes as follows:
Christian → Agnostic → “Spiritual But Not Religious” (SBNR)
which corresponds with
Linear afterlife belief → Non-fixed view of afterlife → Reincarnation
My own life also followed this trajectory when I still subscribed to mainstream reincarnation theory. Like many, it appealed to me for several main reasons.
An explanation as to why some people have such horrible life circumstances, which is to develop as a soul (more quickly). The inverse, dark side of this belief is that sometimes challenging conditions can be misconstrued as always being the result of past life karma, which can imply punishment or debt in the current life.
Someone’s eternal fate (whether they are in Heaven, Hell or somewhere in between) being the result of one life on Earth seemed unfair given that there are many variables which shape and can hamper a person’s spiritual potential. Some of these variables include being born in extremely harsh circumstances, not having much of a spiritual orientation, mental disabilities, cluster B personality disorders, debilitating emotional trauma which could interfere with personal growth, and being misguided when it comes to one’s spiritual beliefs. This also applies for abnormal circumstances such as those who die as babies, children, or have an early death.
Being able to fill in some of the theological gaps with linear afterlife belief, namely “How do some people have an extremely high consciousness whereas some people have no inclination towards spirituality at all?”
Past life accounts, including from children, which are specific and accurate to individuals who were alive.
The idea of one life-one death, particularly if it involved Heaven and Hell, seemed fear-based.
Explanations:
I don’t think we occupy our lives by accident. Like reincarnation adherents, I believe there is a reason for what kind of parents or caregivers we are assigned, our physical appearance, where we are born, what kind of unique gifts and talents we have, our individual personality tendencies and more. That being said, I believe that the reason is due to God’s higher intelligence rather than the “Higher Self’s” intelligence, though it is very possible that a soul can agree to a set of life circumstances before they come into a physical body.
Swedenborg taught about hereditary/ancestral baggage. We are not responsible for this hereditary baggage but only what we choose of our own free will. This can explain what appears to be “karma,” especially considering that bloodlines go back thousands upon thousands of years. Swedenborg believed that gaining entry into Heaven wasn’t about having mastered the spiritual journey so much as how consciously and morally a person lived with respect to their conscience and individual orientation. He also shared that the physical self is often very different from the spiritual self, so someone who could appear “simple” on Earth could actually be wise in the afterlife depending on their “loves” (will and discernment). Furthermore, Heaven and Hell are not places people are “sent” to; rather, people go where their inner natures more naturally gravitate towards, so it is like a self-selection process.
I have often wondered this myself. It truly does seem like there is a pre-destined quality to some people’s lives, particularly those who are extremely advanced in matters of a spiritual nature. Interestingly, I found an answer to this through a reincarnation proponent named Dolores Cannon. In her book, The Garden of Life, she mentioned the concept of “imprinting,” which is when certain information, skills, and data are imprinted on an individual from the Akashic Records. This would explain the phenomena of past life visions.
I believe “imprinting” also explains this phenomena.
Even though many people believe the idea of eternity after death is “fear-based,” the belief in reincarnation can actually be rooted in fear in the sense that the known feels more comforting than the unknown. There is a saying that goes “People would rather choose a familiar hell than an unfamiliar heaven.” Thus, even if some people believe this Earth is a prison planet, at least the familiar “hell” of the Earth realm is something one can predict. Eternity in the spiritual realm, on the other hand, is completely unfamiliar territory, which can be scary for some, particularly if they have been living a lawless, hedonistic or otherwise listless life.
Of course, the idea of Heaven or a paradisiacal afterlife can also be a product of wishful thinking, so I would like to add that this can also be misguided. Christians tend to believe Heaven is just singing and feasting all the time. Many people in the New Age believe you are just “energy” and one with Source after one transitions into the non-physical.
It is important to understand that how one lives in accordance to their conscience dictates where one goes in the afterlife. Heaven is not a guarantee merely because one identifies as a Christian or believes that life after death is pure bliss.
Please understand that I am not ridiculing anyone for having these views as I once held them myself at different points of my life. They often come from conditioning and it’s easy to absorb them without question if one does not see anything too adverse about them.
Where I Diverge From Mainstream Reincarnation Theory
Could reincarnation be possible? Sure. I believe that the formation of the soul and what happens to our spirit is very complex, so it is very possible that aspects of reincarnation theory (perhaps the more esoteric interpretations) holds true.
I also don’t think believing in the possibility of reincarnation would curse one to Hell.
But there are some major holes within mainstream reincarnation theory that are often overlooked.
It doesn’t provide an adequate explanation as to why human beings are here to begin with. Many believe we are here to eventually “become One” with Source and merge with the universal consciousness. In other words, the goal is to attain god-consciousness or Christ consciousness without an individualized spirit. It sounds deep and esoteric, but if you really think about it, this implies that human beings were created so they can be a universal intelligence. Not to mention that very few people ever do experience ultimate enlightenment even if they had countless incarnations. Because if we are going by reincarnation theory, we build upon the lessons and understanding of our previous lives (even if we do forget them).
Another interesting fallacy I have noticed is that many people who subscribe to reincarnation believe that a person can become like Source Energy if they transcend their ego on Earth, yet they don’t believe that we can become spirits in the afterlife unless only for an interim before our next incarnation. So basically they believe that you either keep incarnating into physical density as a human being or become Source Energy, but there aren’t really spirits in the spiritual realm besides possibly ascended masters, archangels, ancestors, spirit guides, enlightened beings and, in the lower realms, discarnate spirits. However, that means most of the human race is on Earth or another planet rather than in a non-physical spiritual realm. So there is a large contradiction there.
I believe Swedenborg had a more accurate grasp of the spiritual reality. From Divine Providence (section 27):
“Since heaven comes from the human race, then, and since heaven is living with the Lord forever, it follows that this was the Lord’s goal for creation. Further, since this was the goal of creation, it is the goal of the Lord’s divine providence.
The Lord did not create the universe for his own sake but for the sake of people he would be with in heaven. By its very nature, spiritual love wants to share what it has with others, and to the extent that it can do so, it is totally present, experiencing its peace and bliss. Spiritual love gets this quality from the Lord’s divine love, which is like this in infinite measure.”
To paraphrase, Swedenborg believed that God made the human race so that he could share His love with angels in Heaven. This does seem like a plausible explanation as to why human beings were created as opposed to us simply being the byproduct of Source Energy so that we can one day become like it or, worse, the nihilistic idea that we are merely here as fodder or guinea pigs in a prison planet.
2. Reincarnation theory points to a lack of divine order (justice) for many cases. Reincarnation proponents often argue that there is always karma. They may clarify that karma is not “punishment” but reaping and sowing, cause and effect. Some believe that negative circumstances such as a physical handicap or an abusive family is due to past life karma. Others don’t believe it is karma and would say this is false spiritual information, but believe that karma may be reaped in other ways like in life hardships or just an overall lack of happiness in life. However, even this explanation does not really account for divine order, particularly if someone has deliberately and severely harmed an innocent party or even a collective of people.
Examples:
Those who partake in brutal violence against innocent people, sometimes leading to murder
Human traffickers
Sexual predators who have devastated the lives of many (i.e. Harvey Weinstein)
A dictator who has led the genocide of thousands of people
An official involved in medical abuse, which led to the deaths of thousands or millions
A person merely being miserable or going through hardships in life almost seems minor compared to the (often) lasting trauma or loss they inflict upon their victims. Not to mention that the average person goes through quite a bit of grief and loss in life, though I do understand there is a difference between going through karma and spiritual tests like in the book of Job.
It seems like there is an imbalance in the offense and the karma they receive, especially if some never go to jail. In fact, there are many evil people walking as free men with blood on their hands right now. Or people heralded in history as legends and heroes who have secretly partaken in heinous acts behind the scenes.
On the contrary, a person going to the lower spiritual realm after death due to free will choices to harm others does point to divine order. And I must clarify here that, though most Christians believe that it is God who sends people to Heaven or Hell, this is actually a place the soul chooses after death because it most harmonizes with their internal states. Nonetheless, they are constrained and contained as opposed to coming on Earth over and over with the potential to harm others again, particularly if they are inclined towards psychopathy.
3. Given that most reincarnation adherents believe that we retain some of our skills and understanding from previous lives, it also would follow that those who aren’t on any sort of personal development path would need to build upon their past lives, too. But what would be the point of reincarnating endlessly if one is not really developing spiritually (even if they are “young souls”)? Sure, they may be able to help the world in other ways such as by being a worker bee, but what besides that? And bear in mind, a large chunk of the population lack a growth orientation altogether, what some may call “NPCs.” It seems from this perspective they would just be background characters who serve as foils for the “main” characters. Antisocial personalities can also fall under this category as many don’t have any real soul development during their time on Earth.
4. Reincarnation can be a justification to live an immoral or morally loose lifestyle. Now, I understand that not all reincarnation adherents are like this, but if the main consequence of this behavior is in karma in a future life (which wouldn’t really matter since we forget our previous incarnations and everyone goes through some tribulation in life), what is really stopping them (aside from if they have a strong spiritual orientation fixed in place to begin with)? Wouldn’t it make sense that God, which is holy in nature, actually see it in people’s best interests to believe in a view of the afterlife where they are impelled to live more purely? Just some food for thought.
From my observations, reincarnation theory tends to reinforce moral slothfulness rather than spur one towards sanctification, such as the view that we have one life and one death.
A Potential Exemption For Multiple Incarnations
I think it is possible we can come as volunteers on Earth after death since we are spirit and not only the physical body. It makes sense how one could inhabit a new physical body with some of their previous consciousness intact, but this wouldn’t be everyone and would be a case-by-case basis. Plus, it could be risky since, incarnating into the physical density one could potentially change their fate in the spiritual realm depending on how they navigated their time as a volunteer.
So my belief is that, although we may incarnate on Earth a multitude of times, this would depend on the individual. I believe most people’s fate would be pretty fixed after death, whether they are in a hellish or heavenly realm.
