Reincarnation

Dear Mr. Froese: I consider myself a Christian—a long-time practicing Episcopalian—and am a Harvard-trained New Testament scholar, but my convictions are far removed from those of you and your magazine.I have recently completed a book examining four types of evidence for the survival of the individual soul after death: scientific instruments and techniques, reputable psychics and mediums, near-death experiences, and out-of-body experiences. The evidence is “beyond a reasonable doubt” that all of us, good and bad alike, have souls that are immortal. (My research also supports Pope Francis’ recent declaration that the souls of animals live on after death!). Christianity made a huge mistake in its early days by rejecting reincarnation: the evidence is also overwhelming that we live many (human) lives on earth; that we make pre-birth decisions about those lives (with the help of spirits wiser than ourselves); that we encounter many of the same souls in those lifetimes; and that the law of karma—the law of cause and effect—is always operative in these journeys. Our lives, both here and on the other side, are all about spiritual growth, and the overarching “law” of the universe is love. Those who cross over, as they themselves report via electronic voice phenomena, near-death experiences, and mediums, do not necessarily meet God or Jesus per se, but they consistently encounter a “place” of unspeakable love, joy and peace, no matter what their theological beliefs may be. I believe that your theology is dangerous, and my prayer is that the danger is somehow mitigated through other publications, church communities, personal testimonies, and social justice movements. -V. Abrahamsen, VT