History and Origin
Reincarnation is more commonly known in relation to Buddha and his rebirth doctrine which asserts that “rebirth does not necessarily take place as another human being, but as an existence in one of the six Gati (realms) called Bhavachakra” (Wikipedia). Buddhism is centered around this belief in Samara and Karma leading to rebirth. However, you do not need to be a famous religious icon to have your own definition of reincarnation. Such is the case for Jenny Cockell who wrote her book Yesterday’s Children in which she discusses what she describes as memories from a past life as Mary Sutton living in early-20th century Ireland. Mary’s own children agree that Jenny’s memories align with Mary’s and accept Jenny as their mother’s reincarnation. Jenny is just one of many examples of reincarnation anecdotes. Reincarnation has many definitions, but there is still mixed evidence and anecdotal information on whether or not it actually exists.
The origins of reincarnation are also up for debate. Some scholars believe that reincarnation began with the Upanishads of the late Vedic period (c. 1100 — c. 500 BCE) before the time of Buddha and the Mahavira. Samara, the cycle of birth and rebirth, as well as liberation, were seen in ascetic traditions that came about in India around the middle of the first millennium BCE. Other scholars believe it originated in Ancient Greece as part of their Orphic religion which was publically developed between the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Orphic religion included many philosophical ideas, including reincarnation, and was seen mainly in ascetic doctrines and practices. Orphic teachings were largely religious in nature. Since its beginning, reincarnation has largely been tied to religious outcomes of life after death but is not a shared belief among all religions, nor among all non-religious people.
Why is Reincarnation Weird?
Believers and skeptics will indefinitely argue about the availability of scientific evidence for reincarnation. Simply put, though, there is not enough evidence to support the phenomenon. While anecdotes are moving and can truly seem realistic to those who experienced it, anecdotal evidence is not scientific, and cannot be tested. There is no way to test or conduct an experiment in order to determine if reincarnation truly does exist. While it is possible to make connections or correlations to coincidental findings, that does not create scientific evidence for the matter. We cannot test the reliability of an anecdotal case because people lie and can convince a simple machine that they are being truthful, and other people cannot definitvely determine every time a person lies or tells the truth. Inherently, people trust others to tell the truth, which is why so many people believe in reincarnation based on peoples’ stories. The more status you have, or the more you have to tell, the more people will listen.
Overview of Believers and Skeptics
Believers range from followers of religion and religious figures to scholars and everyday people. Some religions who believe in some version of reincarnation include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Druze, Jainism, and more, just to name a few. Beyond just religion and religious followers, there are a number of people who believe they have been reincarnated, just like Jenny Cockell, mentioned earlier, who believed she was reincarnated from an Irish woman in the early-20th century. There are many accounts of people claiming they have been reincarnated and can remember their past lives, both followers of faith and non-believers. Others are often moved by their telling of their experiences and are persuaded to believe in reincarnation based on their testimony. Some scholars believe in reincarnation, too. Dr. Ian Stevenson, a professor, dedicated his life to finding scientific evidence that would prove reincarnation was real and prevalent in our global society. He even gave a famous lecture in 2002 outlining his research findings.
Skeptics, on the other hand, deny the existence of reincarnation and claim to have evidence against the phenomenon, at least to an extent. One of the most outspoken representatives for the skeptic’s side is the Catholic Church and how their belief in the Bible denies the ability for reincarnation to exist. Many Catholic Church leaders openly deny reincarnation, such as Trent Horn, who gives three arguments against the phenomenon: 1) absence of maturity in animals and infants, 2) misinterpreted “past-lives” testimonies, and 3) population growth outnumbering reincarnation. Many of the points the Catholic Church, as well as Trent Horn, makes correlate with scripture from the Bible. Going beyond religion, psychology offers a perspective that aligns with skeptics, but not quite against what Dr. Ian Stevenson’s studied. Alex Lickerman, a writer for Psychology Today, admits that Dr. Stevenson’s work does show compelling arguments for the existence of reincarnation, but psychology argues that there is still no way to explain how or why it happens.
Skeptics in Depth
The Catholic Church
Among major Christian denominations, the majority of followers have a disbelief in reincarnation, and there is no mention of the word reincarnation, or any related words, in the Bible. However, the idea of rebirth has been debated within the church based on how people interpret scripture in the Bible. There is mention of Christ’s death in 1 Peter 3:18-20 where it says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins… being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18-20, Bible) eluding that his life ended when his soul left his earthly body. However, the second coming of Christ is thought to be His rebirth into the same body, and the Resurrection of the dead as newly living souls. It is possible that Catholic Church’s beliefs can be interpreted in either way, depending on who is interpreting it, given that research conducted by the Pew Forum in 2009 found that about “24% of American Christians expressed a belief in reincarnation” (Wikipedia). The majority of Christians do deny evidence of reincarnation, including Trent Horn, a staff member of Catholic Answers, who gives three reasons arguing against the existence of reincarnation.
Trent Horn. He is a firm disbeliever in the idea of reincarnation in the Bible. He claims that death is seen as the very end of a person’s time on earth before judgement as seen in Hebrews 9:27 which states, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement” (Hebrews 9:27, Bible). Of his three arguments, his first refers to the lack of evidence based on human behavior to support reincarnation. He interprets a passage from the book “On Belief in the Resurrection” in which he says the transmigration of souls is impossible, and compares the impossibility of metempsychosis between humans and animals to the impossibility of procreation between humans and animals. He goes on to explain how most people do not act as if they are living a new life, or as if they currently live a past life. Furthermore, he mentions how young humans and animals do not exhibit signs of matury, as one would if their soul came from someone who has already lived a full life, or at least that is what it assumed. His second point refers to testimonies from people who believe they are a reincarnation of someone from the past. Horn discusses Dr. Ian Stevenson’s research of young children who claim to remember past lives, and argues that the chlidren who participated in his studies were often from or lived in places, such as India, where reincarnation is widely accepted among common people and religious figures. He suggests that children cannot be a reliable source of information based on their impressionability and tendency to cnofuse fantasy with reality. His argument here implies heavily that children’s words cannot be trusted to make a valid scientific discovery, and therefore supports the idea that reincarnation does not exist. His last point questions how the rate of population growth correlates with the number of souls transmigrating through bodies. Focusing solely on soul migration from person to person, his point states that because our population is growing faster than the rate of people dying, it is impossible for a dying soul to enter the body of a new born soul if there are so many already occupied with either a new soul or another soul who transmigrated. The ratio of deaths to births does not support the possibility of reincarnation. In conclusion he states that every soul is created by God, and therefore cannot be reincarnated into another body to which God has already created a soul for.
Psychology Today
Alex Lickerman, from Psychology Today, discusses his opposition to reincarnation. Lickerman is a Buddhist himself, which he openly acknowledges is quite opposite from the belief of most Buddists. He also admits that he does not think believing in reincarnation is entirely wrong, based on Dr. Stevenson’s studies. Lickerman states that there are two main reasons why he does not believe in the explination of reincarnation: “1) we have, as of yet, no way to verify it prospectively in an objective manner; and 2) we have no mechanism to explain how reincarnation might occur” (PsychologyToday.com). He states that Buddhism centers its believes around the tenent that souls cannot exist outside of the brain, and has no absolute existence in the universe. This idea inadvertently supports the notion that if a soul cannot exist outside of the brain and body, then it cannot trasnmigrate through the universe from one body to the next. Therefore, reincarnation cannot occur, which contradicts the eintre teachings of Buddhism and its purpose. Even if the soul could exist outside of the physical brain, there is no scientific nor objective way to measure the transmigration of the soul from on body to another. He then discusses the idea of the “self” and whether its origin stems from the Buddhist belief in Karma. Your “self” is created at birth and evolves throughout your lifetime. You may not be the same person you were when you were younger, but that does not change your “self” or soul, it simply means you have changed over time, most of which is an unconscious development. Essentially, he questions where the sense of self comes from, how that changes over time, and how reincarnation can exist if we do not even know where our self origniates from.
Jenny Cockell
Jenny Cockell is an author who shares her experiences of being a reincarnation of a woman who lived long before her in her book Yesterday’s Children. In her story she discusses what she describes as memories from a past life as Mary Sutton living in early-20th century Ireland. Jenny began referring to Mary when she was around four years old, talking about the memories she had of Mary’s life in Malahide. Mary’s own children agree that Jenny’s memories align with Mary’s and accept Jenny as their mother’s reincarnation.
Islam
Don’t believe in reincarnation. Believe in a linear life.
Believers in Depth
Religion
Buddhism and Hinduism share very similar ideas about reincarnation within their religious culture. The idea that you cannot achieve perfection in just one life creates the notion of reincarnation and having multiple chances to create the perfect life, each life better than the next. They even believe you can move up in Caste in your next life if you lived your previous life well. Jainsim also believes in Karma and Samsara. They believe that “actions and emotions in the current lifetime affect future incarnations depending on the nature of the particular karma” (Wikipedia). They also believe that if a soul experiences suffering or pleasure in a past life it will affect the next body that the soul inhabits and carries on those emotions. In Judaism they believe in metempsychosis of souls which is directly mentioned in their holy text, the Zohar. Each of these religions claims to see proof through either their holy text, experiences of their higher being or religious figures, or some combination of the two.
Native Americans
Native American tribes believe reincarnation is an internal part of their traditions. Reincarnation is discusses in rituals, traditions, and stories shared through generations of tribes. A well-known shaman, Thunder Cloud, from the Ho-Chuck tribe, recounts a story of his own reincarnation, and his memories from his two previous lives. He believes he was given special powers from the higher being. The story begins in his first life, as a ghost, grieving the murders of his relatives, living in a village in a holy place. He asks the chief’s permission to go back to earth, and he agreed and brought him down to earth where he lived a long second life into old age. On his death bed, someone came to him and took him into a light where he then crossed into his third life. His experience influenced many other stories and the belief in reincarnation among many Native American tribes.
Dr. Ian Stevenson
As a professor at the University of Virginia in the Department of Psychiatric Medicine, Dr. Stevenson dedicated his life to finding scientific evidence of reincarnation. He conducted over 2,500 case studies over a 40-year period interviewing children who claimed they remembered their own past lives. He kept record of each child’s statements to his questions and tried to identify who the deceased person was that eahc the child described in their memories. He was able to cross-reference facts about the deceased person’s life and match them to the child’s memory. Skeptics argue that his data is anecdotal and has no real basis in science, but he was able to conduct case studies which are a way to observe participants in order to collect data, which is the goal in every experiment. Dr. Stevenson’s work was pivotal because of how popular his work became with trying to prove reincarnation existed. People can argue against a few people’s testimonies, but it’s different when there at over 2,500 children who have no real motive to lie. He also has many supporters, including Sean Martin, a writer for Express UK, who supported his research and deemed his as a credible source for the scientific study of reincarnation.
Geopolitics of Reincarnation
In 2019, the Daili Lama made claims that he would not be reincarnated after his death, and that a new soul, possibly a woman, would take over reign in China. The effects this could have would not only affect China as a whole, but also make reincarnation an international issue.
Connection to Psychology
Usual Suspects
People who believe in reincarnation are typically religious in nature. Reincarnation is widely a religious topic, and many see acceptance of reincarnation as devoting more of themselves to their higher being. Regardless of the religion, devotion can often lead people to do or believe in things in order to serve a higher purpose or please their higher being. They often believe those who have been reincarnated are somehow holier or should be followed due to their experiences. Some religions and countries even attribute reincarnation to higher political power or divineness.
Unique Connection
In psychology, attachment styles have been widely studies to justify or explain why people act or react as they do when they become adults. Believers of reincarnation seem to align rather closely with the anxious-ambivalent attachment style. Children who experience this attachment styles typically avoids strangers or threatening people. As seen in Bowlby’s study in the late 1900s, when the caregiver leaves the room, an anxious-ambivalent child is often highly distressed and anxious. When the caregiver returns, the child is generally ambivalent and feels like everything is normal again. This response can be attributed to unpredictable responsiveness from their caregiver. In adulthood, people with anxious-ambivelant attachment style tend to seek high levels of intimacy, approval and responsiveness from people, becoming overly dependent. They tend to be less trusting, have less positive views about themselves and the people around them, and may exhibit high levels of emotional expressiveness, worry and impulsiveness in their relationships. These traits tend to describe those who believe in reincarnation because they are anxious in times where their higher being is absent, and become dependant or gt attached to theories that make them feel as though they are more connected to their higher being. They worry about pleasing their god, and truly believing in what their higher power tells them to believe in is what will make them happiest, even if that is incorrect to the rest of the world.
Conclusion
It has been concluded in many fields that there is simply not enough true scientific evidence to support the claim that reincarnation exists. Most people believe in reincarnation or believe they have been reincarnated from someone in a past life because it confirms their belief in a higher being who looks over them and gives them multiple opportunities to live a fruitful life. Realistically speaking, it is impossible to prove how reincarnation would be able to happen on the basis of so many contradictions to the theory. Esentially reincarnation is a matter of the mind, created by the mind, and kept only in the mind. There is no way to prove it exists.
