ABOUT REINCARNATION

How Are Alleged Memories of Previous Lives Created in Children?

According to this view, the following events take place in children through the creation of false memories:

1. A young child falls asleep.

2. Alleged memories of previous lives are implanted in the child’s mind.

3. The child wakes up and begins to believe that he or she is actually someone else. For example, the child thinks: “In my previous life, I was another person. I died one day, and now I have been born again. I had another family, a wife, and three children. We lived in Bangkok.”

4. The child tells these stories to adults. The child does not believe that he or she is lying and may even identify the location of the former family home or provide other details. Some of this information is investigated and confirmed.

5. Some researchers and authors believe these accounts and subsequently publish books supporting the theory of reincarnation.

6. According to the Orthodox perspective being presented here, the deceptions of the devil lie behind these phenomena.

2 Corinthians 2:11

“So that we may not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not unaware of his schemes.”

The Alleged Creation of False Memories

The above method is presented as being similar to the appearance of unusual dreams. According to this interpretation, demons use young children because it is easier to convince people through them.

Adults are considered less suitable for such a purpose because they are more likely to question sudden memories of an alleged previous life. They have already lived for many years without having such memories, and if they suddenly began experiencing them, their story would be less convincing.

Furthermore, other people might question their claims and assume that they were lying.

In contrast, young children are considered by many to be innocent and naïve, while adults often believe that children are incapable of deliberately inventing such stories. The children themselves may also genuinely believe what they describe. Moreover, in some cases, the information they provide concerns real people and actual locations.

The Creation of False Memories in Adults

In reality, false memories can also be formed in the minds of adults.

For example, some people experience psychological problems and seek help from therapists. Some therapists use hypnosis as a therapeutic tool, attempting to explore the subconscious mind and identify possible past events that they believe may be connected to the patient’s psychological problems.

As part of this process, hypnosis is administered to the patient.

Hypnosis and meditation are presented here as similar states, with the difference being that meditation is performed by the individual, whereas hypnosis can be conducted with the assistance of another person.

According to this description, these states constitute transitional stages leading to a state of trance.

Trance is metaphorically described as a cinema in which three-dimensional images are projected and appear completely real. This is why it is symbolically called the “THEATRE OF DREAMS.”

What Happens to the Patient During This Process?

The patient enters this state and, according to the above description, begins to experience images and events as though personally participating in a motion picture.

The patient sees his or her own life through these images. The patient mentally returns to childhood and relives some of the most painful events of the past.

Once this is considered sufficient, the process turns back towards the present and comes to an end.

According to this interpretation, new, false, and painful memories have now been recorded in the patient’s mind. The trance ends, and the patient returns to the normal waking state, having previously experienced a condition somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.

The patient and the therapist are now faced with a new situation. The therapist could say:

“These memories did not previously exist in your subconscious mind. We recorded them during the trance. We introduced them into your mind, and now they have become a source of torment for you.”

The Orthodox Christian Position on Reincarnation

Christ conquered death not by liberating humanity from the body, but through the Resurrection, granting humanity the hope of eternal life and the incorruptibility of the body.

The doctrine of karma and reincarnation nullifies the mystery of salvation through Christ.

According to the Orthodox Christian faith, the whole human person, both soul and body, will stand before the Eternal Judge, not merely the soul alone.

Reincarnation, by diminishing the significance of the body and presenting it as something temporary that is abandoned in order for another life to follow, does not merely undermine the Christian hope in Christ; it also undermines the deeper meaning of divine worship and the Holy Eucharist.

And this raises a fundamental question:

What is the purpose of suffering in this life if a person does not even remember the mistakes of an alleged previous life? What benefit is there in undergoing this painful process if one is simply going to return to life again and repeat the same journey?