Ok, realize this is a very high-level description of reincarnation as viewed from the major religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism) who have believed this for centuries. Reincarnation is the belief that after we die, we are reborn in another body to live another life. The purpose is to experience something from each life in order to learn, grow and refine our soul. After you die there is a 49 day pause between death and rebirth, so a soul can gain enlightenment before moving on to the next life. The cycle continues until you reach moksha (liberation or release). At this point you will become one with God. Each of these religions may have different thoughts on how you attain moksha; how your soul selects the next life; and regression during reincarnation depending on how you lived the last life. But they all believe this is the cycle of life.
There are some things about this belief that I struggle with. Such as, if you don’t have any significant knowledge of your past experiences then how are you to improve. When I went to school, algebra was a two-year course. If I had no knowledge of lessons from the first year of Algebra then, how could I complete the second year. More so, what was the purpose of even taking the first year of Algebra.
Now, I have heard of people recalling things from previous lives. Let’s say that these are not just vivid dreams, that they are actual memories of a past life. Like that overwhelming feeling of familiarity with a place that you have never visited before. Then why show me small pieces of my previous life. Why not show my previous lessons, so that I may move closer to moksha? Why am I not born with at least rudimentary knowledge of speech so that I can advance quicker?
Lastly, if everyone is reincarnated then, how come there are more people alive today than 100 years ago? I’ve read, that yes, some new souls are being created all the time but, there are also souls around us everywhere, in all kinds of vessels. That your soul could reincarnate into an animal, plant, insect, or another human. Your soul chooses the form you take in your next life based on the lessons to be learned, and you may even regress to an animal after being a human. I struggle seeing any evidence that a plant has the same awareness as a human. Also, what could I possibly learn as a plant or grasshopper that would help my soul to grow? And how does regression help me to move forward?
I mean no disrespect. People have the freedom to choose what they believe whether I understand it or not. I believe that the God I worship, created each of us with this freedom. And even though Hinduism is sometimes referred to as a polytheistic religion (belief in many Gods), very few Hindus (7%) take the position that there are multiple gods. The prevailing view, held by 61% of Hindus, is that there is one God “with many manifestations” and 29% say simply: “There is only one God”. I too believe there is only one God. I believe that God created me to exist in this body at this point in time. We are not an accident or a random creation. Each of us have been created with a specific purpose for our life. God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us to help us discover and achieve this purpose. He offers this freely for the asking. You just have to choose.