Is it okay to believe in reincarnation?

Question

I was brought up christian and for some reason I never fully agreed with the aspect of heaven or hell. I know this question sounds childish but I was just curious as to what you thought. I haven&#8217;t really had any strong influences from other reincarnation-correlated religions however it always stuck to me as right.

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Is it okay to believe in reincarnation? Only if you want to be smart.
There are many, many "closet Reincarnationists" in Christianity. A close relative of a friend of mine is a very popular Methodist minister who is a devout Reincarnationist. He's correct in assuming, however, that his flock are not ready to understand that particular "mystery" (which was taught by Jesus, by the way, although Christians today deny it). Most Christians, even the ones who sense it's true, are terrified of the idea of reincarnation because they don't really understand it.
An interesting thing about reincarnation is that it doesn't matter if you believe in it or not -- you reincarnate anyway, and you learn and evolve spiritually all the same.
You might find this site informative: http://www.near-death.com/reincarnation.html

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Bg 15.8 P         The Yoga of the Supreme Person
    At the time of death, the consciousness he has created will carry him on to the next type of body. If he has made his consciousness like that of a cat or dog, he is sure to change to a cat's or dog's body. And, if he has fixed his consciousness on godly consciousness, he will be transferred to Krsnaloka in the spiritual world and will associate with Krsna. It is a false claim that after the annihilation of this body everything is finished. The individual soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and his present body and present activities are the background of his next body. One gets a different body according to karma, and he has to quit this body in due course. It is stated here that the subtle body, which carries the conception of the next body, develops another body in the next life. This process of transmigrating from one body to another and struggling while in the body is called karsati or struggle for existence.
SB 4.29.64 P Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi
   In dreams we sometimes see things that we have never experienced in the present body. Sometimes in dreams we think that we are flying in the sky, although we have no experience of flying. This means that once in a previous life, either as a demigod or astronaut, we flew in the sky. The impression is there in the stockpile of the mind, and it suddenly expresses itself. It is like fermentation taking place in the depths of water, which sometimes manifests itself in bubbles on the water's surface. Sometimes we dream of coming to a place we have never known or experienced in this lifetime, but this is proof that in a past life we experienced this. The impression is kept within the mind and sometimes becomes manifest either in dream or in thought. The conclusion is that the mind is the storehouse of various thoughts and experiences undergone during our past lives. Thus there is a chain of continuation from one life to another, from previous lives to this life, and from this life to future lives. This is also sometimes proved by saying that a man is a born poet, a born scientist or a born devotee. If, like Maharaja Ambarisa, we think of Krsna constantly in this life (sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh), we will certainly be transferred to the kingdom of God at the time of death. Even if our attempt to be Krsna conscious is not complete, our Krsna consciousness will continue in the next life. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (6.41):
                     prapya punya-krtam lokan
                      usitva sasvatih samah
                      sucinam srimatam gehe
                     yoga-bhrasto 'bhijayate
   "The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy."
   If we rigidly follow the principles of meditation on Krsna, there is no doubt that in our next life we will be transferred to Krsnaloka, Goloka Vrndavana.
SB 4.29.66  Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi
   O King, all good fortune unto you! The mind is the cause of the living entity's attaining a certain type of body in accordance with his association with material nature. According to one's mental composition, one can understand what the living entity was in his past life as well as what kind of body he will have in the future. Thus the mind indicates the past and future bodies.
                             PURPORT
   The mind is the index of information about one's past and future lives. If a man is a devotee of the Lord, he cultivated devotional service in his previous life. Similarly, if one's mind is criminal, he was criminal in his last life. In the same way, according to the mind, we can understand what will happen in a future life.
SB 7.15.69 P  Instructions for Civilized Human Beings
   "By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night." Bhagavan Sri Krsna can remember incidents from millions of years ago. Similarly, His pure devotee like Narada Muni can also remember incidents from a past life millions and millions of years ago.

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Of course you can. There are many like you. me for one.
Sarahmajerra.

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sure it is ok to believe in reincarnation. heaven is a beautiful place. there is no evidence for the existence of hell.
i can not say that i 'believe' in reincarnation. as i feel that knowing supersedes believing. i have memories of many past lives.

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Scripture tells us that "It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment."
I used to believe in reincarnation, but as I studied it more closely, it became apparent to me that it was like a game of tic-tac-toe. Each time you play the game you realize you can't get any better no matter where you start from. So it is with reincarnation. Everyone has demons to battle, weaknesses to overcome, blessings to embrace and take good care of. If you think in doing your life over again, starting from a different position, that you will somehow end up better off than before......... then you are like the person who has yet to discover why tic-tac-toe is only for very young children who simply don't know any better................. yet.
Move on to more grownup games. Embrace this life as if it were the only one that really matters because actually.......... that's exactly what it is. THIS life will determine where you spend the rest of all eternity. That's how important this life is. Be Wise and Be Blessed.

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