Reincarnation is the Eastern belief that a persons soul or spirit is repeatedly born into different bodies after death. This process continues until the person has gone through enough rebirths to attain purity and perfection. The determining factor to this perfection is dependent on his or her bad or good works in life (karma).

More people than ever before now believe in reincarnation. Even some who profess Christianity have incorporated it into their beliefs. Magazines and TV shows indoctrinate people about this idea. Why are so many people convinced that they have lived before? Personal Freedom Outreach have pointed out various explanations:

1. One explanation has been termed the "Bridey Murphy Effect," named after the book 'The Search for Bridey Murphy.' This book describes how a woman, under hypnosis, could give details of Ireland and even speak Gaelic, a language she apparently did not know. This was consequently attributed to a past life. It was later discovered, however, that as a child, she was often cared for by a Gaelic-speaking grandmother who would tell her stories of Ireland. The so called past life simply turned out to be aspects of her childhood in this life but remembered through hypnosis. Similarly, with Deja vu, people often report the feeling that they have been in a similar situation before. This is also put down to a previous existence. Dr. Walter Martin, tells of an experience he had while viewing a mountain in Switzerland, which he felt as though he had somehow seen before, even though it was his first time in the country. Upon returning home, Martin discovered the reason for his recall: a postcard with a picture of the very mountain he had seen. Images and experiences are stored unconsciously in the brain and only recalled when prompted.
2. Under the influence of hypnosis, it is possible for people to be manipulated and led by the hypnotist. One only has to watch the many television programmes about hypnotism to see what the hypnotist is able to make the audience believe.
3. There is also the very real demonic aspect of a person speaking of a past life. Demons, having access to knowledge from all history, could easily piece together memories and convince a person that they actually lived in a past life, even to providing some factual details.

Problems with reincarnation:

1. Even though reincarnation is a prominent feature in the New age movement it should be noted that people in the West are not consistent in their adoption of this belief, but rather pick and choose what they do and don't like regarding it. For example, the true doctrine of reincarnation involves the possibility of coming back as a dog, a cat, or even an insect. This tends to be somewhat offensive and ridiculous to many Western New Agers and has been quietly dropped.
2. Reincarnation can also lead those who believe in it to have nothing to do with lower classes of people who are suffering. For example, there is much poverty in India, with shanty towns where disease is rife. These people need help, but many of the higher classes, or castes, think things like "They must have done something terrible in a previous life. Far better to just let the law of karma work its way out".

New Agers will sometimes cite passage from the Bible to back up their beliefs on reincarnation. A popular example is Jesus' words regarding John the Baptist in the Gospels. In Matthew 11:14 Jesus says of John: "And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come." Matthew 17:12 states: "Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you Elijah has already come, and they did not recognise him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist." (c.f. Mark 9:11-13) It should first be noted that another coming of Elijah was prophesied by Malachi (4:5-6) to occur before the day of judgement. Also, the Old Testament clearly shows that Elijah never died (which would certainly have to have been required if reincarnation was in view), but was rather taken directly to heaven to be with the Lord (2 Kings 2:1, 11-12). It would appear that in the same way that Elisha, the servant of Elijah, received the same power that Elijah had (see 2 Kings 2:9-15), yet retained his own identity, John the Baptist likewise came in the same power, authority, and spirit of Elijah but maintained his own identity as well. This is clarified by the words of Jesus at Luke 1:17: "And he will go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah..." Furthermore, Elijah himself appears before Jesus and the disciples at Matthew 17:1-3. Finally, John the Baptist himself plainly states that he is not Elijah (John 1:21).

The Bible does not support reincarnation, but rather the opposite, there is just one life to live, we die, and we are judged: Hebrews 9:27 clearly states : "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement." Instead of reincarnation, the Bible speaks of resurrection. There will be a resurrection of the godly and the ungodly on the day of judgement.

"And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and the dead which were in them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."(Revelation 20:11-15)

God has given us but one life to live, in the body, this side of eternity. In this flesh and blood condition, we live once, we die, and we face judgement before a holy and Almighty God. The good new is that Christ was judged in our place on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life. By receiving Him, and what He has done, into our lives, we can enter into God's eternal kingdom and never die again.