[July, 2010 Addendum to ‘Reincarnation & The Holy Bible’.]
Continued From Part 3 . . .
NO PARTIALITY WITH GOD
God tells us repeatedly in His Holy Bible that “there is no partiality with Him.” (Ephesians 6:9, et al.) In other words, all men and women are valued equally and treated fairly by God.
Well, unless one entertains the concept of reincarnation, it seems to me that’s a bit hard to accept. One look around will show us that some persons are born into fabulous wealth, while others live an entire life in abject poverty; some persons come into this world with tremendous gifts and amazing talent, while others have no attention-getting special qualities to speak of and live out rather “ordinary” lives; some persons come into this world quite healthy, while others are born with illnesses or terrible, and sometimes even freakish, deformities. Is this REALLY anybody’s idea of equal and fair treatment?
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[David Rockefeller]
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[Joseph Merrick, aka “The Elephant Man”]
Only if we view these things from the reincarnation perspective, considering all gifts and talents and illnesses and deformities as karmic repercussions spilling over from a previous lifetime and intended to teach us our necessary lessons about love – circumstances meant to enlighten us about our cause and effect universe – are we then really able to accept that these situations might well exist in conjunction with the existence of a just and loving God.
Wonderful “gifts” might well be talents that were developed in a prior incarnation and carried over into the present life. An individual who persecuted a certain group or type of people may need to reincarnate as that type or within that group in order to learn, at the subconscious level, with first-hand experience, just how wrong their judgments were.
Yes, I DO believe God when he says that there is no partiality with Him. And it is understanding cause and effect relationships and karmic consequences of our God-designed system that allows me to hold that belief while all around me a superficially false appearance of inequality would otherwise seem to be the way of “this world”.
MARTIN BRUMER
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Only if we view these things from the reincarnation perspective, considering all gifts and talents and illnesses and deformities as karmic repercussions spilling over from a previous lifetime and intended to teach us our necessary lessons about love – circumstances meant to enlighten us about our cause and effect universe – are we then really able to accept that these situations might well exist in conjunction with the existence of a just and loving God.
Wonderful “gifts” might well be talents that were developed in a prior incarnation and carried over into the present life. An individual who persecuted a certain group or type of people may need to reincarnate as that type or within that group in order to learn, at the subconscious level, with first-hand experience, just how wrong their judgments were.
Yes, I DO believe God when he says that there is no partiality with Him. And it is understanding cause and effect relationships and karmic consequences of our God-designed system that allows me to hold that belief while all around me a superficially false appearance of inequality would otherwise seem to be the way of “this world”.
MARTIN BRUMER
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Sunday, July 18th, 2010, was the 21st anniversary of the death of my dear friend Marty Brumer.
I have related this story to you previously on this STUFFS blog, but I would now like to share with you a thought I have often had about Marty’s death and how I believe it illustrates the soundness of a belief in reincarnation.
When he was twenty-eight years old, Marty was killed in Los Angeles when a guy who had stolen a car and was being pursued at high speeds by the police, ran a red light and plowed into Marty’s automobile as my friend was driving through the intersection, himself having the green light. My buddy, a professional actor, was killed instantly.
Marty was one of the very greatest friends I’ve ever had. He was honest, thoughtful and generous. He was also born into a Jewish family, and subsequently he did not hold any strong belief about the importance of the life of Jesus and the Atonement for sins acquired through the Savior’s selfless, sinless Sacrifice on the Cross.
According to the generally accepted current “orthodox” Christian dogma, Marty, being an unbeliever at the time of his death, was denied entrance into Heaven and consigned to the devil for an eternity in hell.
I certainly don’t mean to insult anyone, so please pardon my honesty when I tell you that I find this sort of widely accepted Christian theology to be infantile. I mean that in the literal sense: it is an extremely underdeveloped theology. Yes, being an ardent student of The Bible, I know very well which Biblical verses the contemporary Christian would use in an attempt to defend that theology. My response is that much is lost in a misinterpretation that does not take into account the larger spiritual picture.
There are two primary points I wish to raise in connection with Marty’s unbelief. For one thing, being born into the Jewish tradition, in a sense, the deck was stacked against his coming to a full understanding of the mission of The Christ anytime real soon. In order to see and accept the Savior’s gift, Marty was going to have to buck the tradition he was raised with and be willing to deal with any disruptions in family life and unity that might occur as a result.
Secondly, Marty died at the age of 28. I myself did not come to understand the mission of the Christ and accept Jesus as my Holy King and Savior until I reached the age of 35 – that’s seven years longer than Marty was allowed to live. Had God permitted me to be killed by a car thief in a Los Angeles intersection when I was 28 – the same age that Marty died – I myself would not have been (as Christians call it) “saved”; I would have died an “unbeliever” and also destined for an eternity in hell. There but for the gift of extra years and the luck not to be in a bad place at the wrong time, I would have been banished to eternal torment (according to mainstream Christian beliefs).
How is it fair to send my good friend Marty to hell when he was born into a tradition predisposed not to understand the true identity of Jesus and not to accept the importance of His sacrifice, and when my friend was given only 28 years to overcome that start before some other person stole his life from him? Why should I gain Heaven when I was not born into the same circumstances and, up to the present date, I have been given nearly 23 more years than Marty was given in which to “see the Light”?
One of the standard answers a person might expect from a contemporary Christian attempting to explain the “fairness” of this, is that somehow God knew in advance that Marty – regardless of how many years he was to live – was not going to accept Jesus as his Savior.
Well, if that’s so, if God already knew this when Marty was only 28, didn’t God also know that at the moment Marty was born? And if God knew that at the moment Marty was born, didn’t God also know that the moment BEFORE Marty was born? And never mind the sticky question then of whether or not God had sort of “predestined” Marty not to accept Christ, the real question is: Knowing in advance that this soul known on Earth as Martin Brumer was NOT going to accept his Salvation from Christ, wouldn’t a TRULY loving, forgiving, understanding and merciful God have declined to create that soul in the first place, rather than creating him anyway and then 28 years later banishing him to an eternity in a hellish place?
No, I’m sorry, but I cannot accept the mainstream Christian view of things. Nevertheless, I do believe with all my heart that our Creator lives and that He is all of the wonderfully great things the New Testament says He is. And knowing that my God is a God of love, forgiveness, and understanding, and knowing that “His mercy endures forever”, I believe that He will give us ample opportunity to accept the Atonement for our sins offered as a free gift through the voluntary Sacrifice provided by His Son, Jesus Christ. If that means we need more than one “lifetime” on Earth in which to make the correct decision to accept what is offered, then I believe that God in His mercy and love for His children has enough patience within Himself to grant that to us.
What, is The Lord short on Love and time? Do you suppose that perhaps God is even so loving and Divinely patient that He would forgive our dimwittedness and let us try again to get it right “up to seventy times seven” times?
(Matthew 18:21, 22)
Related Link:
The Reincarnating Jesus: Will It Be His "2nd Coming" Or His 34th?
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
I have related this story to you previously on this STUFFS blog, but I would now like to share with you a thought I have often had about Marty’s death and how I believe it illustrates the soundness of a belief in reincarnation.
When he was twenty-eight years old, Marty was killed in Los Angeles when a guy who had stolen a car and was being pursued at high speeds by the police, ran a red light and plowed into Marty’s automobile as my friend was driving through the intersection, himself having the green light. My buddy, a professional actor, was killed instantly.
Marty was one of the very greatest friends I’ve ever had. He was honest, thoughtful and generous. He was also born into a Jewish family, and subsequently he did not hold any strong belief about the importance of the life of Jesus and the Atonement for sins acquired through the Savior’s selfless, sinless Sacrifice on the Cross.
According to the generally accepted current “orthodox” Christian dogma, Marty, being an unbeliever at the time of his death, was denied entrance into Heaven and consigned to the devil for an eternity in hell.
I certainly don’t mean to insult anyone, so please pardon my honesty when I tell you that I find this sort of widely accepted Christian theology to be infantile. I mean that in the literal sense: it is an extremely underdeveloped theology. Yes, being an ardent student of The Bible, I know very well which Biblical verses the contemporary Christian would use in an attempt to defend that theology. My response is that much is lost in a misinterpretation that does not take into account the larger spiritual picture.
There are two primary points I wish to raise in connection with Marty’s unbelief. For one thing, being born into the Jewish tradition, in a sense, the deck was stacked against his coming to a full understanding of the mission of The Christ anytime real soon. In order to see and accept the Savior’s gift, Marty was going to have to buck the tradition he was raised with and be willing to deal with any disruptions in family life and unity that might occur as a result.
Secondly, Marty died at the age of 28. I myself did not come to understand the mission of the Christ and accept Jesus as my Holy King and Savior until I reached the age of 35 – that’s seven years longer than Marty was allowed to live. Had God permitted me to be killed by a car thief in a Los Angeles intersection when I was 28 – the same age that Marty died – I myself would not have been (as Christians call it) “saved”; I would have died an “unbeliever” and also destined for an eternity in hell. There but for the gift of extra years and the luck not to be in a bad place at the wrong time, I would have been banished to eternal torment (according to mainstream Christian beliefs).
How is it fair to send my good friend Marty to hell when he was born into a tradition predisposed not to understand the true identity of Jesus and not to accept the importance of His sacrifice, and when my friend was given only 28 years to overcome that start before some other person stole his life from him? Why should I gain Heaven when I was not born into the same circumstances and, up to the present date, I have been given nearly 23 more years than Marty was given in which to “see the Light”?
One of the standard answers a person might expect from a contemporary Christian attempting to explain the “fairness” of this, is that somehow God knew in advance that Marty – regardless of how many years he was to live – was not going to accept Jesus as his Savior.
Well, if that’s so, if God already knew this when Marty was only 28, didn’t God also know that at the moment Marty was born? And if God knew that at the moment Marty was born, didn’t God also know that the moment BEFORE Marty was born? And never mind the sticky question then of whether or not God had sort of “predestined” Marty not to accept Christ, the real question is: Knowing in advance that this soul known on Earth as Martin Brumer was NOT going to accept his Salvation from Christ, wouldn’t a TRULY loving, forgiving, understanding and merciful God have declined to create that soul in the first place, rather than creating him anyway and then 28 years later banishing him to an eternity in a hellish place?
No, I’m sorry, but I cannot accept the mainstream Christian view of things. Nevertheless, I do believe with all my heart that our Creator lives and that He is all of the wonderfully great things the New Testament says He is. And knowing that my God is a God of love, forgiveness, and understanding, and knowing that “His mercy endures forever”, I believe that He will give us ample opportunity to accept the Atonement for our sins offered as a free gift through the voluntary Sacrifice provided by His Son, Jesus Christ. If that means we need more than one “lifetime” on Earth in which to make the correct decision to accept what is offered, then I believe that God in His mercy and love for His children has enough patience within Himself to grant that to us.
What, is The Lord short on Love and time? Do you suppose that perhaps God is even so loving and Divinely patient that He would forgive our dimwittedness and let us try again to get it right “up to seventy times seven” times?
(Matthew 18:21, 22)
Related Link:
The Reincarnating Jesus: Will It Be His "2nd Coming" Or His 34th?
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
.
Interesting stuff! I'll read in it's entirety when I get back home as I'm out of town right now and just have my phone to read/ comment with.
ReplyDeletePS. You might be surprised at the lack of a negative reaction you will receive on this topic. God is/does/knows/loves much more than our pitiful minds can even begin to conceive. I'm just beginning to "see the light" on a lot of this myself. (not the reincarnation thing as I have given it little to no thot). My arm is tired. More later. :)
LISA ~
ReplyDeleteHowdy. Thanks for your comment.
The only folks that I figured this Blog Bit might receive a negative reaction from are "Born Again" Christians. ["Born Again"... Hmmm... Sounds suspiciously like "reincarnation" to me. Ha! Jus' jokin'.]
Actually, I just put this out there for anyone who might stumble upon it and find it helpful. It's really irrelevant to me how many people believe it or disbelieve it, or how many react positively or negatively. It's not something I'd bother to debate. It just is. One can either take it or leave it and it's all the same to me.
Yak Later, Friend.
~ Stephen
"As a dog returns to his own vomit,
so a fool repeats his folly."
~ Proverbs 26:11
Stephen-
ReplyDeleteYet another topic we've oft discussed.
I too belive that the God I belive in would not damn a soul like your friend Marty's or those millions of non-Christian souls who lead a life that is in line with Christ's teachings but who simple were never given a chance to believe in Him.
Quite frankly, I feel the judgement will weigh harder on someone like me who maybe has not explored his faith as deeply as he should have and has certainly tallied up sins a'plenty is his half century on the rock.
As you know, I lost a sister who I was very close to at a tragically young age. Now she had a very close relationship with God, and probably would have been able to give you some good debate over the contents of the Book were she still here to discuss it with you.
I wondered for a long time why someone like that would contract cancer, suffer and die. The usualy saying is "God wanted it that way."
I do not buy that.
I've often thought that MaryAnne simple "got it" and was graduating.
Another explanation, and this would cover Marty as well, is that they were only here to teach us something.
After MaryAnne was diagnosed, I grew up. A Lot. And many things that seemed real important, all of a sudden were exposed to be trivial and not worth the effort of worrying about.
Maybe the point of all that was so that I could "get it."
And maybe if I had "gotten it" sooner, she would not have had to suffer.
In either case, I find it hard to believe that your friend is anywhere suffering in pits of eternal damnation. The God I belive in would never allow that.
Of course, it is possible he is back here on the rock. And if he's in Airheadzona, it may not be eternal damnation, but it certainly does qualify as suffering.
DISCMAN ~
ReplyDelete>> "...on the rock.
Ha! That's a GREAT expression. I'm gonna steal it! "We're all doing time on the rock."
>> Another explanation, and this would cover Marty as well, is that they were only here to teach us something.
A bodhisattva. It's an Eastern religious word for what you've described. (And you probably own a Steely Dan album containing a song by that title.)
>> Of course, it is possible he is back here on the rock. And if he's in Airheadzona, it may not be eternal damnation, but it certainly does qualify as suffering.
And it certainly does FEEL like an ETERNITY!
~ "Lonesome Dogg" McSufferin'
So maybe they were here to inspire a song title? I'd never considered that....
ReplyDeleteI just noticed I had a bit of a spelling problem in my comment...unless "belive" is now a word....
>> I just noticed I had a bit of a spelling problem in my comment...unless "belive" is now a word....
ReplyDeleteI don't "belive" it is.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Just finished reading the entire post. You know my feelings on most of this already, but I just wanted to say how much I loved this bit. God Bless my friend.
ReplyDeleteWP whooooosh!
You've given me a lot to chew on.
ReplyDeleteHaving been raised as United Pentecostal for much of my growing up years (my Mom is still in that church), I had to change A LOT of the way I used to think.
I prayed the Prayer of Jabez about 2 1/2 years ago (over and over again) and God has heard my prayer. He has broadened my territories. I could never imagine living the way I live now and still be saved. No, I'm not "living in sin", but I'm cutting my hair, wearing makeup, etc.
What I'm saying is that I feel that God has opened up my mind and heart and will continue to do so as long as I'm willing.
I don't know where to stand on reincarnation, but your explanations were definitely compelling ones. I will have to search it out for myself some more though. I do know that at this point in time (according to the Bible) Heaven and Hell are not open for business.
I've often wondered too, how everyone can be "reached" with the gospel. Those living in remote areas of the world, etc. Or the ones that miss opportunities. I'll stop here. My thoughts are too disjointed to continue making any sense.
And by the way, I do consider myself a "born again Christian", as you know. (per my profile)
Be blessed Bro.
MR. BREEZE II ~
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by. Glad ya dug what I dug up.
LISA ~
Thanks for reading and for commenting. I'm pleased to know that you thought my evidence was "compelling" and that this multi-installment blog bit didn't just utterly waste your time.
I do know that, although it's exceedingly rare, even a "born again" Christian can occasionally be moved by this Biblical evidence to reconsider their dogmatic beliefs.
Parts 1-3 of this blog bit were originally composed by me five years ago and posted on the Amazon.com website. Shortly afterwards, I received an "Amazon Friend" invite from a "born again" Christian guy who wrote, recorded and performed Christian music. After reading his profile, I accepted his invitation, but I was thinking to myself: Boy, wait 'til this guy discovers my piece on reincarnation! He's going to delete me in a New York second!
Well, as it turned out - to my surprise - the guy had ALREADY discovered my reincarnation piece, and THAT was the VERY REASON he had sent me the "Friend Invitation". He had been so swayed by the Biblical arguments that I had presented in support of the reincarnation concept that he felt inspired to contact me.
So, there ya go. I do know that some persons - even those pretty set in their ways - can sometimes set their beliefs (or years of mental conditioning) aside and let the evidence alone lead them to new conclusions. But then again, unfortunately, the majority of the people can't... or won't.
Thanks again for your time and your feeback, Lisa. (BTW, you're wearin' glasses now? You read too much! :)
~ Stephen
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteI actually do think that it is important for people to understand the law of karma and reincarnation. Only because they have to realize that they will ultimately have to pay for their trangressions. Perhaps people thinking that someone else is responsible can contribute to this culture of irresposibility.
MARJORIE ~
ReplyDeleteYes, in that respect, I agree with you that it would be better if more people understood the law of karma. That is one reason I posted this.
Many years ago, I read a political book which I felt contained many flaws and which I wasn't buying into. But the author did make one very salient point: he noted that those persons who today are attempting to construct a society in which elite individuals maintain a totalitarian rule over the common people, fail to take into consideration that they themselves will one day reincarnate, and when they do, they will undoubtedly return to Earth as one of the common people with little liberty and who are being dominated by the elite.
It was the best, most memorable passage in an otherwise rather forgettable book.
I gotta say, MARJORIE, that you would seem to be the biggest fan of my "Reincarnation & The Holy Bible" blog bit(s). If I had a "Most Enthusiastic" award to give out, I would pin it on you!
I noticed that one Christian fellow who had previously been a "Follower" of this blog, stopped Following it a couple of days after this installment got posted. He didn't leave a comment or anything; never voiced his objections, he just suddenly disappeared from my "Followers" collection. Ha! Oh, well. Ya can't please everyone, eh?
~ D-FensDogg
So far, so good.
ReplyDeleteYour friend who's been gone so long might be someone you communicate with today. Ironically I feel hopeful concerning those who passed on. Thanks.
DIXIE POLKA ~
ReplyDeleteI don't sense that he's back, but one just never really knows for sure.
I'm glad you took the time to read and consider these blog bits. Thank you.
I've always felt they deserved more attention than they got.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
It's taken some time to return here. I knew I would and let it go. I'll try to make this brief.
ReplyDeleteChristmas Eve got a call from a childhood friend/sister hadn't seen since high school. My van has tranny issues and couldn't get up with her... tried for three weeks to arrange some other way/means of transportation, etc. No go.
Spoke to her Jan. 3rd... I arranged to borrow a friend's car... finally... but...
Come Jan. 5th, she's in the hospital. I don't know what happened. She's been on, heart-lung machine, and life support since then. BOTB was cranked up and all I could say to voters was "thank you." My head wasn't in it. Oh well.
I believe in miracles and I also wanted to be somewhat prepared. You see, at first it shook me so badly. It felt like I went through the stages of grief in a matter of days. Why her, why not me, kind of thing. She has kid, g-kids, I don't. I ran a gambit(sp) of bargains and everything else. But in the back of my mind were your posts. But no matter what I did I could not find this post... until now. You see, I talk to the Father constantly... I don't ask for anything frivilous... but I do ask for His revealing of things to me. My life for the last four years has been spent meditating on Proverbs 3: 5-6. "Trust in the Lord with your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths." I am convinced this is my comfort and peace regarding everything. I am convinced that 'acknowledging' Him accepts His control and direction for me. It allows Him to give me the Faith I need. That said, back to my friend.
15 days have passed and I have more peace than I've known for days. Her words from Christmas Eve don't ring as loud in my mind, now. "I've been looking for you for 20 years. I finally got the bright idea to look up your parents' address and get their number... ask them how to contact you. Then you answered the phone!" I inherited my parents home or otherwise would not have been here. I know we were meant to connect, and it may sound strange when I say I'm content with what we were able to accomplish between Dec. and Jan. (Gosh, I don't know why I'm sharing this. I so need a 'nothing box.') So I wanted to understand more... you had the story of your friend...But what I now come away with is that last 'comment with scripture reference' you shared:
"What, is The Lord short on Love and time? Do you suppose that perhaps God is even so loving and Divinely patient that He would forgive our dimwittedness and let us try again to get it right “up to seventy times seven” times?"
(Matthew 18:21, 22)
So after all my wordiness I want to say, this is comforting and thank you. I'm glad you didn't delete this blog. I'm always searching and yet I know there are times to stand still. See ya, 'Dogg'. (Did I say 'brief'? Sorry.)
DIXIE POLKA ~
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. I will certainly say a prayer for her.
Very interesting timing that you two should hook up again just before THIS happened to her. I don't exactly know what to make of it, but there's unquestionably some meaning to it that needs to be discovered and realized.
I'm glad that what I've written here has helped you in some measure.
For the last few years I've been in a Spiritual valley - the deepest one of my entire life - but I know God will lift me up again as He always has. It's just a matter of time. You hang in there, too!
Here's a quote I like (not one of mine)...
The very act of prayer honors God and gives glory to God, for it confesses that God is what He is.
~ Charles Kingsley
This is a little bit off-topic now, but since you seem interested in this Reincarnation concept, you might find this also of interest:
http://stephentmccarthysstuffs.blogspot.com/2011/12/reincarnating-jesus-will-it-be-his-2nd.html
In that one, I'm discussing the possibility that Jesus Christ Himself reincarnated and appears as different people (but the same Soul) in The Holy Bible.
I'm off to pray for your friend now.
Yak Later...
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'