Tag Archives: pre-existence

Reincarnation in Early Christianity

Posted on 06/01/2023 by Doug

Despite the orthodox church’s efforts to stamp out the doctrine, it continued to exist. Probably the main reasons for its longevity is not due to only the writings of Jesus and others, but the simple fact that this doctrine gives a logical explanation to many of the mysteries of life that can be solved no other way. Most importantly, it helps to give answers to some of the most basic questions in life such as: “Why am I here?”; “What happens after I die?”; “Who am I really”; “What am I supposed to do?”; etc.

The idea was that the church could use the fear of Hell to create a dependence of the people on the Church for salvation and the guidance of the Empire. The emperor fell for the reasoning of the churchmen and realized that Origen’s teachings presented a danger to his control over the people. Therefore, the emperor had the doctrine of reincarnation and pre-existence with God condemned. In 543, Origen was condemned as a heretic and all of his writings were burned. Continue reading →

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If Jesus is Only a Man, Then…

Posted on 06/01/2023 by Doug

If Jesus is only a man, and not God as most Christians believe, then that changes everything we have ever thought about existence. If Jesus was not God and was only a man like you or me, then everything that applied to Jesus applies to us also:

  • Jesus existed before this life.
  • He was a spirit incarnated into human flesh.
  • He was a creation of God and knew God and learned from God.
  • All things that Jesus could do are possible for us also, since we also are “sons of God”.

Christians believe there is an actual place called Hell and that’s where only unbelievers go — for eternity! However, Believers also may go to the same place as unbelievers, according to Jesus. The following verse is an example of just that:

The lord of that servant (a believer) will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (Lk 12:46)

The difference between us and Jesus, according to the Bible, is that he was the first born of God; he was just the first (not the only) to be begotten of God. The word “begotten” couldn’t possibly mean God had an intimate relation with his wife and Jesus was conceived — that is an absurd idea. But what it does mean is that he was only the first to be born of God in a metaphorical sense. That means we are begotten of God ALSO.

Continue reading →

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