Praying For Someone's Peaceful Reincarnation is Useless
November 2 is considered as All Soul's Day in the Roman Catholic calendar. It's the time when people must remember to pray for the eternal repose of the souls who have died in Christ because they must still pay for their remaining sins in Purgatory. However, Purgatory is not the only goldmine of religion that one has to deal with. While Purgatory is not about having a second chance after death but it's still a sinister goldmine. Some major religions in the world today teach reincarnation such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
What is the concept of reincarnation? It's the doctrine that says that the dead will be reborn in one form or another. It's also linked to the doctrine of karma. It's said that a person can be reincarnated into several forms. It's even said that somebody can be reincarnated into different genders such as a man can be reincarnated into a woman or vice versa. The very concept of reincarnation is taught that after a person spends a certain time in Hell (or Purgatory) that the person will be allowed to reincarnate and live life all over again after earning a certain degree of merit.
It's really something to think how syncretism can kick in in more than one level. The Roman Catholic institution in itself is syncretic where it mixes Christian beliefs with pagan practices. What's disturbing is to find some people can mix several religions together. Somebody could go to the Roma Catholic masses in the morning while offering incense to pagan gods in the afternoon. Somebody may even put a statue of the Roman Catholic Mary in one side and a statue of Mother Guan Yin (or any pagan goddess) in the other side. Some even go beyond offering masses in a Roman Catholic parish by actually offering prayers for the dead in Buddhist or Hindu temples! It's like after having a nine day prayer for a deceased loved one that a Buddhist prayer ceremony follows on the tenth day or takes place in the ninth day! Talk about one convoluted mess! Pagan Chinese even have the superstition known as Chinese Ghost Month which is celebrated at the seventh lunar month. It's also that time they want to remember their dead and pray for the peaceful reincarnation if one's a Buddhist. Chinese Buddhists may find themselves where they would spend the whole month praying for the peaceful reincarnation of deceased loved ones.
Unfortunately, people who die without Christ have no second chance after death. Does that sound unfair? It doesn't because it's most likely that people who die without Christ will not repent even if they are given the chance to. So why would God grant mercy to someone who will refuse it in the first place? They are probably still thinking God is making a "serious mistake" by sending them to Hell in spite of whatever merits they thought they've achieved. As said, Hebrews 9:27 says that it's appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment. No reincarnation because you only die once and reincarnation means a person lives and dies several times!
See also:
What is the concept of reincarnation? It's the doctrine that says that the dead will be reborn in one form or another. It's also linked to the doctrine of karma. It's said that a person can be reincarnated into several forms. It's even said that somebody can be reincarnated into different genders such as a man can be reincarnated into a woman or vice versa. The very concept of reincarnation is taught that after a person spends a certain time in Hell (or Purgatory) that the person will be allowed to reincarnate and live life all over again after earning a certain degree of merit.
It's really something to think how syncretism can kick in in more than one level. The Roman Catholic institution in itself is syncretic where it mixes Christian beliefs with pagan practices. What's disturbing is to find some people can mix several religions together. Somebody could go to the Roma Catholic masses in the morning while offering incense to pagan gods in the afternoon. Somebody may even put a statue of the Roman Catholic Mary in one side and a statue of Mother Guan Yin (or any pagan goddess) in the other side. Some even go beyond offering masses in a Roman Catholic parish by actually offering prayers for the dead in Buddhist or Hindu temples! It's like after having a nine day prayer for a deceased loved one that a Buddhist prayer ceremony follows on the tenth day or takes place in the ninth day! Talk about one convoluted mess! Pagan Chinese even have the superstition known as Chinese Ghost Month which is celebrated at the seventh lunar month. It's also that time they want to remember their dead and pray for the peaceful reincarnation if one's a Buddhist. Chinese Buddhists may find themselves where they would spend the whole month praying for the peaceful reincarnation of deceased loved ones.
Unfortunately, people who die without Christ have no second chance after death. Does that sound unfair? It doesn't because it's most likely that people who die without Christ will not repent even if they are given the chance to. So why would God grant mercy to someone who will refuse it in the first place? They are probably still thinking God is making a "serious mistake" by sending them to Hell in spite of whatever merits they thought they've achieved. As said, Hebrews 9:27 says that it's appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment. No reincarnation because you only die once and reincarnation means a person lives and dies several times!
See also: