If pre-Christianity reincarnation was widely accepted, wouldn't the "early church" have at least entertained reincarnation? So why does the "restored gospel" not even mention it?

To look beyond TSCC, why consider only one incarnation? Shouldn't Jesus have had many virgin births? Where are the scriptures for those?

Judaism was a rebellion against the cyclical thinking underlying reincarnation.

The Asherah and Baal cults of Canaan that the YHWH cult never succeeded in eradicating were built around the annual cycle and its implication that life dies and is reborn cyclically and infinitely. Judaism, however, was informed by the Persian notion--absorbed during the Exile--of a moralizing interventionist deity and a unidirectional history leading to a single judgment and a single resurrection. Death would be banished and the righteous would live forever in eternal bliss rather than being condemned to endless reiterations of mortality.

I was told once and this is true that Jesus and Buddha are the same person. Reincarnated at different times on the planet. Not sure if it's true or not though obviously. Makes kind of sense don't they both teach unconditional love or something like that haha. Spent most of my life trying to solve the Jesus riddle it feels like haha. Think Jesus existed and exists and knows who I am because Lord knows nobody else on this planet understood or understands me currently so my hope is that maybe Jesus at least understands me so at least one individual does. Anyways, good talking Babylon as always. Always have thought-provoking questions which I do like and stimulates my mind to think for sure.

In a forest setting, people have many gods. In a desert setting, there is only one.

That's true. Hunter-gatherer societies tend to be polytheistic and desert/steppe ones tend to be monotheistic.

There are two possible explanations for that. 1) In an open environment nature appears simple and unitary, with one environment and one sun and one landscape. 2) In an environment of scarce resources societies must organize for war, with hierarchical relationships and single clan leaders. Since people tend to worship gods that reflect their social organizations, those largely nomadic pastoralists worship monotheistically. The two arguments stem from different fields of analysis but are not mutually exclusive.

Do you know where you read it?

>> ...desert/steppe ones tend to be monotheistic. <<

They just don't want to share their chips and salsa with a bunch of gods.

Roy G Biv Wrote:
------------------------------
>
> They just don't want to share
> their chips and salsa with a
> bunch of gods.


Oh, man, Rainbow Boy, sometimes you really gets my quatl . . .

Just have another slice of that delicious tortilla jello and you'll feel fine.

Let us know if it does. I am aware of a lot of different sources but would love to hear of any others.

It certainly isn't that simple. The first Indo-Europeans were definitely steppe dwellers but had a completely polytheistic view of Godhead which was later on expressed in the Indian, Greek and Roman heavens.

Mormons aren't the only ones with an alternative Jesus.

##############

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tomb-of-jesus-christ



The small village of Shingo in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture is known not only for its cattle ranches and yam production, but thanks to one rogue cosmoarcheologist the village is also home to the supposed Tomb of Jesus Christ.

According to apocryphal religious writings known as the Takenouchi Documents, it was not Jesus who was crucified on that bloody Golgotha, but in fact it was his younger brother, Isukiri. After being captured by the Romans, it is said that Jesus escaped by switching places with his younger brother, taking only a lock of the Virgin Mary’s hair and one of his brother’s ears while he fled to Japan. After settling down in Shingo, Jesus is said to have had three children with a local woman before dying of natural causes at the age of 106. It is even believed that many of the village’s current inhabitants are the descendants of that holy blood.

It appears that the Takenouchi Documents, (found in 1936 and conveniently destroyed during World War II) were the work of cosmoarcheologist Wado Kosaka who would later gain fame by attempting to contact aliens on live television. A reproduction of the documents is on display at the nearby Jesus museum, yet the work is still thought to be a hoax. Despite how outlandish the story seems, many believers point to variations in speech, custom, and even eye color in the villagers of Shingo as evidence of Jesus’ Anglo-Christian influence among the people.

The Tomb of Jesus Christ itself sits atop a hill and is an actual burial mound with a large cross sticking out of the top. Next to it, another, nearly identical mound is said to hold Isukiri’s ear and the Virgin Mary’s lock of hair.


#############

I am the reincarnation of jesus.

Yea right probably the last person on earth to be like Jesus haha but I get the joke.

Yes. Also, why not a Luminous Jesus:

“So they sent Jesus. The Luminous Jesus approached the innocent Adam…”

Human, ever grateful Michelangelo preserved Lilith as Eve’s satanic tempter

He definitely approached me in the forest haha jk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N845QwIW1Vg



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2023 05:33PM by anybody.

I remember reading about a science fiction story years ago, where the main character(s) chased across the galaxy, trying to arrive at planets just as Jesus was incarnated for the first and only time on that planet. Sadly, they always fell short, arriving too late to witness Jesus first-hand.

It is not mentioned in the Book of Mormon, revealed Scripture and The Most Correct Book on Earth.

So, it is not relevant - to anyone or pertinant to your Salvation.

> It is not mentioned in the Book of Mormon,
> revealed Scripture and The Most Correct Book on
> Earth.

Like the temple?


----------
> So, it is not relevant - to anyone or pertinant to
> your Salvation.

Like the temple?

Maybe like the temple. Sorry, I am kind of in a smartass mood right now for some reason. I never did the endowment thing so I wouldn't know anyways.

> Sorry, I am kind of in a
> smartass mood right now
> for some reason.


Hey, it could be for no reason whatsoever!

It's a no-win situation, picking between smartass and dumbass.  Do what I do: just keep smiling.

The Temples are not mentioned because no one is supposed to talk about them...

Amazing to think this was written by an atheist, but here you are:

"The Innumerable Christ" - by Hugh MacDiarmid (1892-1978)

"Other stars may have their Bethlehem and their Calvary too." Professor JY Simpson

Wha kens on whatna Bethlehems
Earth twinkles like a star the nicht,
An' whatna shepherds lift their heids
In its unearthly licht?

'Yont a' the stars oor een can see
An' farther than their lichts can fly,
I' mony an unco warl' the nicht
The fatefu' bairnies cry.

I' mony an unco warl' the nicht
The lift gaes black as pitch at noon,
An' sideways on their chests the heids
O' endless Christs roll doon.

An' when the earth's as cauld's the mune
An' a' its folk are lang syne deid,
On coontless stars the Babe maun cry
An' the Crucified maun bleed.

bradley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If pre-Christianity reincarnation was widely
> accepted, wouldn't the "early church" have at
> least entertained reincarnation? So why does the
> "restored gospel" not even mention it?

Ever heard of MMP? Multiple Mortal Probations? It's popular in some varieties of Mormonism, particularly the polygs.

to Kolob to be placed in another human body to try again...and again...and again...?

https://bookofmormonism.com/2022/08/25/the-folly-of-multiple-mortal-probations/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2024 07:06AM by anybody.

anybody Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> to Kolob to be placed in another human body to try
> again...and again...and again...?
>
> https://bookofmormonism.com/2022/08/25/the-folly-o
> f-multiple-mortal-probations/

Thank you, that was a pretty interesting article, although there were parts I don't agree with. I didn't know Denver Snuffer* supported the idea.

We shouldn't confuse resurrection and reincarnation though. One is the old body renewed and the other is the old soul in a new body. The author rightfully points out that MMP is a partial misunderstanding of atonement doctrine (Mormon karma).

"What strikes me most is that according to Rigdon, you don’t need Jesus and His mercy and Atonement, you need to be Jesus. You can only be saved if you are exactly like Jesus and nothing less. In essence, you save yourself. I fully reject this... You could live 1,000 times over 1,000 cycles of creation and you could never acquire enough knowledge or experience to qualify for salvation."

This doctrine is still promoted in the main church. We get taught that when we do temple work, particularly baptisms, that we are co-redeemers. Then on a lower level we are told to "be like Christ" or "be Christlike". I couldn't see many Mormons going to the cross...

* I was in a room with Snuffer once, but didn't know who he was until he went up to speak. He looked very ordinary and didn't give off any special "vibe". I struggle to picture him now for the precise same reasons. I still don't know what to make of him.

Another question is, why Jesus in particular? Author Reza Aslan ("Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth") makes the point that Jesus was one of a number of wandering preachers/healers in that area at that time. He states that Jesus, while well regarded as a healer, was not the best regarded (apparently John the Baptist, and one other were considered more effective.) So why was he the one that attracted the myth-making and the religious following? Paul is a part of that answer, but I think it goes back even before that.

summer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Another question is, why Jesus in particular?
> Author Reza Aslan ("Zealot: The Life and Times of
> Jesus of Nazareth") makes the point that Jesus was
> one of a number of wandering preachers/healers in
> that area at that time. He states that Jesus,
> while well regarded as a healer, was not the best
> regarded (apparently John the Baptist, and one
> other were considered more effective.) So why was
> he the one that attracted the myth-making and the
> religious following? Paul is a part of that
> answer, but I think it goes back even before that.

Well, that's subjective. Who's to say who was best regarded? John the Baptist's movement survives with the Mandaeans of Iraq. If we look at things in the long run then Jesus has been far more successful since his movement succeeded globally and John was relegated to a few NT verses.

The Jesus cult might also have remained small if not for Paul, and especially Paul's (initially reluctant) willingness to embrace the gentiles who wished to convert.

Because God is really, REALLY OLD - and having sex with Mary on earth was a one time thing for him.

Viagra had not been invented yet so he was one and done.

Well, the "absent dad" thing certainly fits. lol