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Multiple Incarnations: Recurring Voices From Ages - Page 3

Are we to believe that Jesus became the Lord God Jehovah without having
FIRST experienced mortality? That for him the probationary requirement was
Waived? Doesn't that make Him a God unproven? Are some certified and licensed
To practice medicine without having first attended medical school? Are
Heavenly Father's favorites "Graduated" Or "Accredited" BEFORE having FIRST
Completed an earthly probation? Are we ascribing to the Almighty nepotistic
Proclivities? The absurdity of such twisted and myopic reasoning requires no
Commentary. As Origen noted, Christ CAME as "God (And) Savior of the human
Race."[149] Furthermore, He came "Voluntarily ...He was willing to come (For
He knew that) dying upon behalf of men would be of advantage to the whole
Human race."[150] "He had no other motive than that of the purest
Philanthropy"[151] sentiments echoed also by Justin Martyr: "He became man
For OUR sakes, that becoming a partaker of our sufferings, He might also bring
Us healing."[152] Therefore, to suggest that Christ came so that He, too, may
BECOME is indescribable silliness. Christ came not to "Feather His own nest,"
But came motivated and empowered ONLY by a love which transcends
Understanding.

Perhaps the aversion to reincarnation is based upon misinformation?
Helena Blavatsky, a nineteenth-century theosophist, asserted that
The doctrine of METEMPSYCHOSIS has been abundantly ridiculed by men of
Science and rejected by theologians, yet if it had been properly understood in
Its application to the indestructibility of matter and the immortality of
Spirit, it would have been perceived that it is a sublime conception.[153]

However, Pythagoreans believed that our previous existence consisted of
An entirely different being, shape, or identity. In other words, in their view
Our present identity was not an extension or a continuation of the previous.
But in such a model, WE have not continued to exist! "May I rise to be a
Likeness of myself," Is the prayer of the patron Osiris NN.[154] With
Characteristic humor, the urbane Nibley quips, "I may have been a chair in the
Preexistence, but that doesn't give me any satisfaction now. Or to think that
I will be a cockroach hereafter gives me no great comfort either. That is not
ME continuing."[155] Such clarification resonates with the writings of the
Venerable Origen.
(There are) those who have fallen into the folly of believing in the
Transmigration of souls through the teachings of physicians, who will have it
That the rational nature descends sometimes into all kinds of irrational
Animals, and sometimes into that state of being which is incapable of using
The imagination, why should we not improve the souls of our subjects by means
Of a doctrine which does not teach that a state of insensibility or
Irrationalism is produced in the wicked instead of punishment, but which shows
That the labors and chastisements inflicted upon the wicked by God are a kind
Of medicine leading to conversion.[156]

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Such a perspective resonates with the teachings of the Hindus:
At death he is born again, and the circumstances of his new life are
Determined by his past deeds and by the habits he has formed.[157]

In other words, allow recalcitrant man to retain his identity beyond
Death, but accord him the required faculties with which to improve upon his
Fallen and vitiated state. Of this the Egyptians were certain: it was the
Individual himself who continued to exist "You had to have a hereafter, but
You had to preserve your identity as well."[158] Calling for parity and
Fairness, support for such comes from a most unlikely source: the celebrated
Carl Sagan.
Some of us starve to death before we're out of infancy, while others by
An accident of birth live out their lives in opulence and splendor.We can be
Born into an abusive family or a reviled ethnic group, or start out with some
Deformity; we go through life with the deck stacked against us, and then we
Die, and that's it? Nothing but a dreamless and endless sleep? Where's the
Justice in this? This is stark and brutal and heartless. Shouldn't we have a
SECOND CHANCE on a level playing field? How much better if we were born AGAIN
In circumstances that took account of how well we played our part in the LAST
LIFE, no matter how stacked against us the deck was then. Or if there were a
Time of judgment after we die, then so long as we did well with the persona
We were given in this life, and were humble and faithful and all the rest we
Should be rewarded by living joyfully until the end of time in a permanent
Refuge from the agony and turmoil of the world. That's how it would be if the
World were thought out, preplanned, fair. That's how it would be if those
Suffering from pain and torment were to receive the consolation they
Deserve.[159]

Dr. Sagan's sentiments echo the writer's own personal views precisely.
Writing to the rulers of the Roman Empire, a nonplused Tertullian reminds his
Loquacious critics that found within their own hallowed halls are doctrines
And philosophies of the very strange indeed.

Multiple Incarnations: Recurring Voices From Ages Studies Doctrine Mormon

If some philosopher affirms, ... Following an opinion of Pythagorus, that
A man may have his origin from a mule, (And a woman from a serpent), and with
Skill of speech [justify their decision to] abstain from [the consumption of
Meat], for fear they are eating a distant ancestor, How is it that if a
Christian promises the return of a man from a man ... The cry of the people
Will be to have him stoned? They will not even so much as grant him a hearing.
If there is any ground for the moving to and fro of human souls into different
Bodies, why may they not return into the very SUBSTANCE they have left, seeing
This is to be restored, to be that which had been?[160]

Tertullian's commentary becomes yet more direct:
A man will come back from a man any given person from any given person,
Still retaining his humanity [his identity], so that the soul, with its
Qualities unchanged, may be restored to the same condition THOUGH NOT TO THE
SAME OUTWARD FRAMEWORK.[161]

In other words, this writer returns but with morphological variance for
Which we can all breathe a collected sigh of relief! And what would be the
Purpose and objective of such a reconstruction? Tertullian continues:

The reason why restoration takes place (Is that) every man must needs
Come forth the very same who once existed, that he may receive (His just
Deserts)... For the soul is not capable of suffering without the solid
Substance (That is, the flesh)... They did not sin without the body.[162]

The corollary being, if one cannot sin without the body, one cannot
Manifest obedience or repent without the body.[163] Earthly life may well be a
"Place of punishment," As one writer submits,[164] but it is also a venue
Where a generous God allows the imperfect student to "Retake the exams."[165]
Justin Martyr writes that "Neither can soul or body alone effect anything, if
They be unyoked from their communion."[166] The wise Tertullian reminds his
Soft-headed critics that
Light every day extinguished, shines out again; and with like
Alternation, darkness succeeds light's outgoing. The defunct stars re-live;
The seasons, as soon as they are finished, renew their course; the fruits are
Brought to maturity, and THEN ARE REPRODUCED. The seeds do not spring up with
Abundant produce, save as they rot and dissolve away; all things are preserved
By perishing, all things are refashioned out of death.[167]

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From the fourth century, Gregory of Nyssa, one of the Cappadocian
Fathers, stated "The soul had a previous existence and a life of its own
Where, even as in this life, it was given its free agency by the Creator. And
Such as grew weary at doing good entered this life at a disadvantage, having
Passed the test less satisfactorily than others."[168] Having made reference
To St. Gregory's citation, Professor Nibley explains,
Now this is writing which is accepted by Origen, the earliest Christian
Theologian, and he says that this is what the brethren taught. "I don't
Believe it," [Origen] said, "But the brethren in the early church taught it."
Now the fact is when we are born into this world it's with unequal advantages,
Isn't it? Some are born blind, lame, crippled ... Some are born into poverty;
Some into riches. [Origen asks], "How does that happen? They [the early
Fathers] used to teach that before we came here life was a test too, and when
We passed the test, we came into this world. Our life here is a reward for our
Performance before we came here." [Origen] says, That would certainly explain
The inequality of people being born. ... Basilides, also a contemporary, says
That suffering in this life is punishment for sins in the preexistence ...
That the opportunity to suffer here, even martyrdom, is rather a reward earned
Before, an opportunity for greater glory. Persecutions are not to punish the
Saints but to sanctify them.[169]

Speaking to the disparity of intellectual capacities, Nibley reminds us:
"Don't resent it, because you know perfectly well why you are not more
Intelligent than you are.... So you can't complain that somebody is ahead of
You. You might be far, far better than you are. So don't worry about him; just
Improve yourself. And this is the gospel of repentance."[170]

As the tombs of ancient Egypt echo, we die so that we may live.
Tertullian rhetorically asks "Shall we then be always dying, and rising up
From death?"[171] Or, we may ask: Is there no end to this cycle? Citing again
From the Egyptian BOOK OF THE DEAD, "As for him who knows the spell ... He
Will not die AGAIN in the realm of the dead,"[172]... (Our worthy candidate,
Osiris NN) "Will be among the living ... He will be a holy god ... And he will
Not die AGAIN."[173] Our hero is "A mighty one ... A noble of the Lord of
Righteousness, whom Wadjet made."[174] The wisdom of the Hindu mystics
Likewise give assurances that "Only by knowing Him does one conquer death.
There is no other way of escaping the wheel of birth, death, and rebirth....
Knowing him, men become immortal."[175] "If a man fails to attain Brahman
Before he casts off his body, he must again put on a body in the world of
Created things."[176] For "Brahman may be realized while yet one dwells in the
Ephemeral body. To fail to realize him is to live in ignorance, and therefore
To be subject to birth and death."[177] Psychologist Herbert Puryear posits
That eventually the individual "May finally come to such a state of love that
Reincarnation is no longer NECESSARY.... We might also become so loving that
We would CHOOSE to return anyway, to be of aid to others, as He [Christ]
Always has."[178]

Ages Voices Recurring Incarnations Multiple

In other words, to know the answer to this allusive riddle is to
Understand the difference between the FIRST and SECOND resurrection: the
Resurrection of the JUST and the resurrection of the UNJUST.[179] Such events
Describe not a sequence or a chronology (The first preceding the second,
Etc.), but a variance in type and quality of renewal. In common, they bespeak
A restoration of body and soul a reuniting of primal elements, but with
Radically different outcomes or degrees of glory.[180] As the book of
Revelation tells us, the beneficiaries of the First resurrection are in fact
"Priests of God."[181] However, to recite the specifics surrounding this
Thesis takes us well beyond the intended scope of this essay.
That we may escape the merciless chains of death is welcome news to all
But to be arbitrarily returned to a proverbial cesspool is no reason to shout
Joyful hymns of praise. Nonetheless, we are given assurance that attention to
Every eternal detail has been provided. From the Qumran community, such
Assurances are vouchsafed:
There is hope for him whom Thou has shaped from dust for the everlasting
Council. Thou has cleansed a perverse spirit of great sin that it may stand
With the host of the Holy Ones and that it may enter into community with the
Congregation of the Sons of Heaven. Thou hast allotted to man an everlasting
Destiny.[182]

Multiple Incarnations: Recurring Voices From Ages

Let us be clear: There is nothing false, spurious, or malevolent about
The word of God. It is largely arrogance and academic hubris which distances
Us from understanding. We are wise to avoid giving the plebeian ruminations
And circuitous rationale of pedantic men the force of scripture, no matter how
Sincere or laudable their intentions. Let us not confuse man's ambiguous
Posturing with the dulcet truths of heaven. Nevertheless, Origen laments
Strife and prejudice are powerful instruments in leading men to disregard
Even those things which are abundantly clear; so that they who have somehow
Become familiar with certain opinions, which have deeply imbued their minds,
(They refuse to) give them up.[183]

Apologists remain undaunted in their claim of a paucity of canonical
Support for reincarnation, reluctant to acknowledge the compelling evidence
That such teachings were once an inextricable part of the early Christian
Church. However, because extant scripture fails to collaborate strong and weak
Nuclear forces, are we to relegate particle physics to the dungeons of
Obscurity? Is Hiroshima a myth after all? The writer posits that reincarnation
Is no more a RELIGIOUS tenet than is gravitational law or quantum mechanics
They are respectively immutable components of an eternal cosmic theme.

As Nibley deftly observes, "No man can learn enough in a lifetime to
Count for very much, and no one knows that better than the man who diligently
Seeks knowledge."[184] Yet our nimble scholar also acknowledges that time
Constraints do not excuse us from the responsibility; not even a messianic
Figure may compensate or atone for ignorance BUT HE CAN MAKE POSSIBLE THE
EXTENSION OF TIME. For one writer, "Reincarnation becomes the opportunity that
A merciful God" Provides.[185] From her perspective, the requirements for
Salvation would be impossible for most people to complete given but one
Opportunity.[186] But must we learn everything? The donnish Nibley's response
Is unequivocal: "Yes, for if (We) leave anything out, how will (We) know that
It is not the most important of all? ... THIS JOURNEY MAY LAST FOR AGES, and
It holds forth the anticipation of wonders and delights that grow as
Ever-increasing knowledge heightens our capacity to comprehend what we are
Experiencing."[187]
But is not such reasoning skillful double-talk? Not at all it is
Impetuous and insolent man who has imposed the awkward barriers of linear
Thinking and term limitations. God views this earthly rehearsal as an ETERNAL
Process, an ETERNAL cycle, an ETERNAL progression, an ETERNAL round.
Addressing Christ's mandate that we are to become perfect "Even as (Our)
Father which is in heaven is perfect," (Matt. 5:48) Puryear believes that we
Are to grow perfect in love, and until such time "Our Father in His love and
Forgiveness permits us again and again to have these opportunities to
Return."[188]

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Our attention now turns to the Lord: "For the day cometh that the SON OF
MAN shall live; but how can (The Son of man) live if (The Son of man) be not
Dead?"[189]The implication being that to live one must die. In protest, the
Reader cries foul: "If the Son of man is not dead, isn't he alive?" But that's
Not what the Lord is asking. The solution to this perplexing conundrum is
Found in the closing line of the same verse: "(God) must first be quickened."
The question now becomes elementary: If the Lord is to escape death, how is
His life to be restored? The answer: He is to be quickened. To be "Quickened"
Is to make alive, to revive, to reconstitute, to restore, to revitalize, to
Reanimate or to make whole. But considering this dialogue took place during
ABRAHAM'S lifetime, Why are we talking about GOD'S death? When did He die? We
Ask impatiently. In frank discussion with Israel's prophet, God announced:

I have a work for thee, Moses, MY SON; and thou art in the similitude of
Mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten IS and SHALL BE the Savior, for he
Is full of grace and truth.[190]

Of particular interest is the inference to past and future redeeming
Missions, and the allusion to Moses as one in the likeness of the Only
Begotten. One YET to save is no more a savior than one YET to fly is a pilot!
That Christ WILL BE the Savior is one thing, that he IS the Savior implies
Something very different. It is not uncommon to read of individuals whose
Redemptions were realized and proclaimed CENTURIES before Christ's
Acknowledged meridian-of-time appearance.[191] Are we to believe that such
Redemptions were granted in advance of a future event? That the Lord must be
Physically present in the world to make redemption possible is a precondition
Heralded by the sapient Abinadi.[192] But what are such assurances if not a
Violation of the benefactor's own agency? That which was intended to be a
Free-will offering now becomes an irrevocable obligation! Such specious
Reasoning is tantamount to making a sizeable withdrawal of funds without
Having FIRST made the requisite deposit. By appearances, we are asked to
Believe that such redemptions were issued on credit. The flaws of such
Penurious logic are only too obvious, for as King Benjamin countenances,
"Salvation was, ... Is, and is to come."[193] Consider the following from a
Sage of the sixth-century B.C.E.:
Because of you who sinned the one who did not sin WAS destroyed, and that
Because of those who acted unrighteously, the one who has not gone astray has
Been delivered up to the enemies.[194] The Mighty One (Has) ... Purged us from
Our sins.[195]

Multiple Incarnations Recurring Voices Ages Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 3

Along with a host of others, this author speaks of past and present
Redemptions. Yet, he also anticipates a forthcoming redemptive mission.
Speaking of the Most High, he notes "his grace is coming ... The fulfillment
Of his judgment is not far."[196] He who HAS redeemed will AGAIN redeem. As
Abram has passed from one existence to another from life to death, and from
Death to life, as part of an eternal cycle so, too, must the God of Abram be
"Quickened" So that He may AGAIN be found among the sons of men. The prophet
Micah, speaking of the advent of the Messiah, tells his incurious audience
That Christ's "Goings forth have been from of old from everlasting."[197] The
Scriptures resonate, "The course of the Lord is one eternal ROUND";[198] an
Eternal cycle what Professor Nibley refers to as the "Recurrent missions" Of
The Lord.[199] For it is through his "Great condescensions" [note the plural]
That the "Children of men" Learn of matters eternal.[200] Jacob, likewise, in
Quoting from the allegory of Zenos, makes reference to the condescensions, or
The "Going down" Made by the Lord on multiple occasions.[201] As God confided
In Moses, "I ... CAME DOWN to kindle a lamp for my people"[202]; to "Kindle
(For you) an eternal light."[203] As Puryear respectfully observes, "Just as
He returns again and again to continue His work, He also asks us to return
Again and again [for] He invites us to participate in this great ongoing
Work."[204] And for how long may we expect this work to continue? "Until all
Souls are reunited with their Heavenly Father."[205]
And how is it God comes down? Consider this excerpt from Tertullian's
Discourse to the rulers of Rome:
(Christ) proceeds forth from God, and in that procession He is generated;
So that He is the Son of God, and is called God from unity of substance with
God.... Even when the ray is shot from the sun, it is still part of the parent
Mass; the sun will still be in the ray, because it is a ray of the sun there
Is no division of substance, but merely an extension. Thus Christ is Spirit of
Spirit, and God of God.... That which has come forth out of God is at once God
And the Son of God, and the two are one.[206]

Tertullian's utterance reminds us of a hymn praising the Theban sun god
Amun, which speaks of God ("The sole one"), as having "Many arms";[207] or,
From an Amarna hymn, "Your rays [are] a breath of life"[208] suggesting that
The many comprise the one. Abinadi shares a complementary perspective as to
How God is both the Father and the Son.
...I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down
Among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.
And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God ...
[I.e. If you've been born, you're somebody's son!]
The Father, because he [I.e. The Son] was conceived by the power of God;
And the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and the Son.[209]