When it comes to debating origin the most often used expression is, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" The correct answer, which is rarely included with the question, is neither. Chickens and their ability to reproduce evolved together as is evidenced in all life forms from the simplest single cell organisms to mankind. If only the debate over religion could be answered that simply.
The origin and practice of religion, to the best of our knowledge, is unique to mankind. Other species on this planet may contemplate God but we, to date, have not observed any animal with the communication skills to share their knowledge of a deity. I cover this topic in a lot more detail in my chapter on Evolution. That leaves the possibility of species elsewhere in the universe. Efforts to locate intelligent lifeforms on other planets have not been successful which in no way denies their existence. It's a big universe and communications are limited to the speed of light using the laws of physics as we understand them. For the foreseeable future, we are on our own.
Back to the chicken and the egg. It is my hypothesis that, with intellectual development in mankind, we reached a point where our lack of knowledge overwhelmed us. Lacking empirical data the resulting state of hopelessness led to the development of faith. There is evidence to support this as a part of the brain in modern day man responds to thoughts of God. Those who acquired faith were better equipped to deal with their environment and the ability evolved into what we see today. Others will say there is a God component to the brain because God put it there. That is a possibility which I also cover in the chapter on Evolution. My hypothesis is hopelessness came first. Faith was the result.
It should be obvious by now that it is my belief that religion and evolution are intertwined but they need to discussed separately even though they are, in my mind, one in the same. Currently mankind sees them as separate issues and, in many cases, people of faith see them as the opposites of one another.
I believe I had to define the origin of religion in order to address the impact proving reincarnation will have on the religions mankind currently practices. Most faiths provide some sort of reward for living a just and pious life. Even the eastern religions that do believe in reincarnation end in a state of Nirvana with existence returning to it's simplest form. Unfortunately that contradicts current scientific knowledge about living forms. Life in general becomes more complex as it evolves. One can say that our understanding of life will become simpler as we gain knowledge but that does not necessarily correlate to a simpler lifestyle.
Western religions are in for even a greater culture shock. Mankind struggled for centuries trying to determine whether the world we live on was flat or round. What was the root of western religion saw the world as being flat even though a number of scientists starting with Aristotle in 330BC had calculated our earth to be spherical. The battle, mostly intellectual, went on for centuries. There are still flat earthers to this day though no one believes they take themselves seriously. Mankind's venture into space finally made the debate unsustainable. It took over two thousand years to finally put it to rest.
One can make the analogy that deciding whether the world was flat or round was a ripple when compared to the tidal wave of proving reincarnation is a fact. There will be denial at first followed by condemnation of those who have discovered the new found knowledge. If the discovery is as easy as I believe it will be once we have the right tools in place, denial will be short lived. I have no idea how long the condemnation will last. A study of history shows people do not appreciate anyone challenging their religious beliefs and one can only hope we have evolved to the point where atrocities will no longer be committed in the name of religion on a massive scale.
The first major hurdle is reincarnation redefines the award for living a just and pious life. I have never read a serious account of what an afterlife would entail other than peace and harmony for eternity but mankind is eager to grasp the concept without lending very little thought to it. I find that odd since we spend a lot of time thinking and planning during the very short time we have in our current form for the duration of our current form.
For my proof of reincarnation I am forced to stay within the laws of physics as we know them. Every faith comes with its own set of rules which can be set in stone or modified at the whim of a person who has been blessed (according to them initially) by God. The fact is if God exists, God made the rules. No one has to be told anything. All we need is the tools and knowledge to observe what has been created/evolved.
Let's take a look at what the laws of science tell us. Any afterlife is no longer a part of any physical form. There are no sensory devices above what is possible on the quantum level. There is no way for an entity/soul to measure the passage of time. We all prove that every time we go to sleep and every time we are anesthetized for a surgical procedure. I see this as a blessing. If we all exist in entity/soul form this planet could be consumed in a super nova and the pressure wave from the explosion would send us scattering like seeds all over the universe. If billions of years passed before our entity/soul could reunite with a physical form, it would just be another nights sleep.
In energy form we would still be subject to the laws of physics and there are scenarios where our energy would no longer sustain. That, for now, has to remain conjecture and will become the foundation for any faith that evolves from our new found knowledge. The old faiths won't go away easily but I seriously doubt it will take two thousand years for all the books to be rewritten.
Now we have to face the other reality that could have serious consequences for all who currently live on this planet. What happens to morality if we take away the reward for living a just and pious life? I happen to believe that morality has always been secular. God doesn't have to live with us, we have to live with each other. What about majority of people who live on this planet who feel morality is established by religion? I don't know for sure but I think I have an idea. The first thing every one will have to consider is whatever happens, they are going to have to live with it, if not in this life then the next. Unless there happens to be a space ship full of pregnant women flying by our planet when we die physically, we are all stuck here.
There is one other area where faith can still come into play until we gather more knowledge. What if anything establishes the order of reincarnation? Who waits and who does not? The research being conducted by Dr. Tucker at the University of Virginia suggests there is some sort of time line with reincarnation for those who have died from trauma occurring some 18 to 24 months after their previous life. Recall seems to happen in cases of trauma or illness and there has to be early intervention as the ability to recall diminishes as a person ages. The question here is, "Why the delay?" There simply is no way we can determine a reason with the knowledge we currently have. For now, we need a revelation so we can focus research on the things we can observe.
There will be more than enough mystery left for faith to the fill the void and I hope it does because faith has been the glue that has held society together for centuries even though there have been numerous atrocities resulting from it.
One of the favorite pass times of those who profess strong religious beliefs is comdemnation.
They rejoice in pointing out the perceived sins of others in order to exact God's punishment for their actions. In Christianity the favored punishment is burning in hell forever. As hard as I have tried, I can't come up with a worse punishment. Once reincarnation becomes a reality those that love to condemn will find they are holding a gun with no bullets in it. Most of us cannot recall our previous lives and those that do lose their ability to recall as they grow older unless there is trauma involved. Another way to look at that is physical death is forgiveness. Since we are all coming back there is no heaven or no hell which means there is no judgment. You will be coming back into a world you helped create. The Nazi could be reincarnated as a Jew. In other words hell with poetic justice. If God exists the Nazi will return as the Jew and all those who practice cruelty will return as the future victims of those still practicing cruelty. I would think any minister or priest would love to be able to preach retribution from the pulpit. Until we discover the rules that control which path we take in our next lives, religious leaders will still hold power over our souls and that is not a bad thing.
No discussion on reincarnation and religion would be complete without addressing the ongoing battle between those who attempt to use religion as a justification for reincarnation and those who heatedly debate resurrection over reincarnation. What everyone overlooks is they are all talking about the same thing. No one on this planet knew anything about Quantum Mechanics at the dawn of recorded history. Anything that had to do with the continuation of life, be it through resurrection or reincarnation, would have to be a religious event. If reincarnation happens it is a logical adaptation by a species that benefits from the ability. To remain faith based, religion will have to move beyond the continuation of our existence once it has been proven that reincarnation is a fact and is nothing more than a part of the evolutionary process in a highly advanced life form. Reincarnation could still be viewed as one of God's tools by those who need faith to justify their existence. We are a long ways away from unraveling that mystery.
Return with me to the chicken and egg argument for the final point regarding religion. Were Adam and Eve the first Homo sapiens to have the ability to reincarnate? There had to be a first and what happens when there is no entity/soul around to connect to an unborn? Obviously a new entity/soul will be created. What does that mean? It means that at some point in time we were all created and that is a Theory of Creation that science can live with.
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