What we are looking for ? Life after death, based on the notion of reincarnation (rising up or falling down the food chain depending on good or bad deeds in this life), or the all or nothing of heaven and hell.
There is a case to be made for rebirth being a general unifying thread throughout all World religion. Far from being completely an exotic 'Eastern' doctrine, reincarnation can be said to be part of the Western custom as well. Furthermore, when we judge that many of the great luminaries of olden Greek civilization such as Socrates, Pythagoras & Plato, and also others who were involved in the a range of mysteries, were firm believers in reincarnation, then the idea of rebirth really lies at the foundations of Western civilization.
It is a well trend that today and in recent times, belief in rebirth is on the increase. This tendency has been particularly pronounced in industrialized Western countries. This style encourages the hope that perhaps in the future, the thought of reincarnation will become the dominant doctrine concerning the nature of eternal life. |
