Posted by
Andrews on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 1:10:30 PM
I know I normally write on matters political and social, but from time to time I have questions on other topics and I can't help but write about them. It is why I named this blog "Random Notes", I have an inability to stay constantly on topic.
So, please forgive me for deviating from my usual topics, but I have two rather minor theological questions. If such matters hold no interest for you, then please skip this post. For those who read on, I hope I manage to at least hold your interest.
My first question is for those who believe in reincarnation. Why do those who believe in transmigration of the soul insist that it occur chronologically? Why do they assume someone who died in 1800 will be reincarnated in 1801?
As I see things, time is a facet of the material world. "Entropy's arrow" it has been called, making this relationship clear. Time only has meaning in terms of material things. So, for the spirit, time is meaningless. The soul is not part of the material world, so it has no part in all things temporal either. A spirit, released from matter, does not need to obey the dictates of time.
So, why could a soul not be reincarnated before an earlier incarnation was even born? Or why could various incarnations not overlap? It makes no sense for us, as we are trapped within the material world, where time rules, but for spirits there is nothing which demands they obey chronological rules.
Which leads to my second question, one related to my first. Why do people assume G-d's omniscience conflicts with free will?
If we postulate a G-d who is just a super powerful being, kind of a pagan deity, then, yes, omniscience would be a problem for free will, but neither Jewish nor Christian theology postulates such a G-d.
G-d created both the material world and time itself, so he is neither bound by them, nor within them. G-d stands outside of time, which is why he can be omniscient. He sees all of time, so of course he knows the outcomes of every event. It is as if he stands at the end of all history looking back.
Which is why I say it is no problem to reconcile this with free will. If my knowledge of what Sophocles did does not remove his free will, the fact that G-d knows what I will do also does not remove my free will. His perspective simply allows him to see the outcomes of my choices, it does not predetermine them. Only our mistaken impression that G-d is a temporal creature makes us think otherwise.
Well, I am sure I will get some interesting responses to this, if anyone reads it at all. I just could not resist asking these questions and seeing what others had to say.
I will now return to my usual political and social topics. I have satisfied my urge to write off-topic essays, and will probably stay on topic for the next few weeks at least.
Thank you for indulging me.