In My Last Life
William, a thirty-five-year-old man shared a story that had troubled him since childhood: “I remember it clear as day. I was in third grade—sitting bored in the school auditorium. All of a sudden, I had a 'flashback'—almost like a kind of memory. I was a little boy on a ship, one with sails. There was nothing dramatic about it. I was sitting on the deck, my arms hugging my legs—miserable, homesick, and seasick. The boy was my age—and though I do not really remember how he looked, I felt it was, somehow, me. The captain began to talk to me—wearing what I later learned was normal naval dress in the eighteenth century. He was stern but kindly—reminding me that this was my life now and I would have to get used to it. I came out of it, sort of confused. Later, I learned that it was not unusual for British boys, even young boys of certain social classes, generally second or later sons, to begin a naval career very early. I remember it as kind of a surprising experience. If I had any military fantasies (and I don’t remember that I really did), they probably focused more on being a pilot as I loved to build model planes. My family lived in the Midwest—far from any ocean. And, the few times I have been on the East Coast, I have rarely been on a boat. The one time that I did go on a fishing boat, I became very seasick. Yet there is this unusual encounter—that, in a crazy way, seemed both so real and so true—like it actually happened—and to me that was and was not really me.”
Reincarnation in Varied Religions and Spiritualities
There are probably more people who believe in reincarnation—that is that a soul, spirit, or some essence of an individual can be born in a new body—than an afterlife notion of heaven or hell. After all, the belief in reincarnation is shared in most Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism; even in the West, belief in reincarnation is widely shared. It is broadly held in the Jewish mystical Kabbalah sect as well as in some Islamic sects. It is a staple of many New Age spiritualist movements such as Theosophy, Scientology, and Wiccans. Even though Christianity generally rejects the notion of reincarnation, many Christians still believe in it. In fact, studies have indicated anywhere from a fourth to a third of Christians accept a concept of reincarnation, despite the fact it is contrary to Christian doctrine.181 Even without a systematic belief in reincarnation, we often, inadvertently, refer to it. For example, we may refer to a child of unusual maturity or premature wisdom as an “old soul”—somehow implying, without ever stating, some past life.
Yet there is a certain attractiveness to the notion of reincarnation. First, it offers comfort in the familiarity it promises. A former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, once shared his boyhood disdain for the notion of heaven. He remarked that when he was a child, heaven sounded like a perpetual and everlasting Sunday service with angels patrolling to assure that everyone is attending and participating. Reincarnation, on the other hand, places you right back in a familiar world. While you may be in a different place—certainly in a different body, perhaps even a different gender or culture—you still are on earth. For many, that seems more attractive than a place that promises to be so very dissimilar from anything you have currently known and experienced.
Second, it seems fair. There is an inherent sense of justice in the notion of reincarnation. If you do well in this life, being moral and responsible, you are promised a better future life. Conversely, those who are destructive will receive just punishment when reincarnated.
That sense of justice even has explanatory value in current life. If someone is suffering misfortune, it is evidently retribution for prior bad acts. And for those who seem to be prospering, they are likely being rewarded for past acts or compensated for prior trials. And in each of these situations, there are lessons to be learned as the journey through lives continues. Reincarnation offers an opportunity to correct errors and to right prior wrongs. Life then becomes lesson. And as such, even the humblest life has meaning, purpose, and value. It is little wonder that variations of a number of religions and spiritual beliefs center on a belief in reincarnation.
Hinduism
Hinduism is arguably the oldest of the world’s current major religions. Reincarnation is a central concept of Hindu beliefs. In understanding Hinduism, it is important to recognize two basic beliefs. First, Hinduism has many roots, indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Second, it is polytheistic and often inclusive. That means that in different areas or schools of faith varied interpretations or beliefs may coexist under the broad umbrella Hinduism offers.
Reincarnation appears in some of the earliest Hindu traditions. In one of the creation myths, when the father God assigns duties, one of the female goddesses is asked to be the goddess of death. She objects to what she sees as an odious duty that would evoke fear rather than worship. The father god then assigns her to accompany to the underworld those who die by foolishness or evil. She agrees, but they soon find that the underworld is becoming too populated. To spare her feelings, he announces that death will simply be the recycling of souls.182
Generally, then, it is believed in Hinduism that the soul continues after death before being born into another body. That body might be of a different gender or even a nonhuman form such as some sort of animal.
In Hindu beliefs, karma underlies the concept of reincarnation. Karma simply refers to an action with intention, such as a word or deed. Every action has a reaction. If you punch a wall, you will feel pain. The harder you punch, the greater the pain. Similarly, if you hurt others, that pain will come back to you—perhaps not as immediately as punching the wall and perhaps not even in this lifetime. In this belief, you retain free will—you have the opportunity to do either good or evil. However, the choices you make will inevitably have consequences in this life or another. Good karma assures a better rebirth while bad karma means one is fated to a negative rebirth.
This cycle is not necessarily endless. In Hinduism, life on earth is not desirable. The goal is to find release from the constant cycle of rebirth until it is purified and unites with the Divine.183 In this ultimate state of transcendence, one loses all individuality and fuses with the infinite spirit.
Buddhism
Buddhism holds much in common with Hinduism, though there are significant and sometimes subtle differences. This is evident in their prevalent concepts of reincarnation and karma. While Buddhists also accept reincarnation, it has some significant differences from Hindu ideas. In Buddhism, after an individual dies, a new personality comes into being. Dr. James Tucker, an authority on reincarnation, likens it to a dying candle flame lighting another candle before it loses its light.184 What is transmitted is not a discrete soul or self but, rather, an inner energy. It is these physical and mental energies that take on a new form. For that reason, many Buddhists prefer the term rebirth to reincarnation. However, it is important to acknowledge that within Buddhism there are a number of different schools of thought and therefore varied interpretations of rebirth, reincarnation, and karma.
Western Concepts of Reincarnation
While concepts such as rebirth and reincarnation became central in Eastern faiths, they also found some resonance in Western cultures. For example, many of the ancient Greek philosophers harbored a belief in reincarnation—though they did not call it such. Many preferred the term metempsychosis—which is defined as the passing of the soul or psyche from one body to another. Pythagoras, famous for his mathematical theorem, embraced a concept of reincarnation (or metempsychosis). Plato wrote extensively about metempsychosis. To Plato, the soul was immortal and after judgment could be transmitted to the bodies of humans or animals.
In Judaism, a belief in reincarnation is not generally a tenet of faith. However, it is generally held by the more mystical sect—the Kabbalists. Among some Hasidic Jewish groups, the concept of reincarnation is accepted. Here, it is believed that a Jew must observe all 613 mitzvot (or commandments). If one cannot complete them in one lifetime, one may have to return in order to successfully finish these requirements.
As always, there is sometimes a disparity between theological beliefs of a faith and the spiritualities of individuals. This is evident in the Christian scriptures when Jesus asks who the people think He is. The disciples note that some think he is a reincarnation of John the Baptist, Elijah, or another prophet.185 Nevertheless, while some early Christian groups, such as the Gnostics, may have held a concept of reincarnation, it was officially rejected at the Council of Constantinople in 553 AD.186
Reincarnation is also accepted by some Islamic groups such as the Shiites—particularly the Druses in Lebanon and the Alevis in Turkey. As Dr. Tucker notes, these beliefs do not include a concept of karma. Rather, souls are assigned to a variety of lives and different circumstances. At the final judgment, souls are assigned to heaven or hell based on the quality of all their lives.187
Indigenous Peoples
Beliefs about reincarnation are also found in indigenous groups in both Africa and the Americas. These beliefs can vary widely among different groups. For example, some believe that a human may be reborn as an animal or as a member of an opposite sex, while others do not. Some believe that some individuals are reborn, such as children or those who died violently, while others see it as a more universal process. Dr. Tucker also notes that many West African groups believe in “repeater children”—that is that some infants or children will trouble a family by a repeated pattern of death and rebirth within the same family.188
Stevenson finds the presence of beliefs in reincarnation among these groups to be interesting. Native American groups emerged from Asia eons ago, and African indigenous peoples have had limited, if any, early inter-culture contact with Asia. Yet, many of these peoples embraced notions of reincarnation similar to ideas prevalent in Asia.189
Reincarnation, New Age Philosophies, and Cults
It is important to remember that spiritualities grouped under the term New Age can be both highly diverse and very individualistic in their beliefs. It is also important to remember that many of the spiritualities that are included under that umbrella have tried to synthesize what they regard as the major spiritual truths evident in both Eastern and Western religions. Thus, the concepts of reincarnation and karma are often included.
This is evident in some of the more common traditions that might be grouped as New Age spiritualities. It is also evident in some cults. Wiccans, for example, are a very broad category of groups and beliefs that acknowledge a tie to ancient pagan beliefs and rituals, especially those of the Celts. Again, the diversity within Wiccans can be extreme. Some may be theistic while others are not. Theism can be expressed as polytheistic, pantheistic, or monotheistic. Others may be animistic—believing that all natural objects and phenomena have souls. Duotheism—the belief in both a god and goddess are also common. While Wiccans may vary in their acceptance of reincarnation and karma, they often see it as an opportunity for continued growth. Other Wiccans may accept that belief but do not place much importance on it—stressing the duty to live and grow within your present life.
Theosophy is a religious movement that began in the late 1900s. Blending ideas from Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, both reincarnation and karma are central beliefs.
Scientologists also believe in reincarnation, though they simply prefer to say that they acknowledge past lives. For many Scientologists, the word reincarnation is clouded by the fact that some who adhere to it believe that reincarnation can occur between humans and non-humans. A central process of Scientologists is called auditing. In this process, Scientologists believe that they can examine factors in this life and past lives that block personal and spiritual growth.
In summation, the concepts related to reincarnation, rebirth, and the possibility of past lives are prevalent in Eastern religions. However, they are hardly unknown in Western spiritualities—even in adherents of religions where beliefs in reincarnation are not generally included and may even be considered heretical.
Contemporary Research on Reincarnation and Past Lives
Since 1958, a number of scholars have begun to study reincarnation. One of the most important ones was Dr. Ian Stevenson, formally a professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia.190
Dr. Stevenson believed that children, because they are less committed to a specific mindset that rejects such beliefs, are most open and able to access memories of past lives—much like William in the opening vignette. Stevenson noted, too, that as children aged, these memories often faded. Generally, Stevenson noted that there tends to be a relatively short window to study past memories in children. Prior to age two or three, children lack the language to describe such past life experiences, while after about five or six years of age, memories begin to fade as the child continues to absorb information and memories generated in the present life. He also felt that children’s claims were less amenable to cultural or parental influences. Stevenson studied over two thousand children across Eastern and Western cultures who reported both specific and spontaneous memories of a past life.
Stevenson believed that reincarnation offered explanations for some unusual behaviors, attributes, interests, or abilities that the child may exhibit. For example, a child whose parents have little musical interest and ability may even at a young age show a fascination with music and a deep interest and ability in learning to play a musical instrument. In such cases, Stevenson found examples and instances of past lives as a musician or composer.
In other cases, the child may demonstrate phobias that have roots in a past life. For example, children who reported that they died in their last life from drowning often had a fear of water. I had one such case. Jason was a nine-year-old boy who was both athletic and active. While Jason was seeing me regarding the loss of his beloved nana, the parents shared an unusual story with me. Though he loved to swim, his parents noted that whenever they visited a friend’s home near a lake in Pennsylvania, he would never swim there. This was unusual as the parents said, normally, he would go swimming almost anywhere—lakes, pools, rivers, streams, and even the ocean—without a second thought.
Yet Jason feared this lake. When his parents queried his reluctance, he would simply say that it was a dangerous lake and kids drowned there. No inducement could tempt him to the waters. His parents’ friends knew of no recent drowning, so they asked around. It seemed that a young Asian boy did drown there in 1963—almost a decade before Jason’s birth. It was rarely talked about as the child was not local to their area—just a fact known by some of the old-time residents. There was no way Jason could have heard of the event.
There was one other odd aspect to the situation. Jason was blond and blue-eyed—of Polish and Ukrainian descent. Yet his eyes had a distinct Asian cast—so striking that his classmates often jokingly referred to him as “Asian Jason” to differentiate him from another classmate who shared the name. This physical attribute was not necessarily surprising as the varied incursions such as the Mongol invasion left genetic markers through that region of Europe. Yet, it was a trait not evident within his family for at least three generations. This confluence of factors certainly perplexed Jason’s parents.
Stevenson believed that even personal preferences may be explained by past lives. William, for example, always liked both rum and seafood—unusual in what he described as a “meat, potatoes, and beer” family. In fact, even as a young boy, he loved tasting rum and cokes. In Stevenson’s studies, Burmese children who identified as Japanese soldiers in a prior life who had died in Burma during World War II even claimed that Burmese food was much too spicy and preferred Japanese cuisine. Some of these preferences, Stevenson asserted, may even account for the craving of mothers during pregnancies.
Past lives, to Stevenson, may not only affect attributes, interests, and behaviors but even leave physical marks such as birthmarks or birth defects. Stevenson, in nearly thirty cases, was able to access the autopsy records of persons identified as the individual’s past life persona. He found a correlation between birthmarks and birth defects with wounds inflicted in a past life. To Stevenson, this offered some of the most persuasive evidence for reincarnation.
Dr. Stevenson also believed that some psychiatric issues, even beyond phobias, were rooted in past lives. For example, in his study of children with gender dysphoria (that is, children who believe that their biological sex does not match the gender they identify with) many of the children he studied reported past lives where they were of a different gender. In other cases, the child’s relationship with a parent may be complicated by a past life memory. The child, for example, may reject the parent’s authority, believing that in a past life the child was an older relative or of higher status.
Why, then, do only some children have a memory, however developed or fleeting, of a past life? To Stevenson, children who had memories of past lives often shared a number of characteristics. First, they often ended the past life in some violent way—perhaps drowning, being shot, or being involved in some disaster. Second, many children who remembered a past life claimed that their life ended prematurely—dying in childhood or adolescence. Third, many who remembered past lives also recalled that they died with some significant task or business yet unfinished.
As Stevenson aged, eventually dying at eighty-eight years old in 2007, his work was continued by his protégé, Dr. Jim Tucker. Tucker, also a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia, focused on Western cases—complementing studies by Stevenson who had mostly interviewed children from cultures where beliefs in reincarnation were generally held.
Among Tucker’s cases was a young boy named James Leininger who told his parents that he had once been a pilot who would take off from a boat. James was often in emotional distress, having nightmares about crashing into the sea. As details emerged from his story, Tucker and James’s parents were able to identify the World War II pilot as James Huston who crashed near Iwo Jima. They were also able to verify some other unusual facts about the case. James had identified his toy soldiers as Billie, Leon, and Walter—these were the actual names of members of Huston’s crew. When he met Huston’s surviving sister, the boy called her Annie—a pet name that only Huston used for his sister.191
Tucker shared another interesting case, this time of a ten-year-old Oklahoma boy, Ryan Hammons. Ryan shared with his mom that he had lived before—describing details of life as a Hollywood actor and then agent. Looking at a series of old Hollywood photos, Ryan was able to identify Marty Martyn as the person he was in a prior life. As Ryan shared information about his prior life, Tucker reports that Ryan was able to correctly identify fifty-five facts about Martyn that were not available through other sources. There was one fact though that seemed incorrect. Ryan said that he (Marty) was sixty-one years old when he died. The death certificate lists him as fifty-nine at the time of death. However, as Tucker continued his research, he found that, like many aspiring actors in a youth-oriented industry, Martyn listed his age as younger than he actually was. Ryan was actually accurate.192 Moreover, it should be noted that Ryan was not born into a family fascinated with the occult or New Age ideas. In fact, they were solid Baptists. In both of these cases, as Stevenson predicted, memories faded as they reached adolescence.
How can we explain these accounts? 193 One possible answer is fraud. In fact, there are websites that suggest conscious fraud or simply that this imaginative child, Ryan, was guided in his reflections by proponents of reincarnation—and suggestively fed facts.194 Such sites often appeal to the principle (without necessarily mentioning it) of Occam’s razor, which advises that entities should not be multiplied without necessity. In other words, given two competing hypotheses, the one with the least assumptions should be preferred. In the Leininger case, both explanations of either fraud or reincarnation are fraught with assumptions. More importantly, even if this case was fraudulent, it does not explain the more than two-thousand cases that Stevenson and Tucker studied.
Others suggest that maybe the child did say something unusual that suggested a past life, but the child’s family embellished the initial tale. Yet, a study replicating Stevenson’s research found, as did Stevenson, that the child had access to information that was not known to the child or parents and that most parents, in their samples drawn from Burma, Thailand, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and northern India, discouraged conversations about prior lives.195
Another set of explanations for the cases that Stevenson and Tucker found were that they simply witnessed children’s fantasies. Critics have suggested that there may be numerous sources that feed such fantasies. Perhaps the child, without realizing, has simply absorbed facts from his or her environment. Or perhaps, if the families have met, the child may have unconsciously gained knowledge from visiting with the other family or hearing their stories.196 Yet, Stevenson notes that much information the child shared could not be easily gleaned from other sources and that many of these children were making claims of past lives at very young ages. Moreover, meetings between the child’s current family and what the child claimed was a past life family were fraught with anxieties. High status families did not like to think that their deceased family member regressed to a lower status and may disdain relating to a family of lower status in such an intimate way. Low status families often had similar concerns when the situation was reversed. And in all cases, there was the concern that the child might be more comfortable with their prior family.
Still others suggest that this may involve inherited memories.197 Here, the assumption is that memories may be passed on through generations in a way not dissimilar to how other mental capabilities and physical traits are hereditary. The problem here is that in only a few of the cases investigated by Stevenson or Tucker were there any family relationships. Furthermore, the notion of inherited memory is highly debated and generally not accepted by most scientists.
A final proposition simply trades one extraordinary experience for another.198 Here, it is suggested that the child has extrasensory perception (ESP) that allows him to sense things out of the range of normal capabilities. Yet, this is problematic for a number of reasons. It would be unusual for a child to have such an ability only to lose it as the child ages. It would be odd as well that the child would pick up so much detailed information about one individual and not others. In addition, this does not account for the fact that children often display information about what was rather than what is. For example, in one famous Stevenson case, that of Shanti Devi, Shanti indicated that in a past life, she hid one hundred and fifty rupees in her mother-in-law’s home. Yet when the area was dug up, no money was found. The husband then indicated, somewhat ashamedly, that he took it after she died.199 Lastly, ESP does not account for the other evidence that Stevenson found regarding preferences, phobias, and birthmarks among his subjects.
In short, while these studies do not offer definitive proof of reincarnation, it certainly is intriguing and not so easily dismissed. Like other matters, it remains a matter of belief.
Before concluding this chapter, I ought to mention one other researcher who has done work in this area—Dr. Brian Weiss, another psychiatrist. Weiss’s work is far more controversial, speculative, and subjective than that of Stevenson and Tucker. Weiss’s studies are based on past life regressions induced by hypnosis.200 So while Weiss primarily studied adults, Stevenson and Tucker focused on children’s spontaneous past life memories. Moreover, both Stevenson and Tucker show far more reluctance to draw any conclusions not fully supported by their research.
The differences between Weiss and the work of Stevenson and Tucker are substantial. Weiss believes we all reincarnate while Stevenson and Tucker simply state that the data does not allow a definitive answer. Weiss accepts the notion of karmic debt while Tucker and Stevenson make no such conclusion. In a similar fashion, they disagree on whether progress is inevitable in reincarnation, with Weiss seeing progress even with occasional regressions and Stevenson seeing it as a possibility open to individuals. Weiss sees the process guided by “Masters” who watch over the human race, while Stevenson and Tucker again stress more naturalistic processes.
Yet they do agree on basic points. They all adhere to the position that past lives are more likely to be recalled in violent and premature deaths. They all believe that certain relationships may continue across many lifetimes even as those relationships and the roles we play in them may change throughout time.201
Concluding Comments
Beliefs about the afterlife may influence how you deal with loss. Yet we really have little specific research on differences in the ways that beliefs in reincarnation may affect your experience of grief. Perhaps these are questions each of us needs to answer on our own. But it is good to consider: In what ways do my beliefs about the afterlife (or absence of such beliefs), help or complicate my struggle with grief?
However, there are other implications that can be drawn from this chapter. The first is to respect your child’s story. If your child, like so many of the children Stevenson and Tucker studied, makes comments about a prior life, at the very least, respectfully listen. You may wish to write down and even explore the child’s accounts and claims.
If you have had any perceived past life experiences that you recall, it might be worthwhile to address them with a therapist who is comfortable with such a conversation and respectful of underlying beliefs. And do reflect on what might be some of the lessons these experiences offer.
There are even guided meditations that can be accessed through the internet. These guided meditations can help you explore whether you can recall any past lives and what you might learn from them.
One of the most controversial procedures you may consider is a hypnotic process known as past life regression. Here, someone trained in hypnosis guides you with a series of questions. Underlying this, however, is a disputed notion that memory is like an old video that simply needs to be accessed, rather than a complex psychological process that can encompass past experiences, as well as other things we have learned and imagined. In fact, often people who have experienced this technique will report various historical inaccuracies that are likely to reflect more what they have learned or read than what might have been experienced.
I might add here that Dr. Ian Stevenson finds some of the techniques mentioned here to be of dubious value. Past life readings, Stevenson notes, have little reliability and often place individuals at significant historical events. Stevenson even quips that if all the persons told by such readings to have witnessed Jesus’s crucifixion actually did, there would be little room for the Roman soldiers! 202
Stevenson also puts little stock in hypnotically induced past life regressions. He notes that hypnosis in general allows the hypnotist to inevitably lead and focus the subject. Moreover, hypnotism often leads to a heightened sense of drama in the subject’s accounts. Finally, Stevenson reminds us that many of the accounts offered through regression techniques show great historical inaccuracies. For example, in one published account, the subject described his past life as a Crusader. His prime role was to be a courier between the crusaders and the King of France residing at Versailles. Yet Versailles was not a seat of government until Louis XIV—centuries after the Crusades had ended.203
Still, one of my oldest and more mystically oriented friends had an incredible experience with this technique. One of the lessons gleaned was that her daughter was a reincarnation of her mother who had died when this woman was very young. It made sense to her as her daughter was always quite bossy and highly parental in her behavior with her two younger brothers. She never shared that with her daughter. Interestingly enough, a number of years later, the daughter did her own past life reading, from a different individual, only to hear the comment that her grandmother had been reincarnated through her!
I will close with one personal note. As a Lutheran minister, I hold a Christian view of the afterlife. But during the course of my research, I opted somewhat reluctantly and very skeptically for my own past life reading. The reader knew nothing about me, but she reported that the concept of karma was central to her belief. She promised me that she could identify the issues that I had to work on in this life.
She then said that in my past life, I was a prosperous farmer with many children. However, some natural disaster—perhaps a flood—wiped out the farm. I emerged from that experience and later died as an embittered old man who was alienated from both his faith and family. My task in this life, she announced, was twofold. First, I needed to right my relationship with God. Second, since I did not love the former children I biologically had, in this life I would have to love a child not biologically mine.
I am a clergyman with an adopted son, whom I greatly love, and a number of loving godchildren (none of which I shared with the reader before or after our reading). Should karma be an operative law, and reincarnation actually exist, the next life may be very promising!
181. Thomas Ryan, “25 Percent of US Christians Believe in Reincarnation. What’s Wrong with This Picture?” America: The Jesuit Review, America Press Inc., October 21, 2015, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2015/10/21/25-percent-us-christians-believe-reincarnation-whats-wrong-picture; “Why Christians Believe in Resurrection, Not Reincarnation,” Catholic World Report, April 12, 2020, https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/04/12/why-christians-believe-in-resurrection-not-reincarnation-2/.
182. Personal communication with Dr. Dennis Ryan, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at The College of New Rochelle.
183. Jayaram V., “Hinduism and the Belief in Rebirth,” Hinduwebsite.com, n.d., https://www.hinduwebsite.com/reincarnation.asp.
184. J.B. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, vol. 2, Robert Kastenbaum (New York: Macmillan, 2003), 705–710.
185. Mark 8:27–28 (RSV).
186. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” 705–710. There is some dispute over whether such beliefs existed in the early church (see “What the Early Church Believed: Reincarnation,” at https://www.catholic.com/tract/reincarnation). However, a diverse set of beliefs likely co-existed among Christians as the faith exponentially grew in the first three centuries until church councils established the biblical canon and developed creeds. The extent of the diversity is a matter of debate. See, for example, “What Is the Heresy of Orthodoxy?” https://www.biblicalfoundations.org/the-concept-of-orthodoxy/.
187. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” 705–710.
188. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” 705–710.
189. Ian Stevenson, Children Who Remember Past Lives: A Question of Reincarnation, rev. ed. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001), 25–26.
190. Stevenson, Children Who Remember Past Lives, n.p.
191. Bruce Leininger and Andrea Leininger, Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot, with Ken Gross (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2009), n.p.
192. Jim Tucker, Return to Life: Children’s Memories of Previous Lives (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2013), 88–129.
193. Readers may find an excellent treatment of varied alterative explanations in Sylvia Cranston and Carey Williams, comps. Reincarnation: A New Horizon in Science, Religion and Society (New York: Julian Press, 1984).
194. See “Reincarnation All Over Again.” Skeptico: Critical Thinking for an Irrational World (blog). July 7, 2005. https://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/07/reincarnation_a.html.
195. Antonia Mills, Erlendur Haraldsson, and H. H. Jurgen Keil. “Replication Studies of Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation by Three Independent Observers.” The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 88 (July 1994): 207–219.
196. J.B. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, vol. 2, Robert Kastenbaum (New York: Macmillan, 2003), 705–710.
197. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” 705–710.
198. Tucker, “Reincarnation,” 705–710.
199. Roy Stemman, The Big Book of Reincarnation: Examining the Evidence that We Have all Lived Before (San Antonio, TX: Hierophant Publishing, 2012), n.p.
200. Brian L. Weiss, Many Lives, Many Masters (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988), n.p.
201. John C. Gibbs, “Tucker, Stevenson, Weiss, and Life: Renditions of the Transcendent View from Past-Life Memories,” Journal of Near-Death Studies 35, no. 3 (2017): 123–165, https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1125149/.
202. Stevenson, Children Who Remember Past Lives, 39.
203. Stevenson, Children Who Remember Past Lives, 42.