“Everyone is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
Stories about ‘reincarnation’ that appear in movies and novels are influenced by the New Age movement, which seeks to understand death as a process of being reborn as a new life beyond biological separation.
The New Age movement does not recognize the finiteness of humans. Simply expressed it rejects biblical monotheism in favor of monism or pantheism. Christianity has firmly rejected these teachings since ancient times. In addition, modern reincarnation theory arbitrarily interprets the Buddhist idea of reincarnation. While Buddhist reincarnation teaches that humans must attain enlightenment and escape the cycle of life and death, which is like a wheel of suffering, modern reincarnation theory insists on an endless cycle of life.
Christians do not believe in reincarnation. Humans are born into this world with the gift of one life from God, and after ending their earthly life through death, and the journey to reach God, who is eternal life. Some people try to justify reincarnation by arguing that a “resurrection battle” is necessary for those who have ended their lives in misfortune. However, humans can never be freed from evil and contradiction by their own power alone. True salvation for humans is given only through forgiveness, peace, and eternal life given by the just God.
Can we be punished or suffer if we serve our ancestors poorly?
“Those who have shown abundant love, endured suffering, and left behind an example of innocence and truth give strength to others. This is the reality of the “redemption” that is the basis of all the mysteries of Christ. Christ’s abundant and overflowing love saves us all.” (Mystery of the Incarnation, No. 10)
The idea that if we serve our deceased ancestors well, our descendants will receive great blessings, and if we serve them poorly, we will suffer misfortune is widely spread among the public. The Confucian belief that “serve the dead as you serve the living” (事死如事生) is connected to the idea of gratitude which has a great influence on our folk beliefs.
Recently, the false belief in “family healing” has been spreading. The belief in family healing, which says that if there are ancestors in the family who committed great sins or died with resentment, the well-being of descendants cannot be guaranteed, so many gifts and prayers should be offered for them, is the result of distorting the idea of filial piety and respect for ancestors within the Christian framework.
Christians believe that all the dead are in the arms of God and can hope for God’s mercy. Also, Christians who believe in the “Communion of Saints” believe that the souls of the deceased receive the necessary help through the intercession of all saints and the prayers of the entire Christian community, beyond the family circle.
Where should the graves of the deceased be located?
“The Church offers the children of grace to the Father in Christ, and buries in the ground the seeds of the flesh that will rise again in glory.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1683)
'Feng Shui' (Chinese geomancy, is a traditional practice that originated in Ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment) It is the study of good land to block the cold winds of winter and obtain water for farming. Feng Shui, which developed based on the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, closely connects the natural environment with human life and determines human fortunes and misfortunes based on geographical conditions. They have good places to live not only to the house where they live extends to the grave site, where the dead are buried.
The folk belief that descendants will be blessed if they bury their deceased ancestors in a comfortable place arose when 'Feng Shui', which has a long history in our people, met with the Confucian idea of filial piety. In the late Joseon Dynasty, there was a great obsession with good burial sites, to the point that there were constant disputes between families trying to secure good burial sites.
The attitude of valuing ancestral burial sites is a unique religious nature of ours that stems from filial piety to place ancestors in a comfortable place. However, the obsession with good burial sites because of the good or bad fortune of descendants can obscure the true meaning of filial piety and respect for ancestors and can become a worldly desire of descendants. Furthermore, this does not conform to the Christian faith.
When a person dies, he or she goes before God hoping to enjoy eternal life. Therefore, entrusting the dead to God’s mercy and praying for them is the attitude of a true believer.
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