Hi Petra:

I'm probably not the most informed but I'll take a shot at commenting on your post.

>You asked me why I believed in reincarnation. In a few simple words, because it is the only philosophy that explains why some people in the world suffer so greatly and others prosper so greatly. If in fact God is all knowing and all loving, then would he not seem quite cruel to allow such suffering to exist? Thus to answer why he is not cruel one must ask how to explain these inequities.

+ The cruelness comes with the free-will and is part of man's make-up and composition. How well each controls such tendencies is up to them.
+ Some who prosper may have hidden flaws that pervade their lives leading to a living Hell...looks can be deceiving. Those who are not prospering for whatever reason may get help from others maybe.
+ Suffering (in a cruel way or not) gives you appreciation for simple things (beyond the striving for fame, fortune, etc...like food, water,etc.)
+ The Bible tells of a rich man who died and went to hell. He wanted to warn his brothers and saw somebody (Abraham) with a beggar who had died (they weren't in Hell). Abe told him that he had his shot and had good times while he was alive and that he failed to feed the beggar who had a hard life. Now the beggar has an easier life and the rich man has Hell to live with. IOW, we don't what the scorecard is in our limited views so we can't discern one way or the other. The story above suggests that if what the bible says is true, then people get one shot at figuring life out...what to believe and what rules to follow. One would hope that a creator whould give the created the ability to discern, amongst teh midst of all temptations, what is the truth and what is not.
+ I turned a preacher lady on TV the other day and she was saying that 2 big mistakes that people can make are not knowing the bible doctrine and not knowing the power of God. So maybe it is better to first learn this and then make a decision as to whether to believe in reincarnation or not.

>The answer is a simple one. We come here to learn and the path we chose before we arrive has a list of objectives we wish to accomplish while we are here, on Schoolhouse Earth. We cannot know of anything unless we have a direct experience with that issue. We cannot know hunger, the pain of sickness, poverty, wealth or a dozen other circumstances unless we were born to experience them. As it is not possible to cover these dynamics in one single lifetime, then we must return many times to take on these new roles and new forms of education.

+ Who runs this program and set of rules? A live entity which supercedes death and is endless must assess what you have learned in your (recent)life and where you will be re-assigned to in your next life. This implies that God is running the reincarnation program...huh? What rules did this God lay down and what method was provided for you to receive and understand these rules ? How did you arrive at those rules of reincarnation ? Some die-hard bible thumpers might argue that maybe since you were created in the image of God, have the breath of life of God in you that you may be capable of great things (e.g. ESP, etc. ???). Maybe the will of the ego drives these skills to achieve the goals of the ego at the expense of some good outcome in the after-life ? So maybe your reincarnation experiences are in fact ESP like perceptions of other's lives/perceptions and not a perception of some previous life you had.... Just a thought....

>We in the West are slow to accept these thoughts. But in the Middle East and many other places in the world it is not challenged, but accepted as fact.

+ I heard of a guy who became a buddhist (I think). He could go everyday and then some to the temple and get laid anyway he wanted (as part of the religion). This guy determined that his existence was bankrupt and returned back to a Christian church / religion. Interesting that he gave that up....

>There is so much we do not know, far more we do not understand, but we cannot know or understand one single thing unless we are open to learning, understanding, sharing, feeling compassion and contributing to the betterment of mankind while we are here.

+ I hear that. I've read a ton of books but don't believe I've ever read all of the bible...which may be one place to look....

>If one is to look at the parables of Jesus, he never said anything complicated. Only simple truths. One of my favorites is in regard to death. He said, "I shall go and prepare a place for you, for in heaven there are many mansions."

+ You quoted Jesus but don't seem to accept the "place prepared for you"...but rather another round of life somewheres.... This is very interesting to me. If this were a card game I'd go ahead and fold and take the "place prepared" rather than a guess as to where I might land in another life.... Interesting thinking....

>The path of enlightenment is before us all. I hope we follow the one that leads us to feeling pride in our accomplishments.

+ I hope everybody follows whatever leads them to the best outcome for 'forever'...since it is a long time you know....

I hope you see my comments as constructive and helpful. I think gathering lots of information first and then deciding is the smarter play...but it is tempered by the clock...since no one is guaranteed the next day of life. The ego is powerful and may steer one away from merely absorbing the information which is laying around and easily accessible...busy pursuing the things of the ego. I think each of us has the free-will to try and either tame that ego or let it run accordingly.

Best outcome to all,

Just my $.02 worth