Unfortunately, some have it all wrong: reincarnation does not mean that one comes back as a lower life form - this is the theory of transmigration, a belief of Tibetan Buddhists, among others, whereby souls can reincarnate in any life form. The theory of reincarnation is that the soul must continue to mature from where it left off in a previous lifetime. An analogy would be like going to school: once a certain grade level has been reached it would be pointless to repeat lower grades but it is necessary to continue on through higher grades until graduation, so to speak.

The Hindus of course have believed in reincarnation for thousands of years so it is certainly not a new concept. In fact, reincarnation was part of Christianity's early teachings but was abandoned because it was thought to be too complex for the "masses" to understand.

"I believe in reincarnation...you have to keep coming back until you get it right." -George Harrison (The Beatles)

The thought of having to keep coming back until you get it right is absolutely appalling...once is certainly enough!

Apparently all religions believe in a hereafter; what else can so many look forward to when life is so miserable for them? The misery of mankind in general is the reason religions came into being in the first place; if one cannot believe in mankind, then one has to believe in a higher power.

The ego of man cannot accept the fact that death will extinguish his existence forever, thus Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, etc. all have their different versions of an afterlife as compensation. Some, unfortunately, believe that self destruction along with destroying others is a path to a glorious afterlife.

All religious beliefs are based on faith alone; we know of no one who has returned from the dead to give us any insights as to what life is all about. Until such a thing happens, if it ever happens, one must assume one is born, one lives and one dies, and thereafter there is only oblivion.

This is not a nihilist viewpoint but rather a confirmation that the workings of the universe are indeed a mysterious thing. Who knows what other life exists in that vast space? The number of stars in our galaxy alone number as many as the grains of sand on this planet. It is therefore presumptuous of man to believe Earth is the center of the universe and all his beliefs apply to the universe. The truth of the matter is that no one knows the truth, but either accepts the truth of others or arrives at his own truth.

But who knows, if there is a God maybe He/She/It rebirths us in various life forms from planet to planet and galaxy to galaxy until finally, as George Harrison so succinctly put it, we finally get it right.

However, the God of all religions plays a cruel game if we believe that God knows everything - past, present and future. For example: when a baby is born, God knows its ultimate destiny even if the baby does not. Therefore, the baby's fate is pre-ordained and its free will has no effect on its fate. If this concept is challenged, however, then the logical conclusion is that God does NOT know everything or otherwise why would a compassionate God allow an innocent baby to have a life of misery, sickness, poverty, etc? This is a question that has perplexed thoughtful religious thinkers for centuries, while most religious people avoid thinking about it and are simply satisfied that it is the "will of God." It seems God gets blamed for all of mankind's misery when in point of fact mankind creates most of its own misery.