Forgiveness vs. Reincarnation/Summerland

There's a girl whose dating a Christian. They have a conversation that leads to religion, and the boyfriend asks the girl what happens when we die. She says that people go to "summerland" and are reincarnated. He asks why, and she says "to try to right all of our wrongs in the next life that we made in our past lives." He comments that the forgiveness level in Wiccan deities is low, because s/he makes people pay for their bad karma.

This is a true story discussed in a forum. Firstly, both parties in this story have naive ideas about the afterlife. For one, NO ONE knows whats going to happen after they die, for all anyone knows we blink out of existence. Two, the Christian (naturally) has a distorted idea of a deity that is not his own.

How is one to learn a lesson if all they have to do is say "sorry" for what they do and automatically get admitted into heaven? How does one determine that they've done anything wrong if they automatically get a "get out of jail free" card?? That's what the so-called "forgiveness" factor is. A "get out of jail free" card. No learning anything here, just say you're sorry and you're off the hook.

Reincarnation (at least as I see it), is a way of learning about life. You can't learn about life if you do something then are automatically forgiven, without facing the consequences of your actions. Christians often say that God punishes people because he loves us. Eternal lake of fire seems a bit much for punishing those you love, but, think of it, Pagan deities would punish their followers for just the same reason (well, some of them anyways)...out of love. Those who are parenting figures (mother/father deities) would want their "children" to learn the hard lessons of life. If it means going through one life correcting the mistakes made in a past life, then so be it. No "get out of jail free" cards here. You made the mess, you better believe "'mom" and "dad" are going to make you clean it up...you can't learn anything if "mom" and "dad" clean it for you. From the "boyfriend" above's belief in deity, that's exactly what his "God" does...cleans the mess you made so you don't have to learn anything.

Personally I like the touch of the Pagan parent-deities...making us clean up our messes; lie in the beds we've made, so to speak.

The deities are not ALL about "forgiveness". The deities are all about making us face our choices and the consequences that follow. They don't coddle us like some others. They'll rub your nose in it if you shit on the carpet.





Ma’iingan