Do Past Lives Prove Reincarnation is True? A Christian Response.

When I started researching reincarnation, I knew that I couldn’t just cover reincarnation by itself but I’d have to look into the argument of past lives. What about people who claim reincarnation is true because they have memories of a past life? Some claim to impressively recall past life memories, including children. Hopefully, I can help clarify some of this.

Resources that helped me:
A Case for Heaven by Lee Strobel:

The Second Coming of the New Age by Steven Bancarz:

Beyond Death by Gary Habermas:

Douglas Groothuis:

My Social Media:
Instagram: @melissaldougherty

My Website:

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[reborndaughter]

Hebrews 9:27 ' And just as it is appointed for man to die once, then comes judgment.' This totally refutes ANY ideas of reincarnation. Thanks, Melissa.

[gabriellekelly]

Truth! I think we've become obsessed with self. What's your past life? What's your ennegram? What's your mental disorder? What's your sexual orientation? What's your "truth"? YOUR pronouns. Social media devoted to our thoughts or our photos or our tweets. What's on your mind? It's idolatry, its self worship not self help. To me, understanding yourself is simple... we're fallen, our nature is sinful. What we should seek to understand is God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. What he is and why. His attributes.

[ajbryan]

I remember a comedian who as part of his routine asked this question, "Why isn't anyone's past life a plumber from Des Moines?"

[keithhoover]

What really sticks out is people creating their own realities to suit themselves or so they can cope. It's in all types of things like relationships, gender, spiritual, financial..etc. Living in self deception.

[meliossabatini]

Demons have knowledge of other people's lives. I kept believing I died in the titanic. I rebuked the spirit and I am relieved of that belief. I know it was demonic

[josevelarde]

Do people ever see themselves as a sinful wretch in their past lives?

[TheTinkerersWife]

Melissa, I so appreciate the way you teach. This was so easy to understand and the reasoning sound. praying those who need to hear this will have ears to hear. ~Patty~

[jhamilton]

There is only 1 life. Then after that we have an appointment at the judgement.

[haleylewis]

This was a critique many need to hear; a topic not talked about. Maybe you could do more video topics like this?

[rbaez]

You’re one of the teachers that will teach those, who repented, after learning they were tricked by demons. Thanks

[jenniferhwaddington]

As an ex-new ager, you are 100% correct in your comments. To add an even deeper level to the idea of past lives, it is now seen as “extra” special to have a past life from another planet, extraterrestrial race or dimension.

[Miss-pmkb]

Thanks for covering this Melissa. Discernment is so important. Galatians 1:8 Even angel from heaven preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Love your videos.

[harmshoney]

this subject is SO IMPORTANT!! 👏🏼 i had a "bible study teacher" who said that though we don't remember what we learned in our past lives, our spirit does 🤦🏽‍♀ & that the more we believed in reincarnation the more we would remember.. it was all so wild. more & more Christians are believing in Reincarnation & using different terms to teach it. "they've overcome" instead of "they've reached nirvana", "spiritual growth in the tribes" instead of "levels of spirituality" & so on.. so thankful you're teaching on this subject!

[kaylynn]

Just today at work I was speaking with a lady who believes that she was her mother’s mother in her past life. She fully admits that she and her mom are New Age and have beliefs that don’t always bode well in the south. I got to share some of my own (demonic) experiences with the occult and a story I was writing on this topic. I was pretty honest about my opinions. The subject doesn’t scare me, and I feel comfortable sharing my own thoughts with her without coming off as “dismissive.” I’m so grateful you’ve published this video today! Thank you!!

[steinhalvorsen_]

This is a very interesting response to this issue, covering lots of important points.

[mikenixon]

I once had an odd experience (a flash vision of the 1920s while stnding on a street corner). I agee with you that past lives as proglematic. That said, about two months later I inherited material, including newspaper articles I never knew existed regarding my great grandfather. In that I learnd he as a detective made bust at that same location. Soon after that I did some research into DNA related memories.
It is not about Karma or past lives. It just provided to me, if accurate, it simply shows the complexities of us as God's creations. It wasn't like I had hat quick unexplained visual based on something I had previously heard or even as if I were seeing it through my own eyes.
No, I don't go for the past if elemnet but I think some of the elarging studies in DNA may indeed have something to them. Not to dispue God or Scripture, but to support how God is larger han our expectations.
Hope that makes sense based on personal tesimony that only served to sterrengthen my faith as a conservative believer. I hope this experience offers some heep to your explination, and I do not sound like a nut.
Let's be a blessing.

[davidboehmer]

No. Because the Bible makes it clear that it is appointed unto men once to die. But after this the judgement Hebrews 9:27.
Plus there is also such a thing as familiar spirits. Which seek to kill, steal and destroy. Also experience is not a good measurement for truth. Only the Bible is. GODS WORD IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH. NOTHING ELSE.

[qidla]

I must commend your approach to tackling such a complex and often controversial topic through a Christian perspective. It's clear you’ve put genuine thought and care into your exploration, and that’s something truly admirable. You’ve approached this with a sincere heart, and your dedication to aligning your faith with your understanding of the world is something to be respected. It’s not every day you see someone willing to engage with such challenging subjects, and I applaud you for your efforts to bring clarity to your viewers.

Furthermore, it’s refreshing to see someone who genuinely wants to bridge the gap between faith and the search for truth. You’ve clearly taken the time to consider these questions deeply, and that’s a rare and valuable quality. Engaging with these topics shows a real commitment to your beliefs and an openness to understanding the world in a more nuanced way. Your dedication to bringing these ideas to light, especially in a way that’s accessible to your audience, is truly commendable.

That being said, while your intentions are noble, the execution is—how shall I put this—rather like trying to paint a masterpiece with a sledgehammer. The notion that past life memories are 'accepted unanimously at face value' is not just an oversimplification; it’s a spectacularly misguided take on the actual scientific process. Researchers like Ian Stevenson and Jim Tucker didn’t just collect these accounts as if they were taking attendance at Sunday school—they subjected them to rigorous scrutiny, cross-referencing detailed recollections with historical records, and uncovering facts that a child’s imagination simply couldn’t conjure up. To dismiss this as 'face value acceptance' is to display a level of ignorance that borders on willful—it's like assuming quantum mechanics is just a fancy name for magic because you didn’t bother to read past the first sentence in the textbook.

Now, let’s move on to your critique of the 'minimal and unhelpful' nature of these memories. This argument holds about as much water as a sieve. Memory, whether it’s from this life or some previous one, is inherently fragmented and influenced by countless variables. Expecting a clear, cohesive narrative from these recollections is as absurd as expecting to find a pristine fossil of a dinosaur skeleton simply lying around in your backyard. To dismiss these memories because they don’t conveniently provide a full biography is not only lazy; it’s a fundamental misunderstanding of how memory—and indeed, science—works. It’s like whining that you can’t see the whole iceberg because 90% of it is underwater.

And then there’s the classic canard about multiple people claiming to be the same historical figure. The fact that this tired, worn-out argument is still trotted out as if it’s a definitive refutation is frankly embarrassing. Human psychology is an intricate web of cognitive biases, shared cultural narratives, and the occasional bout of cryptomnesia. Yes, some people may claim to have been Napoleon, but this does absolutely nothing to discredit the thoroughly documented cases where children have provided verifiable, specific details about past lives—details that are not so easily dismissed with a wave of the hand. To lump these well-researched cases in with every outlandish claim is as scientifically dishonest as dismissing the entire field of genetics because someone got the family tree wrong.

But let’s be clear: skepticism is a vital part of science, and it’s entirely reasonable to approach these claims with a healthy dose of doubt. The scientific method thrives on questioning, on probing deeper, and on refusing to accept things without evidence. However, skepticism should not be confused with outright dismissal—especially when there is compelling evidence that deserves serious consideration. If we’re truly committed to understanding the mysteries of consciousness, life, and whatever might come after, we must engage with the evidence critically and objectively. Closing ourselves off to possibilities because they challenge our preconceived notions is not science; it’s dogma in disguise.

Let’s aim for a collaboration that respects both the rigor of scientific inquiry and the depth of human experience, acknowledging that the pursuit of truth is enriched when we keep our minds open, but not so open that our brains fall out. After all, true knowledge comes not from rejecting the unknown out of hand, but from exploring it with curiosity and reason.

Best regards.

[renmuffett]

I was raised Christian and gave me life to the Lord at age 9. Then baptized at 15. Going to many churches over the years. I still became a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. Now a retired CCHt/CPLT. Years before, I uncovered what seemed to be past life memories, in clients including myself, but learned through extensive research and study that those memories are not the actual memories of a person being regressed. Many people have spirit entities attached to them, bringing the memories of the person or person's they have attached to previously. It's creepy, I know. But proven through regressing people and finding out that the spirit speaking to the therapist is not them! They entered a body that was already possessed with a spirit of their own. It was a wake up call for me to learn this. It's flat out demonic possession. I also know the so called memories are also from tapping into the imagination, including DNA memories. I rededicated myself completely to my Lord Jesus. I thought I had never left him but touching on this slippery slope nearly took me over the edge. Luckily Jesus wasn't about to let me go. His hook was in me pretty tight.

[dougleon]

Melissa, thank you and God bless you for speaking so plainly and honestly about this subject. Part of me is sorry you had to walk through this darkness, but our Sovereign Lord Jesus is using your "past life" (as a non-believer, sorry, couldn't resist) as He did David's and Paul's to shine His light on this deceived generation. You confirmed what I believed from a distant about spirit guides, past lives etc. It pains me to see Christians play with this: teens laughingly saying, "oh, that's my spirit animal!" I think we need to take these topics more seriously!