Karl
Rahner was one of the best known Catholic theologians in modern times. He was
born 1904 in Freiburg in Germany and died 1984 in Innsbruck, Austria, where he
was a professor. He
wrote a Chapter “On the Doctrine of a Purgatory” in his book Basic Course in
Belief [1], stating: “Here is still much to do and many a difficulty
against the doctrine of an intermediate state, of a purgatory, could certainly
be cleared out. We may also refer to he question if not the Catholic concept of
an ‘intermediate state’, which at a first glance may appear old-fashioned,
could be a starting point for dealing in a better and more positive way with
the doctrine of ‘reincarnation’, which is so wide spread in Eastern cultures
and there is regarded as evident, at least under the condition that such a
‘reincarnation’ would not be understood as a never terminable fate of the human
beings, always continuing through time.” In
another text [2] he refers to human beings who have no freedom of choice, but
due to pressure, exercise of power and disagreeable circumstances are forced to
live an unavoidable way of life, as well as humans to whom the message of
salvation was never given. He writes: “But in the cases here concerned, such a
history of freedom has not yet begun … then I could imagine that the
possibilities of the ‘purgatory’ could also give room for a post-mortal history
of freedom for the one, to whom such a history was denied in his life on Earth.
Honestly, such a thought to me appears more probable than the idea that there
would be humans, who stay in their existence and whom God for all eternity has
denied that this eternity would also be the finality of their act of freedom.
These ‘blessed ones’ would be humans who in all eternity never freely loved
God, whose eternal love could never go through the door of their freedom and
enter finality. I find such an idea terrible … The idea that such a
decision would take place ‘in’ the death, and that also for the ‘immature’ …
is, strictly viewed, merely another way to put it … I myself truly care nothing
about ‘reincarnation’ and similar concepts. But in view of the tremendous
spread of this concept in space and time, which to day doesn’t belong to a
narrow cultural circle alone, and if one doesn’t rate this Western perception
too quickly and obviously as the only correct one, then one may ask if there
could not after all be something valid in this doctrine of reincarnation. Then
one could … ask oneself if there could not after all be room free for such a
moderate reincarnation doctrine also within the Christian dogma of a doctrine
of a purgatory. I say: moderate, since according to the doctrine of a purgatory
such a room could granted as conceivable for those, who in their (first)
life on Earth could not reach a final personal decision, and of course not for
others.” What
he writes in his complicated language is that the concept of purgatory for
persons who would need it and develop from it could include reincarnation as
one way of “cleansing of the soul”. This would certainly be more just and more
in agreement with God’s love than an eternal condemnation of the one who due to
immaturity or lack of possibilities (simply not being given the chance) could
not reach “a final personal decision”.
KARL RAHNER ON
REINCARNATION
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