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In Christianity when we have lived well we go to Heaven. But in some religions as Hinduism you will reincarnate into another body to get e.g a better karma.

According to the Roman Catholic Church, what are the philosophical reasons that we don't reincarnate into another body on Earth but have to finish our entire life here and now on Earth?

What is wrong about reincarnation?

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    "In Christianity when we have lived well we go to Heaven." I am not sure that is the consensus Christian opinion.
    – bradimus
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 11:57
  • There is so much written on how reincarnation is incompatible with Christian faith. Hebrews 9:27 catholic.com/tract/reincarnation
    – Grasper
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 12:12
  • Because this question is asking only about the philosophical reasons against reincarnation, it might be better suited for Philosophy StackExchange (cf. "Can Resurrection and Reincarnation be reconciled?", in particular this answer).
    – Geremia
    Commented Oct 13, 2017 at 17:43

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The Roman Catholic Church teaches that a human is an inextricable composite of a body and soul; the human soul begins to exist when the body does.

This is different from the view of the reincarnationist Platonists, who think human souls exist before the body and that man is a “soul clothed with a body.”

St. Thomas Aquinas, in Summa Contra Gentiles II cap. 83, gives some philosophical reasons against reincarnation.


Also, as explained here, the Council of Vienne (1311-1312), under the authority of Clement V, defined the dogma that the soul is the form of the human body (Denzinger 481):

Moreover, with the approval of the said council, we reject as erroneous and contrary to the truth of the catholic faith every doctrine or proposition rashly asserting that the substance of the rational or intellectual soul is not of itself and essentially the form of the human body, or casting doubt on this matter. In order that all may know the truth of the faith in its purity and all error may be excluded, we define that anyone who presumes henceforth to assert defend or hold stubbornly that the rational or intellectual soul is not the form of the human body of itself and essentially, is to be considered a heretic.

(cf. this answer to "How are the soul and the body 'related' to each other according to the RCC?")

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