Greek hierarch warns of dangers of reincarnation teachings
A Greek Orthodox hierarch urged believers to distinguish between evidence-based medical care and metaphysical practices that he warned pose a direct threat to the salvation of the soul.
Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus outlined the Orthodox Church's position on the spiritual dangers of "past-life regression therapy" and the belief in reincarnation. His statement came amid widespread media coverage of doctors accused in connection with the death of a prominent musician and linked to a hypnotherapist who practiced treatment through supposed "past-life experiences," UOJ-Greece reports.
"Modern society is characterized by an intense search for ways to understand oneself, find psychological relief, and make sense of traumatic experiences," Metropolitan Seraphim observed.
The hierarch emphasized that the Church must approach psychotherapeutic methods "with theological precision, pastoral discernment, and patristic wisdom." At the same time, he stressed that the Church draws a clear distinction between scientific medical care and occult or metaphysical practices, regarding such "therapies" as incompatible with Orthodox teaching.
Metropolitan Seraphim explained that pseudoscientific methods based on the belief in repeated earthly lives directly contradict the Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. He warned that such practices substitute false spiritual paths for authentic spiritual life, mislead believers, and pose a direct threat to their salvation.
In closing, the metropolitan reminded believers where they should seek answers to life's fundamental questions.
"The answers to existential questions are provided by the Church, which is the guardian of God's infallible word and His grace," Metropolitan Seraphim concluded, urging the faithful to humbly seek enlightenment from the Holy Spirit.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus had responded to a rabbi on the question of the Messiah.
