Humans have a need to worship God; if, for whatever reason, they don’t worship the real God they find a false god which in Britain today might be the European Union, equality, human rights or anthropogenic global warming. Those who worship false gods interpret any criticism as intolerable blasphemy and react accordingly by suppressing any balanced discussion. The worship of false gods in Britain is a consequence of the drift to secularism that began 200 years ago when Darwin’s theory of evolution raised doubts about the validity of the church’s theology; a belief in an Almighty God waned together with a belief in any divine sanction against bad behaviour. Over the past two hundred years society has become more secular to the extent that some refer to the present time as a post-Christian period. As a consequence Britain has suffered increasingly from the unethical behaviour of our leaders.

REINCARNATION addresses the question of the lack of moral guidance in Britain and how to provide it. Today’s political leaders are incapable of providing moral leadership; their considerations are too ephemeral, evanescent. Yet their power is not limited by a written constitution. Britain needs a moral compass; this has been provided traditionally by religion, by the church. REINCARNATION explores right and wrong in Britain today and concludes that on a number of significant issues, government policy is wrong. This conclusion is not based on ideological belief but simply that what is sustainable is right and what is unsustainable is wrong. Examples of unsustainable policies are: 1) British membership of the European Union 2) over-population/immigration 3) same-sex marriage 4) the economy 5) energy. These policies have been determined not by reference to any code of ethics but rest on the ideological indulgence and wilful blindness of our ruling politicians.

The question is: How to strengthen the ethical guidance that is available from the church? William Deller’s answer is to deepen the church’s theology by fully accepting the principles of evolution and reincarnation. The principle of evolution is not antagonistic to the idea of God; on the contrary evolution is a very practical and effective way for God to manifest. The principle of reincarnation was once embraced by the Christian Church and correlates with evolution.

Reincarnation is more –much more - than an esoteric theological theory. It is a doctrine embraced by many millions of people throughout the world over many centuries, not simply as a way to explain what happens after earthly death, but as a means of guidance during earthly life. Reincarnation can be seen as an extension of the elegant theory of biological evolution conceived by Charles Darwin. Darwin explained that species develop through a process of adaptation, survival of the fittest, natural selection and continuation of the species by reproduction. This is a systemic process, operating through vast numbers of small incremental changes that have resulted in the kaleidoscopic natural world on earth today, and in the pre-eminent status of humanity. While biological evolution is concerned with the development of entire species, reincarnation is concerned with the conscious advancement of individual souls; just as the evolutionary process operates over many years so the process of individual advancement takes many lifetimes.

The process of conscious individual advancement over successive incarnations is as implacable as the process of biological evolution. In the evolutionary process success means survival, failure means extinction. In the process of reincarnation appropriate behaviour results in advancement; inappropriate behaviour results in regression. According to the doctrine of reincarnation, when someone dies their soul lives on and at some future time may be reborn into another body. At each rebirth the soul carries with it the psychological dispositions, the habits that were ingrained in the previous lifetime. The purpose of life is spiritual evolution to the point of achieving liberation from the necessity of being reborn, and becoming one with God. Until this point is reached the soul is constrained to be continually reborn into an earthly body. Each lifetime presents challenges and opportunities to evolve further. The individual has free will in responding to these challenges and overcoming bad habits; he may evolve further or regress, and he may or may not choose to seek God’s ever-present help.

Much of present day life in Britain takes place with an understanding that each of us has only one life on earth, with no possibility of divine judgement. This is a very shallow and negative belief that discourages aspiration, and limits the outlook of individuals and the functioning of society. For the individual it means that all our ambitions must be accomplished within a relatively short space of 70 years or so, on the basis that “you only live once” and “you’re a long time dead”. Instead of a calm acceptance that we are all at different stages of life there is a neurotic obsession with “equality”, which has become a pseudo religion, a false god. For an individual without scruples it means that any wrongdoing, any misbehaviour is tolerable “as long as you don’t get caught” because there is no sanction after death. A belief in successive incarnations, each building on the attainments (or sins) of previous lifetimes, is a significant encouragement for good behaviour.

For society the belief that there is only one life on earth means that there is no generally-understood basis for ethical standards. Ethical codes with a religious foundation have less force in a society which is increasingly secular. In comparison a society that is firmly based on an appreciation of reincarnation has the potential to be spiritually richer, to be more cohesive, more settled, more at ease with itself. The possibility of a series of lives, each in some way reflecting one’s achievements in previous lives, provides a pathway for upward evolution of individual souls and of society.

What is the significance of reincarnation and evolution for our national life? Britain’s position is potentially calamitous; it is a small over-populated and under-resourced island in an over-populated and under-resourced world. It has to compete, as never before, with the emerging nations of the world for natural resources. It has to compete, with these same emerging nations, in the market for manufactured goods in which we once had a dominant position. As emerging nations become more prosperous and consume more resources, Britain will face even more challenges to its position in the world which some see as over-privileged. Britain may have to reinvent itself. For the past 30 years, as much of manufacturing industry moved to the emerging nations, Britain has increasingly relied on the finance industry as a source of income. The experience of the last decade has shown this to be delusional. There is a need for Britain’s leaders to rise above ideological indulgence, wilful blindness and the pursuit of fashionable causes; and to accept the principles of evolution and reincarnation as the foundation of a national renaissance.

William Deller's REINCARNATION - Guidance for the 21st Century is available on Kindle from Amazon.