What could have been a great movie to educate the public about the afterlife, Pixar and Disney’s new SOUL animated comedy is riddled with Hindu and New Age ideas about life after death and imagery that will both frighten and mislead children.
Sue writes: “I have been struggling with anxiety disorder for three years after illness and a breakdown. I am getting much better, but have some hard work ahead of me. However, I rightfully lost faith in my last therapist and had to find a new one. Sadly, I do not have access to a Catholic therapist in my area. I had to start seeing a new secular therapist this past month. I have been making good strides, but he likes to use a form of hypnosis in order to open my mind and feed some positive thoughts. I told him I do not feel comfortable with hypnosis due to my faith. He has done some guided hypnosis on me and I feel so clear headed after, but after discovering he has been doing hypnosis, I have become leery of it. I do not want to be misled and have found various opinions on the subject in the Catholic circle. What should I do?"
LN asks: “My friend, a Catholic, went to a therapist who used hypnosis to take her back to a previous life. She was all excited about it and said finding out that she had been a male surgeon in a past life made certain things about her life make more sense. Are Catholics allowed to participate in this kind of therapy?”
BD writes: “Some Catholic friends of mine, who believe in reincarnation, say that the Church is ‘open’ to it and believe this is why they never issued an official condemnation. Is this true?”
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) is reporting that during his homily on the Feast of the Assumption, Bishop Munilla of San Sebastian, Spain, said the dogma of the Assumption is "an antidote to beliefs in reincarnation" because it reminds us that death produces the separation of body and soul, but at the same time underscores that "faith in our resurrection at the end of time is the greatest characteristic of Christian hope."
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Discerning Christians need to beware of two new books that are hitting the bookshelves this summer - one written about angels by a certified “Angel Therapy Practitioner” and another about a young boy who alleges to be a reincarnated fighter pilot from World War II.