11-year-old claims he is a WW2 veteran reincarnated

[FaithlessThinker]

11-year-old Reincarnated - WJW (Fox 8 Cleveland)

As always I'm skeptical about this, but my wife and her friend (both wiccans) are like "yes yes reincarnation is true." My wife commented the following on facebook:

• I had almost the same thing happened to me.. However I don't recall everything like this boy so vividly does... But I did some research and I know who I was in my past
• I remember once I was a girl called Isabella or something like that and I was a Roman Catholic.. Very scary life I had..
• Yea the past that I know who I was, I was killed by a spear...

Her friend says: "I remembered I was shot by an arrow in one lifetime"

So what's your take on this?

 

[Duvelthehobbit666]

I too am skeptical. It just doesn't seem like something like this can happen. But just remember who has the burden of proof.

 

[lrkun]

This child has a nice imagination. But, I do hope his parents will teach him to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

 

[australopithecus]

 

[Prolescum]

I'd love to know the mechanics people suggest for the transfer of consciousness from one person to another over vast periods of death only to be subsumed by another personality and rendering the entire exercise utterly pointless...

 

[quantumfireball2099]

Similar to a book that my parents asked me to read. http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Real-Little-Astounding-Story/dp/0849946158

Kid 'dies' during surgury, goes to heaven and comes back knowing things about heaven that he would not have otherwise known. Yeah, I smell BS right from the start, and I really don't wan't to read it because I feel I will be extremely depressed by what my parents believe without question.

This story would have been completely ignored by my parents if it had been from a Muslim child.

So, you could argue from the side that either A.) Heaven is real, or B.) Reincarnation is real or C.) The person(s) are just mistaken.... which one is it?

 

[Anachronous Rex]

Of course, and I am the reincarnation of Harold Hardrada

Don't believe me? I totally had a dream once where I was shot by an arrow in the neck, so that proves it.

 

[australopithecus]

I had a dream once where I was killed by a meteorite, so obviously, I was a dinosaur in a past life.

 

[FaithlessThinker]

Have you guys watched the news video at that link? I would love to hear your comments on the video, rather than your general ramblings and mockings about reincarnation. (Hope it's not too much to ask of you.)

I just got my chance to watch the video (it wasn't loading properly and I didn't have enough time when I was starting this thread) and it sounds rather convincing at first watch. Although I could come up with the following explanations that are much more plausible than reincarnation:

• The parents created the elaborate plan of teaching the child the stories of the WW2 veteran so much that the child believed himself to be the veteran. Besides, they named him "James," and they capitalized on it by making a book.
• The child himself started having interest in fighter planes in general, focused it down first to WW2, then to the veteran James. He took interest in reading about James and his stories, and was smart enough to find sources. Eventually, he started believing himself to be the veteran reincarnated and the parents capitalized on it.

Both cases remind me of Saw 3D where a guy created a false story about surviving a Jigsaw trap and then capitalized on it by writing a book (although he didn't end up believing his own false story).

 

[DeusExNihilum]

So, from a very young age (in the home video he looked, 4? 5 at most?) this kid has been interested in planes. He's been to air-shows, obviously as the footage shows him at one, so he's also obviously heard people talk about the history of those planes. He's almost certainly seen war pictures at these places, maybe even a little footage, he's probably seen stuff from TV.

Actually, just to comment on that, The parents or one of the parents has to have an interest in Planes or WW2 as well, Somehow I doubt the kid said out of the blue "I want to go to an airshow"; His parents took him to one. My dad took me to a football game when I was 4-5 years old, because it was something my dad enjoyed which he wanted to share...I'm betting this is very common motivation behind taking young children to see things or partake in activites. If this is true it is very likely that his exposure to Planes and WW2 trivia is limited to these airshows.

So he does what kids do - Draw things that interest them. When I was a kid I drew sharks, Was I a shark?

And SOMEHOW this insipid journalism has made a deal out of him putting HIS OWN NAME on his drawings. What, Were the parents in on it from the beginning? Did they try to call him Andrew but he was like "NO, MY NAME IS JAMES"?

The popularity of the name "James" peaked in world war two. James was SUCH an incredibly common name It would of been more amazing if there hadn't been a james on that ship.

Speaking of the ship - How he got the name. Besides the fact that we're forced to take the parents word for it that he said "Natoma", it is not impossible, considering the above points, that he hadn't seen or heard about this ship before.

From this point on, The parents started researching and thus where the information more likely came from becomes far easier to pin down - The parents. All of a sudden him miraculously "knowing" things becomes harder to believe because all the information he knew became readily available.

I mean, this is all assuming that none of these people are lying...and I hardly rule out that possibility.

I could go on, but I have not got the free time to deal with the Gish Gallop that is this story.

I would, however, love to know how *Very Christian* Fox news deals with "proof" that Christianities stories about the afterlife are complete bullshit.

Anyway, here's a nice blog that goes into more depth (not my blog post)

http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/07/reincarnation_a.html

 

[Ad Initium]

Have you guys watched the news video at that link? I would love to hear your comments on the video, rather than your general ramblings and mockings about reincarnation. (Hope it's not too much to ask of you.)

I just got my chance to watch the video (it wasn't loading properly and I didn't have enough time when I was starting this thread) and it sounds rather convincing at first watch. Although I could come up with the following explanations that are much more plausible than reincarnation:

• The parents created the elaborate plan of teaching the child the stories of the WW2 veteran so much that the child believed himself to be the veteran. Besides, they named him "James," and they capitalized on it by making a book.
• The child himself started having interest in fighter planes in general, focused it down first to WW2, then to the veteran James. He took interest in reading about James and his stories, and was smart enough to find sources. Eventually, he started believing himself to be the veteran reincarnated and the parents capitalized on it.

Both cases remind me of Saw 3D where a guy created a false story about surviving a Jigsaw trap and then capitalized on it by writing a book (although he didn't end up believing his own false story).

You all seem to forget that this KID is 11 years old. Our kids are not stupid. This video reminds me of the kid a few years back that said he died, went to heaven and met God. I'll search that vid on YT (think it is in my favs somewhere) and post it in a post scriptum when I find it.

What I was saying is that this KID is 11, ELEVEN, E L E V E N, ... that is hardly a kid anymore that is a pre-teenager. Now, ... I am Dutch. My original language is not english. I have a (now) 9 year old nephew (Dutch too), cool and sweet kid. He spoke at a very early age, and before he even went to school, he could already count in english from one to ten and backwards too. At his current age he is between avg on languages, he is very good at mathematics. He is a normal kid. Compared to all the other kids in his class, he is above avg, but not top dog.

But he is nine. He has been playing video games like Grand Theft Auto and lots of 1st person (18+ rated) shooters for years. Yeah he loves Shrek too and all that other b.s. Disney crap. This year he had to do his first speech before the class (you have a special name for that in english? I do not recall the correct word for it. Or is it simply named a presentation?) ... and he did it about World War 1. My brother and I, took him to the trenches in Belgium and told him all about WW1. He is nine .... The kid in this video report is 11 and had 2 more years to develop biologically.

You are slowly understanding what I am getting at already?

I linked to the link in the OP and the first thing that popped up on FOX 8, before the video played, was a commercial for -Catholic School Children, Geez do so good at school that 97% of them will go to college. Now STFU and goto ... (blabla)-. That immediately got my alarm-bells ringing as an Atheist: BE CARFULL OUT THERE! I had not even noticed I was going to watch an actually fox channel video. But the first thing I did, when that -Catholic School Kids Do So Great- was running, was check on which website I was actually on.

I went "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, it is FOX". .... It should make you wonder as an American, that I as an European -as an outside observer- will be carefull what I watch and judge on FOX. I pitty USA they have go undergo it daily.
FOX FUX, IMHO.

I'll skip ahead a bit because by now, you can surely fill in the blanks I will be leaving, since you will have a clear understanding already, what I think about it.

THIS particular special miracle already Jesus loving rigtwinged society kid, ... is the reincarnation of a WW2 veteran? Hail praise Jesus and his Holy Trinity father God who created it all using "Harry Potter" magic.

But the first question, as an Atheist, that would pop up in my mind, would NOT be:
- "Ow, this special miracle child! Which veteran is he the reincarnate off?"

No, ...

My first question as an Atheist would be:
- "So, The Trinity Jesus freacking H Christ, God and the Holy Shhhhpirit, .... now suddenly believe in reincarnations too?"

I guess all stuff would be sanctioned and be found OKAY, on FUX, ... as long as you believe in Jesus and the Trinity.

If not, ... oooooooooh ...... bad boy.

 

[Laurens]

I think it is a lot to do with the parents feeding the kid information.

The kid was probably interested in WW2, and came up with imaginary stories about being a soldier in what the parents interpreted as being memories of a past life. Then the parents start asking 'did this happen to you in a past life?' The kid says yes (probably not understanding the question fully) then the parents just feed the kid information 'were you American?' 'did you kill any Germans?' 'were you this guy? *holding up photo*' etc etc.

 

[Vanlavak]

From a scientific point of view, there is no known way to prove or disprove reincarnation, so don't shit on other people's beliefs, it just makes you look bad.

 

[Laurens]

From a scientific point of view, there is no known way to prove or disprove reincarnation, so don't shit on other people's beliefs, it just makes you look bad.

It's called skepticism. You take an outlandish claim and try to arrive at a natural explanation for it that doesn't require positing something supernatural.

We can be skeptical about whatever we want, even if it means shitting on peoples beliefs. So what? People believe loads of stupid stuff.

 

[Baranduin]

From a scientific point of view, there is no known way to prove or disprove reincarnation, so don't shit on other people's beliefs, it just makes you look bad.

1) From a scientific point of view, there is no known way to prove or disprove that the Queen of England is a reptilian, so don't shit on other people's beliefs, it just makes you look bad.
2) From a scientific point of view, there is no known way to prove or disprove crashing planes into buildings and killing thousands of people in the process is the Will of God and must be done, so don't shit on other people's beliefs, it just makes you look bad.
3) From a scientific point of view, there is no known way to prove or disprove John Frum's belief that by raping Vanlavak there'll be peace in the world, so don't shit on other people's beliefs, it just makes you look bad.

You can see why your argument is bullshit. Not even you would accept it.

Anyway:
1) From a scientific point of view, there're many known ways to prove reincarnation. If it happens, of course. All attempts so far have failed. So there's no reason to believe in reincarnation, but many to disbelieve it.
2) Since not believing in reincarnation can be disproved, but reincarnation cannot, disbelief is the position to take. That way we can be shown wrong (if we are actually wrong) and learn something. Doing otherwise is just not be willing to know.

 

[MRaverz]

Lol, reincarnation.

Burden of proof etc.

 

[Lallapalalable]

When I was 11, I too was a reincarnated WWII pilot. And a reincarnated American Civil War soldier. And a king. And at one time even a reincarnated fictional character.

My thoughts on the video are that this kid loves WWII fighters so much, and has read and learned so much that he was able to convince himself (through magic 11 year old logic) that he was what he said.

Or he's right, and you all better kiss the ground at my feet, for I am Ivan the Terrible.

I had a dream that I suffered a stroke while playing chess with Bogdan Belsky. Proof!

 

[Andiferous]

Go go gadget Lalla

The kid is eleven years old, he should be commended for his vast creativity. I don't think I was much different at that age. When forced to go to mass, I'd stare at the lights until I hallucinated, and if it happened, I'd congratulate myself and make up an explanation for it.

 

[Nelipot]

There's a lot of probably and possibly in this thread but one thing can't be so easily explained - how would that child know the childhood names of a dead pilot's sisters?

 

[australopithecus]

Never underestimate human dishonesty as an explanation for things that seem unexplanable.