Do any denominations teach that humans exist before birth?
Upvote:2
A The pre-existence of the soul is a cornerstone of all ideas of reincarnation, so all religions that espouse reincarnation believe in it, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.
Some religions teach pre-existence but not reincanation. That includes Zoroastrianism, some sects of Judaism, especially those that accept the apocrypha and pseudepigrapha. For example, in The Book of Wisdom it says:
As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot; or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body. (Wisdom 8:19,20 NRSV)
The Books of Esdras and Enoch are similarly cited, for example, by Mormons.
The Greek Philosopher Plato taught the idea of the pre-existence of the soul. Some scholars believe this idea influenced later Jewish beliefs, such as the Medieval kabbalists. See: The idea that the soul is the human instrument of spirituality became more prominent over the course of Jewish history.
The only thing that all Christians would agree on is the pre-existence of Jesus' soul. This article gives a summary for many denominations: Compare Religions: Pre-Mortal Existence of Man
These denominations affirm belief in pre-existence:
- Christian Science
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
These denominations have no formal statement and leave it up to the individual:
- Disciple of Christ
- Presbyterian
- Quakers
- United Church of Christ
Some Early church fathers believed in the pre-existence of souls, such as Origen of Alexandria, a neo-platonist. For additional discussion of that topic, see: Did any other early church fathers besides Origen teach the pre-existence of souls?
Upvote:3
To my knowledge there are no Christian denominations that teach the pre-existence of humans except (as Daniel Stein has pointed out) the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).
Every denomination apart from them teaches that humans begin to exist at conception (which is technically before birth but I assume the question wasn't about that), and become human at conception or some time between conception and birth. That certainly applies to Catholic, Orthodox and all Protestant groups that I am aware of.
There are many scriptures that testify to the continued existence of people after death, but none of the mainstream scriptures teach of existence before conception. Jeremiah 1:5, which could be taken like that, is taken to mean that God foreknows of a person's existence - i.e. God knows of their existence before it happens.
Upvote:7
I'm not sure if you'd include Mormonism as a Christian denomination, but the Mormon church definitely believes this. They believe that people were "Heavenly Father's" spirit children in heaven, who are now in the flesh on earth: Spirit Children of Heavenly Parents.
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