#indulgences

This is one of those claims that might seem plausible if you don't really know much about history and you're just going on vibes. But if you do know anything about history, you will immediately notice problems.

Of course it's possible that some early Christians believed in reincarnation. The idea of reincarnation is found in the Corpus Hermeticum, so this is an idea that was floating around in places early Christians lived in. But as for Jesus and his original followers believing in reincarnation? Highly unlikely. These people were Jews, and Jews didn't really believe in an eternal soul that is separate from the body - that's more of a Greek idea. You gotta understand that the idea of an eternal soul kinda got slapped on over the original belief in restoration and resurrection of bodies, and to this day it still fits pretty awkwardly over the original framework.

As for Catholics coming down against reincarnation because it didn't fit a business model, this misunderstands the history and nature of indulgences.

First, indulgences aren't supposed to save anyone from eternal punishment. They're supposed to remit temporal punishments, which might be experienced in this life or in purgatory. This lady's claim that the indulgences are about "selling tickets to Heaven" is completely baseless.

Secondly, indulgences weren't really supposed to be about selling forgiveness. They were granted for doing a number of penitential acts, including charity. Of course you can see where this is ripe for corruption - and it did indeed become pretty corrupt by the late Middle Ages - but you can also see where it's rooted in Christian ideas of charity.

Pope Francis (Decree on the Granting of Indulgences during the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025)