Does doctrinal reincarnation belief exist in the West?
It does, but among those people in western countries who believe in reincarnation only a small proportion do so for doctrinal reasons. Consistent, doctrinal reincarnationist belief systems do exist in Europe and North America, but they seem to be adhered to by only a minority of those who say they believe in reincarnation. Most people who believe in reincarnation do so for pragmatic reasons (see next question). Reincarnation has not achieved respectability within the academic community. Its doctrines are usually spread by semi-academic books and pamphlets, and recently on the Internet. Read here about doctrinal reincarnation belief.
