Do you believe in karma like the person who created this internet meme? Most people in our culture probably do, even if they don’t realize it. And that’s no surprise; a majority of us are brought up to understand that what we do (or don’t do) will be paid back.
In fact, I imagine many parents slip into teaching this kind of thing, if only as a desperate measure to keep little Johnny from running wild in the grocery store.
But the first thing I thought when I read that ‘billboard’ was “Yikes!” I don’t want to get what I deserve. And when it comes right down to it, I suspect you don’t, either.
Our culture may tell us we’re all OK people, but think about it:
- Do you really give as much time/finances to charity as you should? I don’t.
- Are you really, really committed to telling the truth? I like to think I am, but the truth is different, despite my best efforts.
- When the name of someone you know comes up in conversation, do you jump in by revealing something negative about them? I’ve caught myself doing just that.
- Do you fall short on doing all that you really can do for the environment? I plead guilty.
- When you think carefully about your behaviour, do you find there are times when you’ve taken out your frustrations on others? I have.
I could go on, but I’m sure you’ve gotten the point. None of us are really as “good” as we should be. All of us regularly miss the mark on being the kind of person we could be.
So, do you want to get called on the carpet for all the bad things you’ve done – and all the good things you HAVEN’T done? I don’t. And that’s just one little reason why I decided to become follow Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God.
Jesus followers believe this statement, found in one of the original source documents about Jesus’ life on Earth: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost, but have eternal life.”
In other words, when you believe that Jesus died to make up for all your screw-ups and when you decide to trust your life to him, there is no more karma. You no longer get what you deserve. You get way, WAY better.
In fact, not only can you get a sense of what one of Jesus’s original followers called a peace that goes beyond your ability to understand it, you also receive assurance that that when this life is over, you’ll spend eternity hanging out with Jesus.
This sounds like a fabulous offer. Do you agree? Post a comment and let’s start a conversation.
Thank you for sharing, and God bless you. I studied World Religions and karma in seminary (Asbury). It (karma) is a yoke of bondage.
Thanks for your kind comment (and for following!), Scott. Hopefully, you’ll find some content here that will be useful to start spiritual conversations with your non-Christian friends. 🙂
Some people get paralysed. Some people are the bosses. Some people have no legs. Karma in Thailand means you deserved what you got literally. Physically deformed people aren’t to be helped as they are gaining good karma by suffering. The boss must’ve deserved to be the boss cuz he or she is a good person. It does leave people to question this concept.
I don’t think that’s how most people see karma. If you purposely do the best you can in almost all situations, unless you are tired and cranky, you are good. Do you want to complain if I sit down instead of picking up trash in my street? Am I bad if I read a frivolous book instead of working at a food bank? I don’t think so. If you never try to do anything purely for the goodness of it, then that’s a problem.
Are you a better person — if you help a cause so it will get you a better place in heaven and you brag about it all the time — than the atheist who helps out because he/she is just kind? I think that’s debatable.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, SBK. If anyone does good just to get a place in Heaven and bragging rights, that’s hardly praiseworthy. So many of Jesus’s enemies did this kind of thing and He saw right through it.
Frank, I really enjoyed your post. I, too, am a Christian, and I am very happy I do not get what I deserve! Praise God : )
I also have a question. Do you think karma is the secular way of saying “you reap what you sow?”
Thanks for reading and for your kind comment, Shawn. Yes, I do think karma is the secular way of saying “you reap what you sow” (which is from the Bible). However, the concept of karma leaves no way to break out of the cycle of action-reaction. That’s what makes Christianity so different and I hope that’s what non-Christian readers come to understand. 🙂
It is interesting to see the contrast of views regarding karma. Some people seem to see it as negative, whereas I can only see it as giving me control over my life.
Thanks for giving a balanced view to my post http://wp.me/p16gSN-18C
Namaste ~ Anupadin
And thanks for reading my essay, Anupadin. Much appreciated. 🙂
May you be well and happy!
I respect your right to be Christian. I don’t share in your beliefs, because the loop-holes are too big. For example, you stated “God gave his only Son” – I’m pretty sure God could create another Son if he was all powerful.
On the same token I don’t believe Karma is fool-proof either: Sometimes people get what they deserve and sometimes they don’t. The world is a strange place and trying to figure it all out is a huge waste of time.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jaen.
Since serious Christians – and many others, too – believe God created the air you and I are breathing right now, I certainly know that He could create another Son if he wanted. He just didn’t.
Instead, the Bible – which serious Christians believe is God’s word to humanity – says that anyone who believes in Jesus and follows him becomes God’s adopted child.
Thanks for giving me another view point. However I believe that our main differences are clearly down to our religious beliefs. To me karma is not a way of life or something I follow more of a mantra a guide line to remind me to be the best I can, and that my actions have repecusions.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Kelsey. 🙂
The Bible has something that some might think is similar to karma – “What a person plants, he will harvest”. But unlike what that Facebook ‘billboard’ said, Christianity provides an ‘out’ to the cycle of “what goes around comes around”.
That ‘out’ is Jesus and what serious Christians know He did for anyone who believes in Him. That doesn’t mean we can act however we want and get away with it because of Jesus’ sacrifice. In fact, if we take what He did seriously, want want to do our very best out of a sense of gratefulness.
The Facebook ‘billboard’ is quite silly. “You will get what you deserve”. That’s awful. What if your bad deeds are because of peer pressure, low self esteem, fear or lack of education. A lot of folks who commit a deed considered bad are victims themselves.
We humans are supposed to be intelligent, capable of reason and understanding, empathy and love; applying the, ‘you will get what you deserve’ principle to life isn’t very human. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
I’m with you this one! Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it. 🙂
I have a sort of hybrid belief system if that makes sense. I believe in the major pillars of the Christian faith, but not in organized religion. While I know it is a major help to some, my personal experience with organized religion has left such a sour taste in my mouth I’m unsure if it’ll ever leave. That said, I believe the man Jesus was, and I do believe he was divine, is far removed from the man modern Christianity says he was.
Likewise, many Buddhist teachings, such as the concept of Karma and striving to having goodwill towards all, are highly appealing to me. Do I 100% agree with Buddhism? Of course not, as I don’t agree 100% with Christian teachings.
Faith (not religion, at least not for me) is ever-evolving. I don’t know if I’d have it any other way personally.
Thought provoking post, even if I don’t completely agree with your ideas!
Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it! 🙂
Wow!! Amazing perspective. I’ve never thought of karma in this way. I may have to take this into consideration.
Glad to hear it! 🙂 If you want to converse about it, post another comment here. Or, if you prefer, email me at fdking@hotmail.com.
Great honest post and a refreshing take on karma.
Thank you! 🙂
Frank, this is an interesting view at the intersection of spirituality and religion. As they say, all answers lie in holy books like Bible, Bhagvad Gita and others. However what about people who commit ‘bad’ deeds like murder, rape, and other such crimes?
Thanks so much for reading and for your excellent question.
Serious Christians believe in the Biblical concept of grace – which is defined as unmerited favour. That favour comes when we put our faith and trust in Jesus and ask God for forgiveness.
If a Jesus follower asks with humility and sincerity (i.e. with an authentic spirit), then forgiveness is given without any further requirements or deeds. No matter what the sin. For many people, this is simply outrageous, but that is what separates Christianity from other faiths.
Looking for evidence? I found this in the Bible, which serious Christians believe in and trust: “Brothers, understand what we are telling you. You can have forgiveness of your sins through this Jesus. The Law of Moses could not free you from your sins. But you can be made right with God if you believe in Jesus.”
Notice how that quote does not list any exceptions? This means murder, rape and other such crimes are included (again, this is OUTRAGEOUS to so many people who don’t recognize their own failings). In the end, those crimes, and all other bad things we do and good things we fail to do, come from one common “crime”: we turn our backs on God and live our lives without Him.
Does this make sense to you?
Yes, it does, Frank. In a way, this dissolves the concept of karma. 🙂 Thanks again!
So glad I could be helpful! Thanks for your continued interest. 🙂
I should appreciate your way of thinking but i think if someone is victim of any crime than definitely there is some suffering/pain criminal get from victim in previous births.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Hema. The question is, when does the cycle of wrongdoing & retribution “in previous births” end? And why is it just for a “victim of any crime”? Why isn’t it also for if I’m rude to you or you are needlessly sarcastic with me? Who decides what is worth “suffering/pain”?
I think it is never ending and it is also there for my rude behavior for other or vice versa that is why there is various problems in relations nowadays. I think it is decided by a supreme soul.
Interesting view and thank you for taking the time to read my blog on karma. In actuality, I wasn’t really talking about karma even tho I have it in the title.
Karma is just a word like God or forgiveness but not everyone believes in those things. Nothing is ever a coincidence because we all have a choice and there is a cause and effect to everything. How we view our self also determines how our life will be lived.
In my blog I choose to live righteously as best I can. I adore God’s grace on me cause he knows I am only human 😀
And thank you for reading me! 🙂
Since you invited me here, I’ll reply. Like you, I am a Christian. Surprise! Unlike you, I do believe in karma, but you already knew that. Karma is just another way of describing the Golden Rule. Peace to all Pharisees.
Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂
Karma and the golden rule definitely have similarities. For me, the difference is karma appears to be a never-ending cycle with no escape. That’s why I decided it’s not for me.
Hi Frank, this is stuff that the early Christian Church was debating as early as the 2nd century. Originally, baptism was suppose to create a seal making it impossible to sin, next came the debates on what happened to those who sin. It is only through the asking and the act of forgiveness that sin can be cast off and forgotten. Thanks for your comment on my site. Be well! 🙂
My understanding is that karma does have the ‘out’ when we become aware of negative patterns throughout our life and commit to changing our ways (thoughts, speech or deeds).
That’s the short version, anyway–and it’s a ‘polyglot’ theology of a kind, but I haven’t found anything in Buddhist beliefs that conflicts with Christian doctrine. On the other hand, I have found much preached in Christian churches that not only conflicts with Buddhist practice but also what is actually written in the Bible.
I’ve only been reading Buddhist teachings for a couple of years but when I study those first and then return to the Bible, it brings a sense of recognition of something I’ve been missing all these years. My faith is stronger, among other positives…
You make an excellent point about the value of karma as a means to change our behavior, Linda. My concern, though, is it does not address what happens to us *after* this life.
All the wrong things we’ve done – and all the right things we’ve failed to do – are still on the books. But because I’ve trusted my life and fate to Jesus, I know that His sacrificial death and resurrection deletes those things. God sees me as He sees His son: perfect, without blemish. Does this make sense?
Gotta disagree here old buddy. The basic flaw in fundamental Christianity is the belief in the free pass. Yes. We are forgiven. Yes. We avoid Hell. But make no mistake. We all will answer in some way for our actions. Call it Karma or whatever, but there is no free pass. Lets say we are playing RoadHockey on Friar Tuck. I shoot a frozen tennis ball through Reichhardts window. I tell
Mrs Reichhardt Im sorry, and she forgives me. But Im still losing a months allowance and yard cutting money to replace that window. And so it goes…we will all make reparations before entering the Kingdom. So…that being said…be excellent to everybody…I’ll see you when the window is replaced. Peace old friend…
Happy to agree to disagree, pal. Grace isn’t about payment of penalty in this life; it’s about the non-payment in the life to come thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice for everyone who believes in Him and follows Him.
Anyone who claims to follow Jesus just to cynically claim a “free pass” will be found out and the claim will be denied. Ye gotta be serious and sincere about it.
Hi, Thanks for tagging for such beautiful article. Although it was quick read I found that you don’t believe in Karma for three reasons:-
1. You think karma is about “We will get, what we deserve ” but actually it is “What you will do, You will get”.
2. You think that “Son of God dies for our sins, hence we redeem from consequence”, although here the fundamental lines between Christianity and Hinduism differ. In Christianity, Son of God dies because he wanted to give one chance to humanity from removing “original sin”. He sacrifices himself for all humans beings who are sinners by birth and they can get salvation when they follow the path and teaching of Christ.
While the Indian concept of karma is based on cause and effect. It considers all humans divine by birth (no original sin). Every divine being is free to do anything except under limitation he born. His action (free) decide that what will happen to him. No human can release from karma is the central theme of Karma itself.
3. Moreover, karma is the neutral principle of Hinduism. It is not a law and concept of righteousness. It’s simply meaning that karma can be negative and positive based on the context of society.
Thanks, please pardon my English because it’s not my native language.
Thanks for your thoughtful and articulate comment. I appreciate the time you took to read the blog and formulate a response – and not in your native language.
I agree with the concept of all humans being “divine by birth” in that we are all God’s special creatures, unconditionally loved by Him. What a blessing that is! 🙂
That said, I’ll quote from another Frank’s Cottage commenter to articulate the reality of humanity:
“Humans always have and always will make a mess of things when left to their own devices. We are all in need of God and His love and the salvation offered through Christ Jesus. Then, and only then, can we make a difference in the world for the better.”
Finally, this blog is based on the meme I found (and quoted) about karma. If the principle reflected in that meme is not accurate, then it sounds like folks in the Hindu faith need to re-educate the world because the idea expressed in that meme is how many, many people think.
This is a very good idea about re-educating people about Hindu philosophy. But It is unfortunate for Hindus that the current studies and control over their scripture and meaning is under US Indologist who use comparison bias to studied hindu philosophy. I am trying to make a little difference through my blogs. But still the majority of knowledge produced by them. Hope one day this picture will change. You will be astonished to know that most famous scholar of that Indology is american communist. Thanks
Good point: “when you decide to trust your life to him, there is no more karma. You no longer get what you deserve. You get way, WAY better.”
Thanks, Frank. Always glad when folks pick up on this glorious truth. 🙂