Karma: real or ridiculous?

[Lark]

I wish it did and I wish it had a harder edge, the same way I desire to see divine wrath and vengence upon the wicked but I dont so I wonder if God has a different idea about what is deserving of punishment to me.

 

[five sounds]

I wish it did and I wish it had a harder edge, the same way I desire to see divine wrath and vengence upon the wicked but I dont so I wonder if God has a different idea about what is deserving of punishment to me.

I think God has a punishment-when-you-die approach to things. I also think he talks about "karma" for taking care of those matters here on earth.

Edit: ok, i changed judgment to punishment in the above. but if you believe in Christian God (which I think you recall saying you do), then punishment of sin for those saved by Jesus is already done, right?

 

[Honor]

I wish it did and I wish it had a harder edge, the same way I desire to see divine wrath and vengence upon the wicked but I dont so I wonder if God has a different idea about what is deserving of punishment to me.

Mmm, yes, I struggle with this question myself. How come people who are innocent are victimized without justice and people who are wicked carry on without punishment? I don't know. Truly, not a day goes by that this question doesn't come across my mind and dishearten me for at least one second.

Karma is essentially the same concept as "what ye sow, ye reap." Whether or not that's true is probably circumstantial. Unfortunately, at certain points in my life, it has seemed to me that if you have enough money, you usually do not have to reap what ye have sown, so to speak, because ye can pay for good lawyers and use your connections to bully, harass, and intimidate people into silence.

 

[RaptorWizard]

I think God has a punishment-when-you-die approach to things. I also think he talks about "karma" for taking care of those matters here on earth.

Edit: ok, i changed judgment to punishment in the above. but if you believe in Christian God (which I think you recall saying you do), then punishment of sin for those saved by Jesus is already done, right?

I'm wondering why you believe God would wish harm upon those who walk astray from his path.

 

[five sounds]

I'm wondering why you believe God would wish harm upon those who walk astray from his path.

I don't think he does. Straight away I want to say that I don't claim to understand God, and if you're about to hit me with a line of questioning, I surely will run out of answers before you run out of questions. I believe God's stance is that sin must be punished. Since he didn't want to punish people for their sins, out of love, he hooked us up with a way out. If people chose not to accept it, then their sins have not been punished and they must bear it themselves. That's pretty basic Christian theology.

 

[Flâneuse]

I don't believe in supernatural karma at all, but I think there are negative social consequences (usually) and psychological consequences (always) for mistreating others. I think that being kind, giving and connected to others is enriching and rewarding in itself, and that if someone lives a life of cruelty (or even apathy, something I struggle with) they're basically poisoning their own soul and confining themselves to a meaningless, empty, disconnected life.

 

[Opal]

I don't believe in supernatural karma at all, but I think there are negative social consequences (usually) and psychological consequences (always) for mistreating others.

I agree; effects take time to unfold, and violence (physical, emotional, social, etc.) scatters seeds inside and out.

 

[Mole]

Karma serves the same purpose as Heaven and Hell. They are to guide the behaviour of the gullible.

 

[Arctic Hysteria]

I don't think it's supernatural at all. But how we decide to affect the universe has some small effect in the grand scheme of things. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, if not always readily apparent.

I like Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism and many of their ideas of the universe, but I see them as very scientific religions, less concerned with trying to touch a higher god-power than with realizing universal truth and the oneness of everything. Call that supernatural if you wish, but I think science can back this up. I'm just too stupid and inarticulate to explain it any better.

Totally agree.

 

[INTP]

If you do bad stuff to others, it will go around and possibly come back to you some day. If you do bad stuff, you will punish yourself for it, during life or when the final judgment comes.

 

[Tellenbach]

'And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.' Paul McCartney

This is one form of karma; if you treat people justly, there is a greater likelihood that they'll do the same to you.

 

[Mole]

I see them as very scientific religions.

Sure, they are very scientific religions not based on evidence and reason, never appearing in a peer reviewed journal, never regarded sceptically, never treated with the scientific method, and without a factual basis.

In fact these very scientific religions are not scientific at all but simply mystical.

 

[Qlip]

Good and bad events happen to us daily. A part of what determines how we interpret them, whether we feel good or bad, is not what the events are in themselves, but whether we think we deserve them or not. I think that is the essence of karma.

 

[Opal]

If you do bad stuff, you will punish yourself for it, during life or when the final judgment comes.

Yes, if you believe you are guilty you are less likely to defend against perceived retribution.

 

[Bush]

It occurs naturally but more indirectly than we'd like to believe. We're also victim to the mentality that our own moral framework is the thing with which others should and will be universally judged--that something we believe isn't 'fair' ought to right itself in the end.

Some things are just Bad Ideas in the long run. They can come around to bite you in the ass later on.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Traditionally, in Eastern religion, karma is only supposed to affect you in the next life, not this one. The original meaning of it is different from the way people interpret it now. I see a connection with the Christian concept that you get rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven, not here on Earth. The Old Testament has the Book of Job, which suggests that God inflicts misfortune on the righteous and unrighteous alike.

A lot of religions have recognized the fact that people do not often get rewarded for doing the right thing, so this leaves to me an interesting question. In the absence of religion, why do the right thing at all? I'm indifferent to the existence or nonexistence of God... so why do I care so much about doing the right thing? It's obvious to me that you can get away with quite a lot, so why don't I try to?

The only thing I've arrived at is that I do it because it's pleasurable.

 

[Riva]

Traditionally, in Eastern religion, karma is only supposed to affect you in the next life, not this one. The original meaning of it is different from the way people interpret it now. I see a connection with the Christian concept that you get rewarded in the Kingdom of Heaven, not here on Earth. The Old Testament has the Book of Job, which suggests that God inflicts misfortune on the righteous and unrighteous alike.

A lot of religions have recognized the fact that people do not often get rewarded for doing the right thing, so this leaves to me an interesting question. In the absence of religion, why do the right thing at all? I'm indifferent to the existence or nonexistence of God... so why do I care so much about doing the right thing? It's obvious to me that you can get away with quite a lot, so why don't I try to?

The only thing I've arrived at is that I do it because it's pleasurable.

Not sure about other traditional eastern religions but this is not so according to Buddhism.

There is Ditta dhamma vedaniya Karma.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Not sure about other traditional eastern religions but this is not so according to Buddhism.

There is Ditta dhamma vedaniya Karma.

I stand corrected.

 

[Hitoshi-San]

Anything you do will affect you either directly or indirectly. Karma doesn't always hurt in the way you think it would, but it can slowly tear you down over time.

 

[Versailles]

Karma, is complex. But I agree with [MENTION=16382]Ene[/MENTION] on her descriptions.
In a way karma could translate or operate through 'energy' or vibe, or the Eastern version 'chi' or 'Qi'. Basically the "do unto others as you would have done to you" dictum. Intention I believe plays more of an important role as any, action being secondary.