Why do so many Christians say...?

Question

that they don't believe in karma?
After all, karma is the belief that whatever you do comes back to you. Christians generally believe that if they do wrong, their "sins" will be punished, and that their God will punish or reward you according to what you do.

So, don't they technically believe in karma?

Answer 1

Hi. My name is Selina and I am a Christian.

Ok. First let's define Karma K? Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do.

Individuals go through certain processes and accompanying experiences throughout their lives which they have chosen, and those would be based on the results of their own creations: "karma".

Karma is not about retribution, vengeance, punishment or reward. Karma simply deals with what is. The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy brought to others.

"KARMA" used loosely means you're not responsible to God for your sins or what you've done wrong but the effects of the experience is what pays you back so to say. God is left out of the equation.- that would be where Christians don't believe in "Karma".

Answer 2

Karma is usually dispensed in future lives, at least in Hinduism. If you build up negative karma, you come back in the next life down a few rungs. Christians do not believe in reincarnation, so for a Christian, that kind of karma cannot exist.

So we are left with your bad deeds coming back to get you in this current life. I am sure we can think of people who have lived great lives of excess and misdeeds that never got what was coming to them. (Consider Ken Lay, he died before he could be punished for his Enron crimes.)

However, there are rewards or punishments after death. Everyone will be judged by God after death. This is not "karma" in the sense it is ever used, but rather judgment.

I do believe that I am rewarded for doing good and there are ill effects for doing bad, but I wouldn't call it "karma," but rather consequences. When I sin (note I said when, not if) I have deviated from the path God laid out, and in some sense I am separated from God. That is not a good thing.
Also, as a Christian, I believe that my good works cannot compensate for my sins. I must rely on God's grace. With karma, you can do some good things to counterbalance the bad.

Finally "karma" is generally an impersonal force, the way the universe somehow makes everything right, some sort of scale with good deeds and bad deeds on respective sides. I believe that the universe is governed by a personal God, not an impersonal force.

Answer 3

The word Karma comes from a non-Christian religion. While the idea of "What goes around comes around" is in many religions, it's the wording and title given to express that saying that is causing the misunderstanding. After all, the "goes around/comes around" rule can also be found in wiccan and pagan religions, but some would just call it the three-fold law and not Karma. It's just a title to a belief and many christians would argue the title.

Answer 4

I don't think it's your abstract description of "karma" that most Christians will find fault with. Most people accept the "what goes around, comes around" worldview.

Usually the definition of "karma" that Christians will disagree with is the Hindu sort that is tied to all sorts of other implications (like reincarnation).... for example, some Hindus believe that karma would cause a bad person to come back in some lower form, like a dog.

Answer 5

The first thing that someone should be considering is whether the idea of sin is actually real.

If God is supposed to be perfect how could She have made anything or anyone that wasn't perfect.
Think about it. The idea of sin assumes certain things about God that seem highly unlikely.

First it assumes a God who is too incompetent to organize a simple educational field excursion and figure out a way to get all of the students home safely.

How likely is this that God would not be smart enough to come up with a plan for our salvation that is going to work?

It also assumes that God must have created us imperfect if we are sinners.

One might assume that God would be able to create someone perfect each and every time if he chose to. Assuming God is capable of this, then it follows logically that we must be perfect creations if we are actually creations of this perfect God.

Unless of course you are saying that God chose to create us imperfect.

If God created us imperfect then anything that may go wrong is Gods fault, not ours. This seems a bit illogical at best so I think that we need to assume that What God creates would have to be perfect.

If this is the case and Gods creations are perfect, then nothing that we can do could change what God created perfect and make it imperfect unless we think that we are more powerful than God is.

How likely is it that we the creation could be more powerful than the creator. I personally find this idea somewhat amusing, and a bit absurd.

Religion tells us that God is perfect. If this is true then it could hardly be logically for Gods creations to be considered to be anything less than perfect.

If this is the case and we are perfect creations of a perfect God then Nothing that we can ever do could possibly change this perfection that God willed, unless we were so powerful that our choices could override and change the will of God.

How likely is that????

Think about it.

The idea of sin is simple nonsense; a lie made up about God by religion.

Love and blessings
don

Source --- Course in miracles

Answer 6

I have found that some Christians are afraid of the word, because they have closed minds. They hear certain words and become afraid. However, they do believe in the concept when explained differently and 'karma' isn't used. I did say some Christians, because many of them are not so closed minded they just are not as vocal as the other type.

Answer 7

All Truth is Parallel.
Karma is just a parallel Truth to you Reap what you Sow.
Yes GOD will forgive our sins, but watch this.
A man got Saved and years Later Robbed a Filling Station. He cried out to GOD for Forgiveness, got Forgiven, then cried out again saying, GOD, why am I in this Prison?
GOD answered, because you Robbed a Filliing Station!

The way of the Transgressor is HARD.

Answer 8

I don't know of any Christians that don't believe in karma. When you run into some let me know.

Answer 9

Usually Christians do not have good things come back to them in this world though. Look at Jesus himself. There is a saying with Christians "Never does a good deed go unpunished"

Answer 10

exactly that, If you sin then it will come back to you, God will punish you in a way that will hurt you.