Just curious....Do you believe in Karma? Good Or Bad....does'nt matter....You know...what goes around, comes around, type of Karma? Or...The kind that eventually bites you in the ass, Karma. Or how about the... pays you back ten fold kind of karma? I do.

Nope.

There is no such thing as good or bad karma. It's just karma. You can really boil it down to physics. For every action there is a reaction. Some reactions happen in the lifetime in which the action happened and some reactions are from a long time ago and another life. Energy continues. It is only our perception that what happens is either good or bad. What happens is neither good or bad. It is just what happens.

My answer: yes.

No.

Polar bear, would you explain a little about your thoughts and feelings about this? Why you don't believe it?

Yes

I am believing that karma exists..I know a few people who really have it coming...oh damn! Does that give me bad karma now too?

I have no evidence that it exists.

Yes. What one puts out into the world/universe one gets back. Do unto others. The universe has a very long memory.

[This message has been edited by Dorothy (9/20/2009)]

I'd like to think so but there are so many people who are never brought to justice for the bad things they do and there are many good people who just get hammered by life at every turn. That said, the world would probably be a better place if everyone acted as though there were karma.

It is "do unto others as you would have them do to you", not "do unto others and it will be done unto you".

No evidence for me.

Yup. I'm a karma guy - have seen it happen too many times.

Golden Rule, "you reap what you sow," all variations on the karma theme...

I didn't say "do unto others and it will be done unto you".

I said, do unto others. What you do unto others comes back to you. If you do good, you get good. If you do bad, you get bad.

What happens to us is not a matter of luck or fate or the universe. It is that you reap the consequences or rewards of what you sow. And alot of the bad consequences can be turned to good, if we're willing to learn from them and change what we sow.

Are you talking about that Brazilian singer, Karma Miranda?

To me Karma is just another version of the golden rule...be good and do good or suffer the consequences...only with Karma, it goes on to your next life cycle instead of being rewarded in heaven...

No, I don't believe in "karma".

I also find it ironic that so many here are attempting to explain "karma" by quoting Galatians 6:7 & Luke 6:31.

In my book, karma is in the same category as astrology, which is complete idiocy. The stars, planets, constellations and galaxies have better things to do than worry about if you borrowed a 10-spot from uncle Mort and didn't pay him back. The universe doesn't give a crap. Do the right thing because its the right thing to do, not for the karmic pay-off.

Richard and Bob II have it right.

Try "sowing and reaping"

Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap".

Proverbs 22:8 "He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, and the rod of his anger will fail."

Galatians 6:7, in context, is about where we want to place our emphases and how we want to live.

Luke 6:31 is, again, about how we choose to live.

Neither one is about engaging in certain kinds of behaviors so we will "earn back" good things which incidentally is, I think, a poor definition of karma.

Aren't natural consequences (which is what the Proverbs quote is really about) different than karma?

No, I don't believe in "karma".

I also find it ironic that so many here are attempting to explain "karma" by quoting Galatians 6:7 & Luke 6:31.

--------

Says the Biblical "expert" who doesn't eat shrimp or lobster.

Karmasheetra.?.

Careful Bob L. Mocking me might be bad for you. Not sure what the over/under would be on such a risk.

I'm going to say No, but I'll bet that comes back to bite me.

The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, and all flesh is grass.

No karma.

Nice blending of verses, Bridgier. I like it. All is vanity. There is nothing new under the sun.

Still no karma. But there is a time for everything.

[This message has been edited by Derf Bergman (9/21/2009)]

100% yes! and for those of you who don't thats ok, but when you are a jerk and bad things happen to you and you 'don't know why'- karma is your answer.

I believe in the three fold law.
Whatever you do, good or bad comes back to you three fold.

Definatley.....without a doubt, what goes around comes around. I'm sure there is a fine line between stupidity and karma. But for the world to be in balance no bad deed goes unpunished and no good deed goes without reward.

Stupid hurts.

Just ask Ricardo.

I also find it ironic that so many here are attempting to explain "karma" by quoting Galatians 6:7 & Luke 6:31.

The concept of karma predates the bible, Richard. Enjoy your scampi.

"The concept of karma predates the bible"

Where is your evidence for that statement?

Awesome responses....some unusual ones, but awesome nontheless....The reason I was asking....Theres this person I know That when she got divorced from her husband, she wished upon him lonliness for the rest of his life, and that eventually, he would come crawling back to her on his knees, begging her to come back. Well.....it turns out that the husband is remarried, very happily I might add. Actually, happier than I have ever seen him....The woman, who wished him lonliness is alone. Basically, no friends, no mate...estranged family.
I'm guessing that falls into the what goes around comes around type of Karma!?!?
I truely believe, that you should always treat others how you want to be treated....Never speak ill of the dead....and Never wish harm or bad things on anyone.....It can definately come around and bite you on the ass!!!

Evidence? Bible?

I can't have those two things in the same discussion, Richard. Space-time won't allow it. The universe will implode. Silly man.

Do you want me to provide the wikipedia link, or can I just assume that you'll dismiss it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...Brahmanism

I will dismiss it no more than you dismiss the Bible and surrounding evidence.

It is ironic that the reference you provided sites time in terms of "BC".

F*cking standardization

It's Before Crap, Richard.

T Brown. So some baby killed in a car accident had it coming?

T Brown. So some baby killed in a car accident had it coming?

Yup. But it doesn't necessarily come from the current lifetime. It could be from 20 lifetimes ago or 2 lifetimes ago. It's just physics. Energy continues. Thought is energy, action is energy. Once set in motion it continues until it comes back to the origin. That could be quickly or many lifetimes later.

So if you get cancer we should have no compassion because you are just paying for being a bad person?

Shannon Wozny- Just so you don't think I'm hiding behind my name.
I love how many people in this town (or just this board) think just because someone is ignorant about a topic, it's ok to demean them. If they pretend to know what they are talking about then, ok, fire away. But if someone wants to know something, or ask a question, don't be sarcastic a$$es. Come on, some people here act like children. Don't argue just be happy and smiley and if you don't have something nice to say don't post.

So if you get cancer we should have no compassion because you are just paying for being a bad person?

No. Apparently we should have compassion because then others would be compassionate toward us at another place in another time. Forget about just plain caring. We only do it with a manipulative and self-centered purpose.

I don't know that I like this version of karma.

[This message has been edited by Derf Bergman (9/21/2009)]

Bob N. II, Where the heck in any of the two posts that I have written did you get that I thought a baby who gets hit by a car deserves it? You are an ass.

[This message has been edited by T Brown (9/22/2009)]

[This message has been edited by T Brown (9/22/2009)]

It's just physics. Energy continues. Thought is energy, action is energy. Once set in motion it continues until it comes back to the origin.

Uhm... no. That's not physics, that's magic.

I think Bob was trying to highlight the monstrosity of using a rather nebulous concept like "what goes around comes around" as an answer to the question of theodicy. If you're consistent, then when bad things happen to good or innocent people, then there's always the possibility that somehow they "deserved" it.

Bad things happen, and sometimes bad people come out on top and die old and happy. That sucks, but that's the way things work.

A friend once told me that she struggled for years with all the bad things that had happened to her. She asked herself, over and over, every day, "Why?"

Then, she said, one day she got out of bed one morning and it suddenly struck her. "Why not?"

I was just pointing out the idiocy of the karma concept, T. You cited one lame example as to why we should all believe in this karma crap, when there are constant examples of decent people catching hell and people with no apparent redeeming qualities being rewarded for their bad behavior. A lot of people on here think I am an ass(especially the righties). Because you believe in this karma horse doo-doo based on a few anecdotes, I believe you are a dumb-ass. Thankyouverymuch._

"F*cking standardization

It's Before Crap, Richard."

Really? Why did they standardize on a "fairy tale"?

Same reason they do now, bigger weapons.

The term is B.C.E. and C.E., if you are an archaeologist. The terms stand for "Before Common Era" and "Common Era." And they only apply in the so-called western world. Many other countries use numbering systems based on different religions or other criteria.

Our numbering system for years is FAR from universal for the simple reason the system it is based on is FAR from universal.

Happy Yom Kippur, by the way. It's 5077.

As for Karma, I wish but nope, it's about as likely as magic ponies that poop rainbows. Which is too bad. I wish there was Karma and magic ponies that poop rainbows!

So THAT'S where rainbows come from.

"The term is B.C.E. and C.E., if you are an archaeologist."

I am not an archaeologist. Hence, I don't use those terms.

I like what Steve said. It is what it is. The Universe works with you - it always says yes. What you put out is exactly what you get - it's like a radio dial - you tune it to 88.1 and you get 88.1 - metaphysics rock. Now with that in mind - what you focus on is what you get. Considering that could have monumental effects in the world if all parties paid attention to their thoughts. No one really wants to have negative experiences. However, even a negative experience has a positive result - you sometimes have to look really heavily into it to find it, but it's there. There are no mistakes in life. Even in the cancer example - cancer is eating away at the flesh - that person most likely has had thoughts that have been eating away at their mind for years.

[This message has been edited by Shella Zelenz (9/22/2009)]

fyi - I've got some healing crystals for sale...

Bob....I NEVER said that YOU should/have to believe in Karma...I asked IF you believe in Karma....Yea, I gave one example...but I have many, many more that could take a life time to type out on this thread, so I chose to just give one. By the way....babies are innocent, the only thing they deserve is love, and to be taken care of by loving parents. You've been a real Jerk lately on a lot of threads....what the heck is wrong with you?

He sure has been radiating a lot of negative energy via a subspace chi-field. A high colonic will probably stop the emanations, but he's built up quite a negative karmic energy gradient - I wouldn't be surprised if he catches cervical cancer in the near future.

Bridgier, I've always solved that problem by wearing my aluminum foil hat when I hang out at the M & H.

[This message has been edited by Wendy Wilson (9/23/2009)]

I've just been a jerk LATELY?

Yeah!!! I usually don't have much of a problem with you!!!

I don't believe that a Christian can believe in Karma (according to the definition) as it is in contradistinction to faith.

I believe in Karma. I also believe that Jesus is the Son of God and The Messiah. I don't believe in arbitrary boxes in which to place people and their beliefs. I believe that the world, the Universe are not static.

Karma--as it is defined by the Hindu religion, not my "My Name is Earl"--involved reincarnation. Christians do not believe in reincarnation. So, by the actual definition of Karma, no, a Christian can't believe in Karma. However, by the popular "I'm spiritual, not religious" definitions we use today, anything goes!

Interesting article in Parade magazine about how most people in U.S. are very laid back about their "religion" as opposed to the old days, when YOUR faith was RIGHT and everyone else went straight to HELL and anyone who didn't belong to a church and go regularly got an even faster express car. Now most people vaguely believe in things but don't feel any urge to get dogmatic about it.

I overheard a woman discussing what church she planned to join based on its membership. The actual beliefs of the faith she was interested in was completely irrelevant. It was church membership as a social activity, not an expression of deeply held beliefs.

Now, it that a good thing or a bad thing?

It is her thing. It matters not what anyone else thinks or believes. It is her decision and rationale. Why should it matter to you or anyone else?

Amorette, you make a good point. Some use a church as a club and others use it to build faith.

I think that if you polled people who regularly go to church you would find that the majority of them don't have a clue about the tenets of their religion outside of the "do unto others" commandment and maybe some of the well known parables. I think this is especially true of Protestants. And many of the nondenominational churches don't really base their faith on any traditional forms but instead simply focus on the ten commandments and the Spirit. A lot of people go to a particular church because they were raised in it and it's comfortable.

This doesn't apply to Richard, of course.

Don't forget the parable of Jesus and his pet dinosaur...

I have had so many miracles in my life. I go to church to learn and grow. My requirement for the church I attend is:
1. They know & love God.
2. They share/teach Gods word.
Nov 9, 1973; we had burglars at our home. They put me in handcuffs and put a gun to my 7 months pregnant belly and said they were going to kill me if I didn't cooperate. They shot my husband through the neck (he lived). I saw a darkness fill the house (like smog) when they came in, yet there was a space around me of clean, clear air. I knew God was protecting me and I was so amazed that God was really real. I was not a Christian at the time - but became one that night. If God was real, I wanted to know Him, learn about Him, and be adopted into His family.
The Bible is a "self improvement" (instructions from the manufacturer) book and not a weapon to beat people over the head with.

Right on Dorothy! Very wise words for a cat wrangler.