Karma

[skalie]

The one and only religion.

"Do unto others as you would them do unto you" or someit.

[Cruise Director]

Also known as "what comes around, goes around."

I tend to be a big believer in this magic. I have enough life experience to have it hold true the majority of the time.

[MAC]

the golden rule?

jebus preached it!

and the europeans believed in it so strongly that they rode all the way to the holy lands of jesus's birth a thousan dyear slater to kill the non-believers who dared to desecrate such a godly place...those non-believers still own it to this day...well, them and the jews

that's karma in action, I say

*Grandpa MAC gives the wide eyed kids a $100 bill and sends them out to get ice cream*

[ms. bing]

my good friend ruca has a daughter named karma.
i'd say it fits. especially if the old mother's curse holds true: "i hope you have a daughter that's Just Like You!"

[MAC]

skalie, without (big fancy word that means "adding" I forget what it is) my personal opinions at this point, how would you explain "bad things happening to good people" which the christians just wash away with "God has a plan for us all"

[ms. bing]

in "Veggie Tales" they explain it as God using the good things that happen and the bad things that happen to all come together at some point in the future so a person can do something really great. it was on a video entitled "Little Joe" (Joseph and the many-colored coat set in the old west.)
i love Veggie Tales down to the depths of my little, Christian soul.

[Koliedrus]

Originally posted by MAC
skalie, without (big fancy word that means "adding" I forget what it is)

"interjecting"?

Let us know when you guys are finished running away.

[abs0lutionCFH]

Originally posted by MAC
skalie, without (big fancy word that means "adding" I forget what it is) my personal opinions at this point, how would you explain "bad things happening to good people" which the christians just wash away with "God has a plan for us all"



While we are at it shouldn't we ask why good things happen to bad people? Oh and what about Why should God care to let good things happen to people who deny he exist? I doubt I'll find the initiative to debate this issue much with someone who has already dug their heels into their beliefs , but as a believer I'll say this:

Through every ounce of pain I feel, I can't deny that God is real.


What grooms us towards two very different viewpoints on suffering? What makes one man look to the sky and see a masterful creator, and another man look to the sky and see a 100 billion year old fart gone bad?

[skalie]

Originally posted by MAC
skalie, without (big fancy word that means "adding" I forget what it is) my personal opinions at this point, how would you explain "bad things happening to good people" which the christians just wash away with "God has a plan for us all"

That only happens to non-believers (in karma).

[MAC]

well I didn't bring up "bad things happening to good ppl" because THEN I'd have had to interject the premise of "he'll get his" which IS the christian version of karmic belief anyway.

I dare to say that all of the major "garden of eden" based religions accept karma in one form or another but they usually attribute it to the eternal damnation/(opposite of damnation) of their everloving soul

why believe that you must die to find the inevitable reward for being good when you can believe that you are being repaid right now by the universe for living in harmony with the ebb and flow of it's energy?

less time begging forgiveness, more time fixing/not repeating your mistakes.

[abs0lutionCFH]

Originally posted by MAC
well I didn't bring up "bad things happening to good ppl" because THEN I'd have had to interject the premise of "he'll get his" which IS the christian version of karmic belief anyway.

I dare to say that all of the major "garden of eden" based religions accept karma in one form or another but they usually attribute it to the eternal damnation/(opposite of damnation) of their everloving soul

why believe that you must die to find the inevitable reward for being good when you can believe that you are being repaid right now by the universe for living in harmony with the ebb and flow of it's energy?

less time begging forgiveness, more time fixing/not repeating your mistakes.


I don't really think that you can take the philosophy of "What goes around comes around" and definitively say Karmic beliefs align closest with this, and therefore are the foundation for all the religions of the world. That’s almost like saying, "Do unto others as they would do unto you" is a humanist doctrine that was around before all the worlds religions, and is therefore the basis of them. Just because some of the basic premises are similar does not mean the message itself is in anyway the same, and quite frankly if that is what you are trying to say you are narrow minded at the very least.

If we are going to continue the discussion regarding good and bad as a basis for life you'll need to check your premise in regards to Christianity. Good deeds in no way attribute to salvation in this religion. Unlike most religions (maybe all) which in one way or another state that certain deeds will get you to paradise, Christianity preaches atonement. Only faith in Jesus Christ as God’s perfect child who was sacrificed on the cross will bring you eternal life. You’ve at least heard that last sentence enough times I’m sure. However as a basis for repentance and salvation your lifestyle will usually change and your deeds will move closer to “good” as time goes by. Also if we are still talking Christianity forgiveness only takes one sincere moment, and then you can work on the “more time fixing/not repeating your mistakes” part of the equation.

Are you really that bitter at all the Southern Baptists who told you that you would go to hell without Jesus that you would give up all reason in arguing your points? Or are you merely baiting me?

[MAC]

No, I really am upset by humans who believe that if i don't believe with the same words and ceremony as them that I don't believe in the same thing as them and that I am wrong and even bad.

karma seems to be a very comprehensive explination of something that appears to be entirely universal and timeless to me. It explains how the rules of the universe work in relationship to man's need for perception to make the vastness and complexity of life bearable.

I know I shouldn't rag on christians but I doubt I will ever be free of my bias towards them, in general. It'd be nice to discuss my personal spiritual philosophy once in my life without having to argue christianity but I seriously doubt that will ever happen. At best I am paranoid now.

Christians of every stripe (primarily southern protestants) have angered me so much in my short life that I actually think I will get some satisfaction from the day they all learn that they also follow a man-made mythologic interpretation of things they should simply admit they don't understand or should keep as simple as they appear. But that understanding doesn't really matter if they genuinely believe in the core of their faith and it's really pointless to feel such animosity towards people regardless what they think of me.

so if it's ok with you christians, I have no need for big complex gods, ceremonious worship and ancient aetherial anthropomorphic figures. I have all I need to believe in, understand, and love "God" in everything I see everyday.

[MuffyTheVampyreLayer]

Why be good?

Because you can.

That's all there is to it folks. I've talked about pascal's wager before (that's the deal where in gambling terms it's better to believe in god than not to as the rewards are better)...this thread reminds me of a Terry Pratchet book where some guy, a firm follower of Pascal's wagers basic idea, gets to the afterwold and discovers a bunch of angry people with pitchforks telling him that god doesn't like gamblers. Karma is much the same sort of thing IMO. Still, the basic idea of what goes around comes around works, you can't expect ppl to be nice to you if you treat them like shite.

[Asmodeus]

In the simplest terms for me: My karma ran over my dogma.

I do not consider myself Christian, nor affiliated with any other religion of this world. I consider myself a human being who makes his own choices and lives his life the best way he can. All in all, that is all any person can do in this life.

Sure, I have hurt people and hurt myself. Those are also called mistakes and I have learned from them. I have made mistakes in the past, I probably make some mistakes everyday, and I am asured I will make mistakes in the future. That is the nature of living. A certain Neitsche quote comes to mind: "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."

[Babe]

Also known as "what comes around, goes around."

I tend to be a big believer in this magic. I have enough life experience to have it hold true the majority of the time.


I agree. I wish more people would understand that. The world would be a better place.

[Cruise Director]

By the way, Babe, welcome to the Hypertribe. :)

[Babe]

Thank you dear.