Christian Karma

Many of my more Conservative Christian friends don’t like the idea or Karma; I’s not 100% sure why, but that’s what I’ve found. It could be because the idea central to Karma run contra to what they see as the central idea of Christianity. My personal view is that many push it aside because, as they see it, Karma has its origins in ancient faiths they see as “wrong,” Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism. Whenever I try to speak with them about the idea of Christian Karma they freak out – I mean, they totally blow a gasket, and run around in pink panties shouting ‘The End Is Upon Us.’ Mark Herringshaw, in his book, The Karma of Jesus: Do We Really Reap What We Sow? (Bethany House, 2009) wrote, “But if you really reap what you sow, then every mistake you make will keep haunting you. Jesus offers a much better way to live – with Grace.”

Now, I’ll admit, Grace is a very cool thing, and I thank the Divine every day for the blessing of Grace, but does that mean a concept of Christian Karma is out the door? I would say, no. In fact, I think many people use Grace as a out. They believe they can do as they desire, treat others like crap, and claim all is good because they’re covered by Grace. In his recording of the life and ministry of Jesus, Luke shares Jesus saying the following:

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. [Luke 6:31-34 MSG]

Now, let’s connect that with what Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians:

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. [Galatians 6:7-10 MSG]

The KJV translates Galatians as ‘reap what you sow’ – we might say it like this, ‘you get what you give.’ So, if Jesus is telling us to do good to others, and Paul tells us that what we do, comes back to us, yeah, I’d call that Christian Karma. One of my conservative friends told me, “Yet, long came Grace to kick aside all that ‘As you reap, so will you sow’ garbage you’re claiming.” In that conversation I reminded him that Paul was the one who said that garbage. Between what Jesus said, and Paul added we have a spiritual cause and effect understanding of the world around us. But to truly grasp this, one needs to understand the concept of Karma.

Karma can be defined as an action of spiritual cause and effect, see the connection? The Idea is where the intent and actions of any individual influence the future of that individual [reap and sow]. So, we can say that good intent and good deed [treating others as you desire to be treated] contribute to receiving good karma, while bad intent and bad deed will contribute to bad karma. Do good things, good things happen; do bad things, bad things happen; not right away. Or as Paul said it, “The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds.”

In that, I will leave you paraphrasing the words of a great thinker and radical theologian:

[Christian] Karma’s gonna get you

Gonna knock you right in the head

You better get yourself together

Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of?

Laughing in the face of love

What on Earth you tryin’ to do?

It’s up to you, yeah, you

[Christian] Karma’s gonna get you

Gonna knock you right in the face

You better get yourself together darling