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Karma  - Sowing Good Seeds
by Frank Schaefer


Scripture Readings:

Proverbs 11:27 "Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it."

Job 4:8 "As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same."

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

James 3:18 "And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace planted by peacemakers"

This is what our conservative friends at biblereasons.com have to say about karma:

Many people ask is karma biblical and the answer is no. Karma is a Hinduism and Buddhism belief that says your actions determine the good and the bad that happens to you in this life and the afterlife. Karma is associated with reincarnation, which basically says what you do today will determine your next life."

With Karma you get what you deserve. In Christianity Jesus got what you deserve." "Grace is the opposite of Karma." You will not find anything associated with karma in the Bible. But the Bible does talk a lot about reaping and sowing. Reaping is the result of what we've sown. Reaping can be a good thing or a bad thing. (http://biblereasons.com/karma/)

However, the biblical metaphors for reaping what you have sown are virtually a description of Karma! The verses they list following this description are the ones we just heard read. It's amazing to me to see how these conservative evangelicals are so narrowly focused on their particular theology that they don't even make sense anymore. One of the problems of fundamentalism, no matter where you find it, is a superiority thinking ("My religion is the only true religion"). In this day and age, such thinking seems so out of place.

I, for one, believe that all religions offer a path to God. As a progressive Christian, I am excited about what we have in common with other faiths. And if you look closely, you find that there is much more common ground we share with other faiths than there are differences.

Talking about Karma, I truly believe that these Scripture passages we heard are right on. We reap what we sow. And notice these are from various books of the bible, Old Testament and New. In these verses we are told that the way we live matters. There is actually no explanation given on how this happens.


So, we can all use our imagination to think of how this karma principle works. Some believe that it is God who keeps a record of our good and bad deeds and rewards us accordingly in this life and the next. I think, though, that there is a simpler explanation. And according to Occam's Razor, the simplest explanation is usually the best, right?

I believe that what we do shapes our character. There is a whole school of psychology, the behavioral approach, that is based on this theory. Mental patients are rewarded by doing the right things. The more peer groups, counseling sessions, craft, dialogue group you participate in, the better your attitude and activities are, in terms of taking your meds, reaching your therapy goals, etc. the more rewards you get. And the success rate is amazing. By changing your behavior, you can change your outlook, attitude, and state of mind. I've seen it in my Clinical Pastoral Education at Philhaven hospital in Mt. Gretna PA.

Applying this to Karma is just a tiny step from here: as we do good deeds it shapes our character, our attitude, our state of mind. We become likeable, respected and trustworthy people in our own minds before other see those attributes in us. And when others start to see those attributes that we exude, not only through our behavior, but also through our presence of mind, people around us will respond in a positive way toward us.
Karma can be explained psychologically. It's amazing how people rally around a person who they respect for their good character and deeds, when this person faces a crisis.

Video: A Story about Karma