Christianity and Karma

I was asked a few days ago what my church's position on the election was. What I told him was true, though probably not accurate. (The accurate answer is the "official" Episcopal church would endorse Obama and hope he would be less conservative). The truth I shared was my official position on the election: The American people as a body will get what they deserve by electing whom they elect. He seemed to like the answer and it is a truism so it is true.

Pondering the election results (not just nationally but locally, even down to our new school board) got me to pondering the issue: what do we deserve? And for some reason I found myself recalling the words of the fomer Memphis coach (currently at Kentucky) John Calipari. I know that John is a Catholic and from what I heard he was a church attender. I know nothing of his personal faith. I do know that he regularly referred to "karma." I also know that Catholics do not believe in karma. But of course, it depends on what you mean by the word, doesn't it?

Karma predates Buddhism, but it is spelled out in the Buddhist faith. One key concept, and one which makes it anathema to Christians, is that in our previous lives the choices and actions we engage in create the good and bad of our current lives.Here is a handy overview http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/karma.htm

I do not believe in previous lives. People who do are not Christians (though they may be a hybrid of some sort). Therefore, I cannot and do not believe that my current life is a result of previous lives. However, there is some room to discuss the karma-like understanding of life offered in the Sacred Scriptures.

Proverbs 22:8 He who sows iniquity reaps calamity, and the rod destroys his labor.
Hosea 8:7 When they sow the wind they shall reap the whirlwind
Sirach 7:1-2 Do no evil, and evil will not overtake you; avoid wickedness, and it will turn aside from you.
Job 4:8 those who plow mischief and sow trouble will reap the same

The NT continues to express the same idea in Paul, Galatians 6:7 No one makes a fool of God! A man will reap only what He sows and even the Lord Jesus, Mark 4:24, Listen carefully to what you hear. In the measure you give  you shall receive and more besides.

 My concern is this is true. And my worry is that choices I have made, the decision to do bad and wrong things, continue to produce fruits in my life and, yes, in the lives of my children. (They are the recipient of blessings and curses from me, their father.) And others I care about also suffer from my previous choices. I obviously do not think it all begins on the other side of death. In other words, I do not think the reference is heaven and hell. It starts now.

As I made clear last week, I firmly believe we need a savior. I also believe this life, here and now, is real and meaningful. I do not think the only thing that matters is "pie in the sky when we die." I am convinced that the life we have, here and now, and to some extent, the life we will have forever after, are intimately connected to the choices we make. It is not always clear to me how Jesus rescues me from my sins. I am aware that today, in many ways, I am suffering, sometimes greatly usually moderately, for the sinful choices I made as a younger man. And you are, too.

So where is the hope? How can one live in peace and joy when every day we are confronted with the fruits of our misdeeds? When we just cannot shake the reaping of what we sowed?

Well, there are two things that bring me comfort. One is this, I get what I deserve. There is justice. And I am receiving what I so regularly claim I want others to know: justice. What is fitting for them is fitting for me. To carry on with courage and endurance is the right thing to do. However, this provides only a small amount of comfort!

The second thing is this. Jesus Christ, in the incarnation, in living on earth, in His ministry, in His suffering, crucifixion and death,He has reaped for God what God has sown. The eternal God made the world. That was His choice. And because He chose to create, to love and to relate to us, He, too, reaped a harvest. The harvest was death, but God is stronger than death. Resurrection and life. That is the comfort, the suffering ends, death is not the last word. Life. Beauty. Joy. Love.... GOD, God is the Last Word. And that is what matters most.

So as I (and you) continue to experience the fruits of our lives, we can know, we deserve it and we will be rescued from it. And in the meantime, we can bear it with courage. And we can have insight into the lives of others and even compassion. And we can be gentler and kinder knowing the truth.