Is there a Christian version of "karma?'' God gives us trials? or punishments?

[hausofferni]

Like I know we catholics don’t believe in karma, and I don’t at all, but is there something like this that God does for us, like punishment? Like when I do something bad like judge someone for example, does God punish me later for this in some way? Ok and lets say he does punish me right, after he punishes me, I go back and say “God is good, I trust him, this is something he gave me, this is a test.” See??? Is it a punishment or a test/trial? Here is what confuses me, another example, I have an aunt who does drugs, abuses her parents for money, etc… and I in no way want to judge her, I love her, but then later on the same day after doing who knows what, she posts on social media about God giving her trials and tests and that God is doing this hardship because something good is coming, but what is God really doing??? Is he punishing her, or?? I’m just honestly so confused??? Does punishment come later on in purgatory?

 

[adamhovey1988]

Like I know we catholics don’t believe in karma, and I don’t at all, but is there something like this that God does for us, like punishment? Like when I do something bad like judge someone for example, does God punish me later for this in some way? Ok and lets say he does punish me right, after he punishes me, I go back and say “God is good, I trust him, this is something he gave me, this is a test.” See??? Is it a punishment or a test/trial? Here is what confuses me, another example, I have an aunt who does drugs, abuses her parents for money, etc… and I in no way want to judge her, I love her, but then later on the same day after doing who knows what, she posts on social media about God giving her trials and tests and that God is doing this hardship because something good is coming, but what is God really doing??? Is he punishing her, or?? I’m just honestly so confused??? Does punishment come later on in purgatory?

Could you make this a little shorter? Just summarize it? I know a little bit about karma and I know that many people use the term wrongly to refer to what comes around goes around which is not what karma is karma involves reincarnation which we as Christians don’t believe

 

[TK421]

There are some similarities but they are different.

Perhaps more than any other Sacred book, the book of Proverbs shows us a world with automatically occurring positive and negative consequences. Prudence will, as a general rule, lead to good outcomes, and imprudence will lead to bad outcomes.

But, in an orthodox Christian context, Divine Providence is the actions of God that lead to the sanctification of the soul, and this can (and will) come at the expense of the sensual comfort of the soul. So, contrary to certain beliefs that were prevalent in early Calvinism and other circles, worldly success is not an automatic indicator of godliness, or worldly disasters an indicator of godlessness. Seemingly horrible things can and will happen to a good person, although what seems horrible to us is not horrible towards God’s designs, which are and always will be directed towards our sanctification.

 

[ericc]

Like I know we catholics don’t believe in karma, and I don’t at all, but is there something like this that God does for us, like punishment? Like when I do something bad like judge someone for example, does God punish me later for this in some way? Ok and lets say he does punish me right, after he punishes me, I go back and say “God is good, I trust him, this is something he gave me, this is a test.” See??? Is it a punishment or a test/trial? Here is what confuses me, another example, I have an aunt who does drugs, abuses her parents for money, etc… and I in no way want to judge her, I love her, but then later on the same day after doing who knows what, she posts on social media about God giving her trials and tests and that God is doing this hardship because something good is coming, but what is God really doing??? Is he punishing her, or?? I’m just honestly so confused??? Does punishment come later on in purgatory?

I don’t believe that God punishes back-to-back for every mortal sin that we commit. There is Hell and Purgatory that deal with Divine Justice. However, at times God may want to show/teach us something rather immediately so that the message is clear and we can see the cause-and-effect.

The Devil can also show his evil by punishing us or tempting us. After all he is the prince of this world. Those who attempt to do good may see punishments but not by God.

And of course there is this element of luck or randomness of a series of events that just seem so fortuitous or unfortunate that it seems like a cause/effect reward/punishment thing. Read Fooled by Randomness for an intro.

 

[rossum]

Just summarize it? I know a little bit about karma and I know that many people use the term wrongly to refer to what comes around goes around which is not what karma is karma involves reincarnation which we as Christians don’t believe

Buddhist karma can be summarised as: “actions have consequences”. Those consequences may come within the same lifetime as the actions or may be delayed until a later lifetime.

Mind precedes all conditions,
mind is their chief, they are mind-made.
If you speak or act with an evil mind then suffering will follow you,
as the wheel follows the draught ox.

Mind precedes all conditions,
mind is their chief, they are mind-made.
If you speak or act with a pure mind then happiness will follow you,
as a shadow that never leaves.

– Dhammapada 1:1-2

I do not know enough about the specifics of the Hindu approach to karma to say anything about it.

rossum

 

[marymary1975]

No, God doesn’t punish anyone. What exist in Catholicism is a simple called “consequences”. An action causes a reaction and that has consequences. It is not God punishing you, is that every action you do has consequences. God actions bring good consequences and bring you closer to God. Sinful actions bring bad consequences and pushes you away from God. Simple as that.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म; IPA: ˈkərmə] ( listen); Pali: kamma) means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma

Consequences do not necessarily involve reincarnation.

 

[rossum]

Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म; IPA: ˈkərmə] ( listen); Pali: kamma) means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma

Consequences do not necessarily involve reincarnation.

Buddhist scriptures refer to karma and phala: action and result (lit. ‘fruit’). When the concept was absorbed into English, it was shortened to karma.

rossum

 

[babylonfalling]

Like I know we catholics don’t believe in karma, and I don’t at all, but is there something like this that God does for us, like punishment? Like when I do something bad like judge someone for example, does God punish me later for this in some way? Ok and lets say he does punish me right, after he punishes me, I go back and say “God is good, I trust him, this is something he gave me, this is a test.” See??? Is it a punishment or a test/trial? Here is what confuses me, another example, I have an aunt who does drugs, abuses her parents for money, etc… and I in no way want to judge her, I love her, but then later on the same day after doing who knows what, she posts on social media about God giving her trials and tests and that God is doing this hardship because something good is coming, but what is God really doing??? Is he punishing her, or?? I’m just honestly so confused??? Does punishment come later on in purgatory?

A lot of people believe, amounts to what goes around comes around. If you’re talking about that principle then yes. God wired the universe to react positively 2 positive (name removed by moderator)ut from us. But that is not really an Eastern religion thing. God owns this principle which is often referred to as karma

 

[Blue_Horizon]

Like I know we catholics don’t believe in karma, and I don’t at all, but is there something like this that God does for us, like punishment? Like when I do something bad like judge someone for example, does God punish me later for this in some way? Ok and lets say he does punish me right, after he punishes me, I go back and say “God is good, I trust him, this is something he gave me, this is a test.” See??? Is it a punishment or a test/trial? Here is what confuses me, another example, I have an aunt who does drugs, abuses her parents for money, etc… and I in no way want to judge her, I love her, but then later on the same day after doing who knows what, she posts on social media about God giving her trials and tests and that God is doing this hardship because something good is coming, but what is God really doing??? Is he punishing her, or?? I’m just honestly so confused??? Does punishment come later on in purgatory?

Temporal punishment due to sin sounds exactly like the principles involved in karma to me.
Most if not all punishment is simply natural…why do we have to think God personally metes every little detail out himself!!