I got this notion from a presentation by The Christian War on Everything. They claim that Karma leads to a lack of compassion. While it is a motivator to 'do good,' or at least to not 'do bad,' it is not a motivator to help others who are in need, because it justifies their distress by implying that they deserve it due to their own past actions. Those societies in which karma is most ingrained as a philosophy also tend to be those with the most profound disregard for human life. They gave some examples from the Indian state of Orissa.

I have heard the same thing from different sources (about India, not about Karma). An Engineer who went over there told a story of a smal village that took power for free from overhead power lines. There is a law that allows one light in each hut to be powered this way. One day the fuse broke, so they sent up the village electrician to replace it. However, the electrician was electrocuted when he tried to remove the fuse with his bare hand. So they elected another electrician, who did the same thing and died. A few women were wailing, but it was generally regarded with a 'poo happens' approach. The engineer managed to convince them to send a runner into the nearest town to get them to turn the power off. They sat round waiting until he returned, then sent the newest electrician up the pole. Soon there were three smouldering corpses at the bottom of the pole. The runner was sent back, but didn't return till the next day after the village had spent a night without lights. When he returned he said they had turned off the wrong line, but the correct one had now been turned off. The village elected it's fourth electrician. The young boy, sweating profusely, climbed the pole. The crowd below drew in a breath as he reached the top and stretched out his hand to grab the fuse. He scaled back down the pole, fuse in hand, the small crowd cheering. He handed the broken fuse to the chief and aksed for the new fuse to put back in. 'What new fuse?' was the response he got.

Not sure how the story ended.

hahah, I just HAD to check that site. Pretty boring.

I guess the idea of karma has no forgiveness ?

I've often thought about this topic.

I haven't had it here, but on another forum I often come across what appear to be bitter old ladies who express their hope that something horrible happens to me and that I suffer for my sins (killing animals). They use the word karma a lot.

grace over karma my friends

freediver wrote on Aug 8^th, 2007 at 2:20pm:

They claim that Karma leads to a lack of compassion. While it is a motivator to 'do good,' or at least to not 'do bad,' it is not a motivator to help others who are in need, because it justifies their distress by implying that they deserve it due to their own past actions.

Karma is a mirror. If you give compassion, you will recieve compassion.
I wouldn't be taking these christians view on a subject they don't believe in too seriously.
WHAT GOES AROUND - COMES AROUND.

It wasn't just the view of these Christians. It's also what I know about Indian society, and the strange bitterness I've seen from people on online forums who believe in karma. It sounds good on the surface, but what you end up with is snobby people saying they are rich because they deserve to be rich and the poor are poor because they deserve to be poor. It inevitably turns into an excuse for social injustice.

merou - no, I don't know much about it unfortunately.

Please feel free to post anything about it here.
it'ld be appreciated

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Gender-tests-fuelling-foeticide-in-India/2007/08/22/1187462303415.html

The widespread use of illegal tests to determine the sex of an unborn child is fuelling a rise in female foeticide cases in India, social activists and officials have said.

Sex determination tests through techniques such as ultrasonography and amniocentesis are banned in India, but female foetuses are still commonly killed in some regions where a preference for sons runs deep.

As a result, the government says around 10 million girls have been killed by their parents - either before or immediately after birth - over the past 20 years.

Last month, police discovered 30 polythene bags stuffed with the body parts of female foetuses and newly born babies in a abandoned well near a clinic in eastern India, sparking protests.

Wonder what sort of karma that would bring them ?

I guess it depends on whether the baby deserved it for crimes committed in a past life.

ahahahha, well true.

Looks like the Indian boys will be banging each other in a couple of generations, might be good for their population control .

freediver wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2007 at 1:52pm:

I guess it depends on whether the baby deserved it for crimes committed in a past life.

No way. I reckon if you are a really good person you come back as an aborted fetus because then when you get reborn again you can't have done anything bad to anyone so you get the sweetest life ever.

Good logic super.

Only they haven't done anything good either, so can't really be "rewarded".
They have not earnt anything.

They have existed perfectly with their environment as in they had no impact left behind whatsoever. Buddha would be proud.

You sure about that super?