Why do bad things happen to good people?
Where does evil come from in the world? Depending on an individual’s faith, this question might be answered numerous ways. Each religion has their own bases as to why there is evil present, even questioning why a good God would allow suffering. There are four main theories that correlate depending on the religious teachings you believe in and why bad things happen to good people. It is human nature to try to figure out the world around us, and understand why we are here and why things happen. Religion gives us a foundation to stand on. The idea of evil in this world can contradict and strain the idea of a God that is good. Why would a God allow such pain and suffering to innocent human beings? The four main theories are as follows, karma, the consolation of promise, the appeal to sovereignty, and dualism.
Karma is commonly known as “what comes around, goes around”. Karma is usually present and predominates in Buddhism, Hindu, and Wiccan religions. When looking at Buddhism it is stated simply by:
“Teachings about karma explain that our past actions affect us, either positively or negatively, and that our present actions will affect us in the future.” (BBC, 2009) There is also the idea that choices made in a previous life can and will follow over to the current life and cause pain and suffering. This theory does not allow the idea that God is the cause of these problems rather it is the individual’s choices that have caused evil
One of the main arguments used by non-believers against the existence of God is the presence of evil and suffering in the world. The term ‘evil’ is often used to describe something that is morally wrong. Philosophers make a distinction between moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil results from human actions that are morally reproachable, and Natural evil results from the malfunctioning of the natural world, which produces entities such as disease and famine.
What is evil? Is it characterized by a desire to cause hurt or harm, “an evil mood”? What causes people to do evil? The strong feelings of hatred and dislike that builds up in all of us or simply that all our emotions are constantly on the dark side for such a long period of time. What is right from wrong when the hate in our hearts makes us all make terrible mistakes and commit evil. The writings of Confucius say, “There is no light without darkness, no positive without negative, no good without evil.” Throughout the history of humanity, humans have committed inconceivable and unthinkable acts of cruelty towards one another. From the brutal wars during the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans, to the modern
Karma is a belief in which if you do good, the world will reward you, and if you do bad, it will punish you. Just like in physics where every action has a reaction, is how it is in real life. If you commit a good deed, then somehow, someway, the universe will repay you. Bad actions lead to consequences which is what the universe will be in charge of.
Since the discovery of philosophy by the Greek civilizations man has always tried to find the cause of many fundamental problems that are connected to the reality and existence of factors that contribute to these dilemmas but still remain unknown to humanity. One of the most controversial questions philosophy tries to answer is the origin of what we consider evil, who or what is connected to the main cause of the pain and suffering that goes on throughout the world. “Evil is when one purposefully causes pain, not pain caused by fault, knowing something is morally wrong, but still proceeds in doing so. Simply by the definition of evil,
In modern days karma is seen through cause and effect, just as it was in Shakespearian times. Nowadays, negative karma is
(1) According to Buddhist beliefs, there is neither a soul nor an essential self. Karma is understood as good or bad intentional actions performed in the mind, body, and speech. Good intentions will lead to good consequences and bad intentions will lead to bad consequences. Therefore, good karma is better than bad karma, but no karma is better than good karma. The intentions performed in a small scale will affect a person’s life on a large scale. Each person is the cause of what he or she reaps in the world. The individual is responsible for his or her own karmic results. The way in which they think, the physical action that they perform, and what they say further affect karmic intentions and results. By knowing this, a person can change his or her behavior in an attempt to achieve good karmic results. In Buddhist Literature, there is a list of ten meritorious deeds:” generosity, morality, meditation, reverence, service, transference of merit, rejoicing in others’ merit, hearing the doctrine, teaching the doctrine, and straightening one’s views.” By completing at least one of the ten meritorious deeds, a person can experience good karma. For instance, if we are kind and help someone in need of help, whether or not we know him or her, then that is good karma. If someone is sick or injured and we offer them help to get better, then that is good karma. On the other hand, if we curse because we miss the bus or the bus is late to bring us to school or work, then this is bad
Karma is the connotation of causality that past actions influence future events. This is the same for both Buddhism and Hinduism. Both also believe in an endless cycle of births known as endless cycle of births, known as samsara. and release from this cycle of rebirths.
Karma is a belief that Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians believe in. Karma is simply “what goes around, comes around”. However, Buddhists and Hindus believe that karma occurs after reincarnation in the next life. Christians believe that karma can take place in the current life as well. Buddhism and Hinduism also believe in dharma, which are the ethics and duties.
Its impossible to reflect on the origins of evil without bringing up the concept of free will. God created man with this idea of choice; the choice to believe and obey, or the choice to disobey. It was this free will that allowed Adam and Eve to fall from their initial glory and introduce evil and suffering into the world. We can justify a large amount of sustained suffering by acknowledging that it actually benefits us and is not incompatible with God's loving nature. We learn lessons both physically and spiritually that allows us to grow and mature according to God. Some suffering is used to spark revival or for a great advancement in his kingdom, cause after all we're
The Buddhist doctrine of karma ("deeds", "actions"), and the closely related doctrine of rebirth, are perhaps the best known, and often the least understood, of Buddhist doctrines. The matter is complicated by the fact that the other Indian religious traditions of Hinduism and Jainism have their own theories of Karma and Reincarnation. It is in fact the Hindu versions that are better known in the West. The Buddhist theory of karma and rebirth are quite distinct from their other Indian counterparts.
Karma is whatever action you do has consequences whether they are good or bad. Karma is in everyday life whether it be a robber a getting arrested for robbing a bank to for somebody receiving money for helping an old lady with some task. Karma was seen wildly throughout the book The Ramayana in each of the character in the book. In this paper we will examine how karma played a role in each of these characters
In Buddhism, Karma has two forms; mental karma and deed karma (Encyclopedia of Religion 266). The two forms both abide by the belief that good or bad actions yield good or bad results. Mental karma is governed by what a person thinks. If a person thinks impure or malicious thoughts, they will build up bad karma during his life, and for pure thoughts, good karma is built up. Deed karma refers to the actions performed physically by a person. As with mental karma, deed karma is the culmination of good karma and bad karma resulting from one’s actions.
Whatever you carry out in life, please accomplish it well because one day it will surely come back in another form to you. The law of karma ?what goes around comes around? alternatively, I will say what ever you sow you will surely reap.
The problem of evil is as ancient as humanity itself. Since the dawn of man, thinkers, philosophers, religionists and practically every human being who have suffered at the hands of evil have pondered this enigma, either as a logical-intellectual-philosophical or emotional-religious-existential problem. The preponderance of evil as a reality in human existence, and
“What goes around comes around” is a popular saying worldwide bad deeds never go unpunished. Everything we do or say determine on what’s going to happen to us in the future. Whether we act honestly, dishonestly, help or hurt others. Karma can be divided into good or bad. I believe that if you do something good something good will happen to you. if you do something bad then something bad will happen to you. karma is not something I believe in because of stories told by friends, but because of personal experiences.