Many people around the world believe in what is known as Karma.

The word ‘karma’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Karman’, which translates to ‘act’. Per the principles of Indian philosophy, it is defined as the fundamental law of causation through which good or bad actions or their intent determine the future implications of a person’s life. Simply put, “Karma is when you do good things, good things happen to you. And if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you”.

This is a very simplistic view, of course.

The idea sounds fair and square, but there are major flaws in it.

Karma supposes that if your karmic scales are inclined towards the bad, you will surely get what you deserve. The problem here lies in the fact that many people who do horrible things don’t get punished for their actions in this life.

Take the Soviet Union dictator, Stalin, for example. He was responsible for murdering millions and causing the misery of millions of his people, yet he died peacefully, and his death was mourned by his country. He seems to have escaped karma. Many Nazi war criminals also escaped after World War II and were never caught. They died natural deaths without any kind of punishment.

The same goes for people who do good by selflessly helping their fellow humans, animals, and nature. Yet some of those were horribly punished, imprisoned, and even tortured, and they died horrible deaths!

Where are the karmic scales in all that? What is its use if it doesn’t work? Even if there is no afterlife and we are all incarnated again, what is the point of having bad karma for things you do not even remember?

Christianity, on the other hand, gives us a more logical explanation for such events. Although God is just and punishes the wicked and rewards the saints, He does that in this life and the afterlife. So we don’t have to wait to see His justice in our lives. But we sometimes do, yet we know for certain that someday there will be justice for all.

This means we should not only do good in our lives but also help others get “good karma” in this material life. We do them because this is our purpose and by doing so, we become better people and know God better.

It also means that we should continue to do good despite not getting good things in return; we do it for goodness’ sake, which is true morality.

As The prophet Habakkuk said:

“Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will be joyful in God, my Saviour.”

(Habakkuk 3:17–18)