Nephilim wrote:I would tend to agree, but again, goodness comes from doing good because you want to do good, not because you feel like if you don't then you will be punished.

That depends on whether you define "good" as an abstract moral yardstick or a measure of what you actually do to affect the world around you.

call me simple, but i follow the basic concept of karma. i believe that if i generate good energy, then good energy will surround me.
i try to be helpful friendly and peaceful, and i find that those traits generaly surround me. when i am negative , then negative things seem to follow.
but a lot of this is perception, when i am in a negative mode and generally neutral thing will seem negative, when i am in a positive mode neutral things will seem positive. i just prefer to stay positive.

Jack wrote:

vicious_blood wrote:Call me a skeptic. I just don't buy it.

That's OK. Not believing in gravity won't stop you from falling to death.

Ya know, I'm going to have to steal that, Jack.

Jack wrote:

Nephilim wrote:I would tend to agree, but again, goodness comes from doing good because you want to do good, not because you feel like if you don't then you will be punished.

That depends on whether you define "good" as an abstract moral yardstick or a measure of what you actually do to affect the world around you.

That is an entirely different discussion altogether.

Jack wrote:

vicious_blood wrote:Call me a skeptic. I just don't buy it.

That's OK. Not believing in gravity won't stop you from falling to death.

The problem with that is, gravity isn't an abstract belief system. Karma is.

Nephilim wrote:The problem with that is, gravity isn't an abstract belief system. Karma is.

That's debatable.

Jack wrote:

Nephilim wrote:The problem with that is, gravity isn't an abstract belief system. Karma is.

That's debatable.

But gravity isn't.

I don't really uze the "good" vz. "bad/evil" qualifierz n such nstancez ...

Nephilim wrote:

Jack wrote:

Nephilim wrote:The problem with that is, gravity isn't an abstract belief system. Karma is.

That's debatable.

But gravity isn't.

Only because it has been "seriously studied". If karma were seriously studied, it wouldn't be debatable either.

(PS - Gravity isn't nearly as well understood as you seem to be implying.)

Jack wrote:

Celestial Dung wrote:Anyway I'm undecided. One thing that's been wrapping around my brain lately is the concept of good and evil. Do the defenitions of good and evil rely more on the impact of an action then it's intent?

Intent is by far more important, because you can't know ahead of time the impact.

If I buy someone a Superbowl ticket and they get robbed and killed outside their hotel room, that karma is not on my head.

To follow up on this example... What if someone bought someone else a Superbowl ticket, and you meant to rob and kill them outside of their hotel room, but were sidetracked or otherwise deterred?

What I'm getting at is, is the intent entirely more important (and therefore, at times more damning) than the action itself?

Just food for thought..

iblis wrote:To follow up on this example... What if someone bought someone else a Superbowl ticket, and you meant to rob and kill them outside of their hotel room, but were sidetracked or otherwise deterred?

What I'm getting at is, is the intent entirely more important (and therefore, at times more damning) than the action itself?

It depends if you're talking about abstract morality or real-world repercussions. If you intend to do something bad, that makes you a bad person in the abstract sense. But if you never do anything bad, then you're not a bad member of society.

Jack wrote:....then you're not a bad member of society.

My question is, what does society have to do with karma?

Nephilim wrote:

Jack wrote:....then you're not a bad member of society.

My question is, what does society have to do with karma?

You beat me to it. I was wondering what the effect would be on karma itself - I could care less about what "society" thinks.

Nephilim wrote:

Jack wrote:....then you're not a bad member of society.

My question is, what does society have to do with karma?

On message boards, discussions often drift. Nature of the beast.

For a better understanding of Karma try playing Morton's List. It is uncanny.

OK...To deny yourself the urge...You already fuct yourself...Why stopped there...Go for the gold...While I voted yes...That was only due to the fact of what most people see as good...I would like to gat a few people...But that would make me a 'bad' person, now wouldn't it?...So in not doing it...& doing a few good things on the side...Woo hoo...I'm a 'good' person...Um...No...Still wanna kill people...I'm just not...It's all up to what 'good' people concider 'good'...Karma, one of the few religious dogmas I believe in, exists...Why do I say that...BECAUSE ALMOST EVERY FUCKIN' RELIGION PRACTICES IT...At least to some extent...Almost all Eastern religions...Wiccans*la sigh*...And even, survay says....Christians...What's that 'do unto others'...'God works in mysterious ways'...So if you believe in God...As the Holy Bible states about 'Him'...It basically speaks about God's version of Karma...Sorry...Tangent...

Also...Gravity is theory...Granted one that we wouldn't concieve of disproving...But a theory, none-the-less...Tangent...

My closing statement will be this:

If you don't have to believe in God to go to Hell...You don't have to believe in Karma, for it to kick you in the balls...

4X541N7 wrote:If you don't have to believe in God to go to Hell...You don't have to believe in Karma, for it to kick you in the balls...

Yep.

But I've seen lots more evidence of karma than (the Christian) God.

Jack wrote:

4X541N7 wrote:If you don't have to believe in God to go to Hell...You don't have to believe in Karma, for it to kick you in the balls...

Yep.

But I've seen lots more evidence of karma than (the Christian) God.

Me too...Probably because it's an intangable 'idea', for a lack of a better term...Whereas, God, is an intangable being...Collected thereon, are dogmas, tenets of all sorts, hell, even the idea of afterlives..All a little to live up to...lol...

Kinda off the subject, but the whole "do unto others" thing is like...treat people how you would want to be treated...not treat people a certain way and you'll be treated that way in return.

vicious_blood wrote:Kinda off the subject, but the whole "do unto others" thing is like...treat people how you would want to be treated...not treat people a certain way and you'll be treated that way in return.

That's not really off subject. Hell, it's sort of the point I was trying to make earlier. Being a 'good person' comes from doing good for the sake of doing good, not for doing good because you fear some sort of retribution or want a reward.