Actress Sharon Stone has been in the news because of a well publicized comment regarding the devastating earthquakes the people of China recently suffered. Stone said that China was suffering because of “bad karma.” In other words, China may have gotten what they deserve for the way their government has treated Tibet and the Dalai Lama – a case of “what goes around, comes around.” Reaction against her was swift. She was not invited to the China Film Festival and the Chinese blogging community “exploded in anger.”
The concept of “karma” is found in the Hindu and Buddhist worldview. It is the idea that all personal actions have an effect on your past, present, and future. It’s quite simple: if you do a good deed, than good things will happen to you in your life. And if you do bad things, than bad things will happen to you. It’s analogous to the laws of Newtonian Physics: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” Good action bounces back equal good actions toward you, and vice versa. And that worldview makes a lot of sense to our rational, logical minds.
Those with a Biblical worldview are often tempted to introduce notions of karma into their beliefs because it makes such logical sense. In the Bible, we see people getting what they deserve. Enemies of Israel tried to destroy God's chosen people and failed or were destroyed: getting what they deserved. And on the flip side, Israel and Judah were destroyed and taken into exile for worshiping false gods and not trusting in Yahweh: getting what they deserved. So if I do good, then good things should happen to me as well. But life doesn’t always work out that way. For example, no matter the good or the evil we do, each of us ultimately grows old, our bodies fail, and we die. The Bible tells us that the sin of Adam and Eve is ours as well. “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
But in the Biblical worldview, Christ undoes that equation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t work according to our rules of karma. Through belief in Jesus Christ and trust in his cross and empty tomb for salvation, the sinner doesn’t get what he or she deserves. Instead, the believer graciously receives an underserved, eternal relationship with God through faith in Christ.
So how do those with a Biblical worldview respond to the earthquakes in China? Paul tells us that all creation is “groaning” waiting to be set free from the bondage and decay of sin. Earthquakes are just one manifestation of this. Given this understanding of our reality, it seems dangerous to equate particular sins of people to their suffering from particular consequences, and therefore, it would not be wise for the Christian to respond with judgment ala Sharon Stone. Helping the victims, easing their suffering and pointing to the hope we have in Christ should be the response of those with a Biblical worldview.