Bono: Grace is the opposite of Karma

The Search for Living Prophets

U2’s singer Bono used to be a believer in Karma but through his journey, he’s grown to be a firm believer in Grace.

Most religions are based on Karma. The ancient Israelites believed in Karma (“we are God’s chosen people” and “lepers must have sinned to be diseased”). Hinduism and the caste system is about karma. And most importantly, a large swath of Republican social conservatism is also based on Karma.

Deniece Mason explains why Christianity is so revolutionary – that it is based on Grace, not Karma. Karma is getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt only to have them complain about all the things that God hadn’t done for them, that they wanted. They had still created a God in their image rather than waking up and recognizing the bounty that God had provided them. How often do we look at our lives in the same way, missing out of the promises in front of us?

The folly of placing one’s spiritual beliefs on karma has a dangerous parallel in politics. The idea that some people deserve more privilege over others by their merit leads us to a world with greater suffering, disunity, isolation, and insurmountable problems. But a firm believe in grace transcends our differences and leads to the possibility of a nation that reflects the audacious aspirations outlined in our Constitution. If you are wondering how we build a society that raises up the meek, and binds the broken, here’s 8 minutes of what we can do to follow the blueprint of our founding fathers.

http://ia601504.us.archive.org/1/items/20170924WaterWhineKarmaGrace-Bono-Moses-Deniece-Mason/2017-09-24-Water-Whine-Karma-Grace-Bono-Moses-Deniece-Mason.mp3