You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.– Bono
The idea of getting something for nothing is absolutely repugnant to many people. Grace is the free gift of God. . . we can’t do anything to get it. God just puts it out there on the table and says, “Come and get it.”
Bono is a cool guy and a great humanitarian, but this quote has a few irregularities, if not inaccuracies. For example, what he said about Karma, that what you put out comes back to you is accurate. But to say that Karma and Newton’s Third Law of Motion are the same thing as the Bible’s idea that “A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7), is not accurate, as they are not the same thing. How so? Firstly, Karma, also known as “Cause & Effect,” says that *everything* one does results in a corresponding effect. One does not even have to hold to any particular religious belief to see that in life, this is not always the case. For example, sometimes very rotten people do quite well and vice versa. The Bible knows this: “Why do the wicked prosper?” (Job 21:7) & “righteous men get what the wicked deserve and wicked men get what the righteous deserve.” (Ecc 8:14) Secondly, it is true that “as a man sows, so shall he reap,” (sooner or later), but it is not the equivalent of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” (Mat 5:38, Ex 21:24, Lev 24:20, Deut 19:21), as the latter expression has to do with limits, i.e. “an eye for an eye” and not “a life for an eye.” Two other statements make Bono’s full quote lose cohesion: (1) “It’s clear to me that Karma is at the center of the universe. I’m absolutely certain of it.” From the snippet that we have, we don’t know why Bono is so certain of this fact. I, for one would dispute it. But it seems contradictory for him to then say, “And yet, along comes this idea called Grace.” (2) From the snippet, we don’t know how Bono is defining Grace. From what we learn from the Bible, grace, as with everything else, originates from God and we understand it to mean (essentially) “unmerited favor.” While this “unmerited favor” is a wonderment to us (Amazing Grace), it does not, as Bono describes it, “defy reason and logic,” when put in the context of who God is and who man is. Bono is a cool guy, but not entirely consistent philosophically.
Grace is the free gift of God, but it is not merely “something for nothing.” Grace would be impossible were it not for the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.
You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff. – Bono
The idea of getting something for nothing is absolutely repugnant to many people. Grace is the free gift of God. . . we can’t do anything to get it. God just puts it out there on the table and says, “Come and get it.”
Bono is a cool guy and a great humanitarian, but this quote has a few irregularities, if not inaccuracies. For example, what he said about Karma, that what you put out comes back to you is accurate. But to say that Karma and Newton’s Third Law of Motion are the same thing as the Bible’s idea that “A man reaps what he sows” (Gal. 6:7), is not accurate, as they are not the same thing. How so? Firstly, Karma, also known as “Cause & Effect,” says that *everything* one does results in a corresponding effect. One does not even have to hold to any particular religious belief to see that in life, this is not always the case. For example, sometimes very rotten people do quite well and vice versa. The Bible knows this: “Why do the wicked prosper?” (Job 21:7) & “righteous men get what the wicked deserve and wicked men get what the righteous deserve.” (Ecc 8:14) Secondly, it is true that “as a man sows, so shall he reap,” (sooner or later), but it is not the equivalent of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” (Mat 5:38, Ex 21:24, Lev 24:20, Deut 19:21), as the latter expression has to do with limits, i.e. “an eye for an eye” and not “a life for an eye.” Two other statements make Bono’s full quote lose cohesion: (1) “It’s clear to me that Karma is at the center of the universe. I’m absolutely certain of it.” From the snippet that we have, we don’t know why Bono is so certain of this fact. I, for one would dispute it. But it seems contradictory for him to then say, “And yet, along comes this idea called Grace.” (2) From the snippet, we don’t know how Bono is defining Grace. From what we learn from the Bible, grace, as with everything else, originates from God and we understand it to mean (essentially) “unmerited favor.” While this “unmerited favor” is a wonderment to us (Amazing Grace), it does not, as Bono describes it, “defy reason and logic,” when put in the context of who God is and who man is. Bono is a cool guy, but not entirely consistent philosophically.
Grace is the free gift of God, but it is not merely “something for nothing.” Grace would be impossible were it not for the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.