MythicKarma, cause-and-effect moral law
UBSupreme Being concept, partially grasped
Supreme Being concept, partially grasped = Karma, cause-and-effect moral law
The Connection
The UB notes that the Hindu concept of Karma comes close to the Supreme Being concept but ultimately falls short. Karma correctly intuits that actions have cosmic consequences and that the universe responds to moral choices. However, it becomes mechanistic and impersonal, missing the personal, loving nature of the Supreme. The idea is right; the theology behind it is incomplete.
UB Citation
Academic Source
Doniger, Karma and Rebirth in Classical Indian Traditions (1980); Bronkhorst, Karma (2011)
Historical Evidence(Moderate evidence)
The UB states that the karma concept "comes the nearest to a recognition of the teaching of the Supreme." Wendy Doniger documents karma as "the moral law of cause and effect" operating across lifetimes. Johannes Bronkhorst traces the development of karma from a ritual concept to a comprehensive moral cosmology. The UB critique is specific: karma correctly identifies cosmic moral responsiveness but depersonalizes it, replacing a living Supreme Being with an automatic mechanism.