Did Delilah actually become Samson's wife? I know he married a Philistine long before Delilah... Judges 14

Kinda like a dad who's too busy with work and stuff to concern himself with his kid's welfare?

God is God, but the gods you are referring to seem to be what you make of them.
Some people see themselves as gods as well. Some treat money as god, some reputation, some pride...etc etc. the very thing that you serve and protect at all costs is your god. But this is not a pissing contest as to "my god is better than yours" ...lol...

For me, it is irresponsible to think that God will smite your enemies for your personal satisfaction. He made the world with order and because of sin, we people messed it up. So, it is up to us to clean up the mess the best way we can... Not everyone likes the idea of cleaning up messes...so yeah, people tend to get away with the worst and cruelest possible things.
He can intervene if He wants to, how He wants to, but in His time and reason, not ours. It's not something that He "owes" us. So again, yes...its not like we can expect something that we want Him to do to happen the way we want it to happen. We're not the boss of Him...lol...

Justice is never often absolute in one lifetime. That's probably why people cherry-picks what fits according to what is understood, when we don't have the entire picture (history, motivation, intent, circumstance, actions) of what really happened.

There are a few types of people in the world in reference to a higher power ( being or universe )

Those that truly believe, follow and put their faith in a higher power
Those that use the concept of a higher power to justify themselves
Those that live how they want to live while recognizing a higher power
Those that believe in themselves and do not believe in a higher power
Those that are searching for what to believe in

Practically speaking, no one can judge who is better or worse off than the other. We can only judge ourselves on the choices we make and the situations we are in.

Well...here are a couple of interesting readings on that :)

http://www.kktanhp.com/law_of_karma.htm
http://camphillchurch.org/study_books/GENERATIONAL%20CURSE.pdf
http://innerself.com/content/relationships/family/4870-what-is-family-karma-by-ashok-bedi-a-boris-matthews.html

For some reason...we usually do not give much emphasis on being thankful about inheriting the good karma, but we tend to shy away from believing in the bad...
Its probably similar to generational curses...like the kennedys, bruce lee...and similar stories of familial misfortune.

This is the nicest way to say...you will get yours...lol..

Apparently, karma has slightly differing concepts according to which school of thought it was developed from.
But it seeks to answer questions of causality in connection to justice, transferability of accountability and psychologic indeterminacy or predetermined destiny vs free will. And these concepts can either be for personal consumption or can transcend several lifetimes.

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The corollary to your question is
If someone does something wrong to you (or a loved one), how faithfully are you willing to let God's justice prevail, or how far are you willing to go by taking matters in your own hands?

If you believe in karma, but dont believe in inherited karma, then is it safe to say that you dont believe in reincarnation? That your karma only affects you and not others?

Psalm 143

Psalm 59

What about the concept of inherited karma ?

Mt 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

I read the article from where this was taken from.

To say that you should dig two graves when you embark on a journey of revenge means that even yourself may be consumed by the very revenge that you seek, causing not only the demise of the person whom you seek revenge from but also the demise of yourself.

To say that a gentleman is not a gentleman if he does not seek revenge for himself can be taken out of context. The second line states the right timing and even at the cost of his own life. - this is not to say that revenge is justified in itself. It means that to take action in order to stand up for the principles you believe in, even at great personal risk. It does not necessarily talk about revenge but about personal integrity and not letting others step all over it.

Taking revenge on a perceived offence is different from standing up for what you believe in. Standing up for what you believe in is best done in the right timing and circumstance, even at the cost of your own life, if only to prove one's integrity. Revenge on the other hand, may not only be detrimental to the object of revenge, but also to the person taking it, as it does not speak of any greater purpose or principle other than self-satisfaction at all costs.

Of course not ! Thats a whole 'nuther concept
For karma to take effect or God to act, you would have already acted based on your conscience, whether it was guilty or innocent.

Of course!

The law of cause and effect forms an integral part of Hindu philosophy. This law is termed as 'karma', which means to 'act'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines it as the "sum of person's actions in one of his successive states of existence, viewed as deciding his fate for the next".

In Sanskrit karma means "volitional action that is undertaken deliberately or knowingly". This also dovetails self-determination and a strong will power to abstain from inactivity. Karma is the differentia that characterizes human beings and distinguishes him from other creatures of the world.

Yes they seem to be. But for people who do not believe in God, the point is moot.

It's probably better to have the topic title as :
God's justice vs the universal concept of karma


Your question did lead me to this question:
if you would take it upon yourself to take revenge on someone whom you feel have wronged you, wouldn't karma catch up with you anyways?

karma may be a b****, but God's justice is sheer poetry...

we have a saying...when God finally metes out his justice, you will no longer find satisfaction in your enemy's suffering...what is left is pity/compassion...but there is nothing you can do to change their situation even if you wanted to.

karma doesn't seem to come close to the breadth and depth of this...

Leviticus 19:18
"'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 32:35
It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."

1 Samuel 26:10
As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "the LORD himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.

1 Samuel 26:11
But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go."

Psalm 94:1
The LORD is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth.

Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.

Proverbs 24:29
Do not say, "I'll do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did."

Jeremiah 51:36
Therefore this is what the LORD says: "See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.

Romans 12:17
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.

Romans 12:19
Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.

Ephesians 4:27
and do not give the devil a foothold.

1 Thessalonians 4:6
and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.

2 Timothy 4:14
Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.

Hebrews 10:30
For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."

now you have mingle as a stress-buster