It is difficult to believe that most people in this country do not believe in the law of “cause and effect”. Good thoughts and actions result in joy, and bad thoughts (greed, arrogance, and self love) thoughts and actions result in suffering in the future. Yet most people believe in punishing criminals when caught. Some countries like Israel punish the assailants as soon as they find out. Is it difficult to believe that nature or God does not act in the same way?

But in nature, the effect usually occurs in the distant future making it difficult to make a relationship between cause and effect. This will also be the case if one believes in reincarnation. In reality if the effect occurs immediately after the cause, the relationship will be easier to understand. For example, when a child behaviors unruly, it is better for the parent to punish the child immediately. If the punishment is meted at a later time, the child will not understand why he is being punished.

But what would be God’s purpose in prolonging the duration between cause and effect?  God may have a different perspective of time, where a day to us may be a second for God?  If the effect occurred immediately after the cause, some may believe the effect as God’s punishment, and not realize the suffering as a result of their own evil. It will be the fear of God that will prevent the evil person from acting, not from the change in his or her thinking. 

In summary, most people in the world whether they admit to believing in cause and effect, believe to some degree in this process of justice. Some may say that they serve God in handing out this punishment to those who they believe are evil, while others let God or nature take care of those who are evil.

Heaven’s Truth Church/Tenrikyo Church