Q: Question: If a child is born defective, why would God be so cruel to allow such a thing? Isnt it because of past karma, a child is born defective or poor? If the answer is yes, then isn''t re-birth a fact?
A: That there are inequalities of some kind cannot be denied. Being born with a defect may have its share of troubles, but it also has it many blessings. I have several friends who were born with troubles like this and they are wonderful people. They have a great effect on many people around them, they demonstrate to those who are “normal” how much they have and often put us to shame with all they do with the little they have. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor.” Some of the people I know who are mentally limited are thoughtful and caring people—more than a room full of supposedly “normal” people. Often the problem is our estimation of what is blessed and what is cursed. It seems the rich are often more prideful, arrogant, selfish, seem to practice evil with immunity, and assumptive of their rights and powers beyond others. It seems to me there are genuine troubles with being poor, yet there are as many or more with being born rich.
The real problem I have is when a person is born with some kind of difficulty or defect, and rather than treating them as a full and dignified human being, this person is shunned because of some supposed previous bad karma, and this person is told they deserve their poverty and trouble and is left in their poverty and trouble. They are not often even given a chance to improve themselves or do something with their lives as they are considered “deserving” of their troubles. The supposed bad deeds they have committed cannot be proved, cannot be connected to this person, and yet this person must not only bear the troubles with poverty or defects, this person must also bear the suspicions of everyone around them of being a bad person. This is what truly adds insult to injury.