my thoughts on the belief of karma being a punishment-type system

[Dtris]

Karma is typically described as a wheel. As a wheel turns the same point returns again and again. Karma as a punishment and reward system is a very simple view of it. I think it is simply the lessons we need being repeated, and the consequences of previous actions being enacted to allow for learning. A small child should not know what it feels like to be hit and hurt, and may think it is fun to hit and hurt another child. Then that child gets hit back one day and realizes it hurts. So the child stops hitting and hurting other children. Sometimes we do not realize the consequences of our own actions, and have to assume the other role to realize their effects.

As far as casually mentioning hell I am not sure why that is surprising. There are many hells in eastern religion. Someone who adheres to one of these religions faithfully will believe in the hells as surely as we believe that the Law of One is real. There is some truth to the concept of hell. Many people feel the desire to be punished for their sins. As Hatonn says, you will find what you seek. So the hells will exist for someone who desires it. There are even modern NDE accounts of hell, although much less common than ones of a heaven like atmosphere.

The concept of shunning occult powers is also not unique. This version is slightly extreme but the general idea is also present in Qigong. The simple reason is that the powers should be a byproduct of the practice, and not the goal. If they become the goal then you are losing sight of the real goal post. Similarly in our discussions the major goal is to make the choice and graduate STO, but we can get caught up in discussing the chakras, densities, channeling, and other minutia of the Ra Material which can lead us away from the goal if we aren't careful.