In some traditions, destiny is believed to be activity that is greatly conditioned by what occurred in lives preceding the present incarnation. In most cultures, there is little distinction between destiny and karma. They are considered to be unalterably linked and have a religious significance. The early Christian leaders outlawed the concept of karma about 300 A.D. The doctrine was eliminated since it conflicted with church dogma and also diminished the church's power to hold its members. Therefor, in the Western world the term destiny or fate is not considered karma or thought to be predetermined.

Destiny and karma are interrelated terms which have divergent significance in a religious context. Many religious traditions have the karma concept as a foundation, and they view it as divine justice or a law of divine retribution. According to this tradition of belief, the misdeeds of mortals in one life will be rectified in another. Unfortunately, religions that teach this doctrine have a singular method of liberation from karma for their members. They are expected to live their life unchallenged, as it unfolds, and in accord with the dogma of the religion. These individuals and their religious leaders lack knowledge of God or of God's spirituality, although their view of karma as a law of divine justice is accurate.

In the Western world, destiny is generally considered in extremes of abstract thought. Destiny is not a concept that is on the minds of individuals on a daily basis. They do not look upon their life-styles or positions in life relative to others as a matter of destiny. On occasion, there may be a reference to a particular individual in terms of destiny, for positive or negative accomplishment. Groups of people by race, color, religion or sex are not thought of as being confined by destiny.

Destiny is karma, even if it is not perceived to be a significant factor of life in the Western world. The knowledge about karma in those cultures where it has religious substance is limited and incomplete. All humans on earth are living lives that have karmic parameters within which they operate. Before reincarnating, these souls agreed, with spiritual guidance, that the assigned parameters were appropriate for the purposes of their incarnations. Some examples of parameters are parents, sex, race, place of birth, physical attributes, intelligence and all else deemed necessary to be embodied in flesh. Armed with the limits of their parameters and freewill, individuals are prepared but do not confront their egos. All mortals on the human plane have an anti-God, ego-controlled Illusions of Selves with which to contend, regardless of their beliefs about karma.

There are very few disciplines which instruct individuals about the necessity to confront their egos and defuse their power. Instead we have religious canon which encourages the accommodation of ego demands. There are traditions based on karma which teach individuals to go with the flow of their egos. Although rules of conduct are taught to minimize harm to others, the thrust of the philosophy is to peacefully follow the dictates of ego. In non-karma traditions, religious edict also encourages the accommodation of ego. Christianity is an outstanding example of how a religion keeps humans ensnared in their egos. It is accomplished with doctrine, ritual and a false presentation of God which energizes the negative emotional content of self illusion. Destiny is occasionally linked with how accomplished an individual is in the use of ego in competition with others.

Destiny, or if one's preference is to think of it as karma, is dualistic. Everything in the universe is dualistic in nature, and it applies to destiny as well. Religions are locked into a negative perception of destiny which maintains a separation between humans, God, and the spirituality of God. Religions have aligned with a concept about destiny as it applies to the objective world, while trying to make it appear spiritually-oriented. Religious leaders are more concerned about their power of control and viability of their organizations than about the souls of their members. It is apparent that religious leaders are comfortable with their situations, and that it is difficult for them to think in terms of spiritual destiny.

Mortals will be aligned with their destinies when each perceives it as an individual spiritual quest for God. Each will realize that it is his or her responsibility, alone, to find God. It is the epitome of spiritual wisdom to reject the concept that it is possible to accomplish redemption through religion. It is the epitome of spiritual wisdom to acknowledge destiny's link to spirituality. It is the epitome of spiritual wisdom to perceive that improvements on the human plane can occur when each individual is responsible for his or her own destiny.