Shirley MacLaine has been receiving a lot of criticism after a passage from her book What If…, suggesting the Holocaust was karmic justice, circulated the internet.

Shirley Maclaine On Karma

MacLaine’s most recent book, What If…, was published in 2013, but has only recently become the subject of controversy. In the book, MacLaine ponders the idea of karma, and at one point questions whether the victims of the Holocaust had somehow done something to deserve it.

“What if most Holocaust victims were balancing their karma from ages before, when they were Roman soldiers putting Christians to death, the Crusaders who murdered millions in the name of Christianity, soldiers with Hannibal, or those who stormed across the Near East with Alexander? The energy of killing is endless and will be experienced by the killer and the killee.”

MacLaine didn’t limit her thoughts on karma to the victims of the Holocaust. Also in the book, she ponders whether Stephen Hawking was somehow responsible for his ALS: “If Jesus chose to die in a state of martyrdom, then Stephen Hawking could just as readily have chosen to live in a dual state of being: visibly physical weakness and unseen knowledge and power. What if all reality is an illusion?”

MacLaine Criticized For Suggesting Holocaust Was Karma

MacLaine’s comments have, unsurprisingly, upset quite a few people, both in and out of the Jewish community.

However, MacLaine’s offensive statements aren’t exactly surprising. MacLaine has been extremely open with her unorthodox spiritual beliefs – including her claim that she has seen UFOs.

It’s worth noting tat the passage went largely undetected by critics when the book was initially released in November of 2013. MacLaine has yet to comment on the controversy.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.