What Christians Got To Do With Yoga ?

[Kabowd]

Wow. I did a search to help the OP find the other topic I referred to...and low and behold...it was started by the same person.

Christianity and Yoga

So...now I'm curious. Why not just pick up that discussion where you left off? Why start a whole new topic on the same thing?

[Kabowd]

Haha...I just read the firsts post of both threads too. They're the EXACT same words and everything. Odd.....

[Elisabeth]

Yoga is an Hindu religious practice from the ancient times Yoga has nothing to do with Christianity or the Bible Then why some Christians in America are practicing this? This is what Paul wrote,"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

[Jefferiah]

ONce again though, mere physical positions have nothing to do with the spiritual world. If a hindu uses yoga to help his body and believes in the religion behind it and uses it to contact spirits thats his own malarky. Hindus have no monopoly on the body and the way in which it can be stretched and moved. These things belong to God and subsequently to all of us since he gave us the ability to move our bodies. The mere physical practice of contorting yourself into a certain position is not evil. Evil comes from the heart. If one intends to use physical exercises plus the added Hindu spiritual practices to contact spirits and such then it is bad. But to copy the physical exercises because they are good for the health is not evil. No matter what position you put your body in you are not doing anything wrong. Physical contortions are not bad, its what you have in your mind and in you heart that is defiling. It is quite possible that a western medical expert who is Christian could do research on physical exercises and stretching, having no knowledge of the yoga exercises, and could develop a similar set of stretches on the basis that they are healthy for the body. Sitting a certain way doesnt make you more in touch with spirits. The body is physical and spirits are spiritual. I believe that tea before it became popular in the west was used by buddhist monks to keep them awake and aware for proloonged meditation periods. But now we all drink tea, yet our intent is not to stay awake for meditation is it. So in a sense one could make the claim we are practicing an aspect of buddhism when we drink tea, but really we are not involved in any of the philosophy. Because Buddhists do not have the monopoly on tea leaves. God created the plant. Same with the body and the way it can move and the health benefits that can be derived thereof. So once again I must say that "Yoga" can mean simply a series of physical exercises to some, that happened to be devised by Hindus for their own purposes. I believe from what I have read that the belief in the yogic system is that in order to practice the spiritual life one must have control over ones body and keep it healthy. So the physical aspect was developed as a way to keep the body healthy so they could practice the other aspects of Yoga (the spiritual ones), which we do not agree with. If the stretches happen to achieve the end of making the body more supple there is nothing wrong with that. So close attention must be paid to what we mean by "Yoga". If any heretical philosophy is taught in your yoga class, things contrary to the Gospel, then it is heretical to our faith. But if you are simply using the exercises there is nothing wrong with that.

you merely have knowledge of the gateway, or the introduction to Yoga. Yoga is a component of a false religion. I would no more practice it than I would practice white witchcraft.

I do have more knowledge of yoga than you think. And I understand your concern completely hr. jr. However, I ask you to distinguish between those aspects of Yoga which are merely physical and those that have to do with philosophy and spirituality. To call the physical exercises components of a false religion, does not mean they are bad. Like the use of tea by the buddhists could be said to be a component of Buddhism. Tea really has no meaning on its own. Neither do the physical exercises. But there is a danger in heretical ideas being introduced through modern yoga classes I am sure, and it certainly could be used as a gateway. But simply because of that fact you cannot bar people morally from physical exercises which have no meaning on their own. Even if 99 % of all American Yoga classes taught an heretical component of Hinduism in disguise, the teaching would be philosophical or spiritual and would have little to do with the stretches. You must always make the proper distinction. Bodily positions are not evil, and are not gateways. No bodily position can change your thoughts, or make you a different person. If there is a gateway it has to do with teachings, not exercises.

[botticelli]

I think theres two versions of yoga these days

1.) the work -out type - this is the type where you get in positions and these positions are meant to relax the body not workship other gods

2.) this is the type where you worship the hindu "gods" as in you get in the positions and then think about how great they re sing to them worship them ect...ect...ect

I think it all depends on the motives you do yoga that count not the positions themselves

[botticelli]

ONce again though, mere physical positions have nothing to do with the spiritual world. If a hindu uses yoga to help his body and believes in the religion behind it and uses it to contact spirits thats his own malarky. Hindus have no monopoly on the body and the way in which it can be stretched and moved. These things belong to God and subsequently to all of us since he gave us the ability to move our bodies. The mere physical practice of contorting yourself into a certain position is not evil. Evil comes from the heart. If one intends to use physical exercises plus the added Hindu spiritual practices to contact spirits and such then it is bad. But to copy the physical exercises because they are good for the health is not evil. No matter what position you put your body in you are not doing anything wrong. Physical contortions are not bad, its what you have in your mind and in you heart that is defiling. It is quite possible that a western medical expert who is Christian could do research on physical exercises and stretching, having no knowledge of the yoga exercises, and could develop a similar set of stretches on the basis that they are healthy for the body. Sitting a certain way doesnt make you more in touch with spirits. The body is physical and spirits are spiritual. I believe that tea before it became popular in the west was used by buddhist monks to keep them awake and aware for proloonged meditation periods. But now we all drink tea, yet our intent is not to stay awake for meditation is it. So in a sense one could make the claim we are practicing an aspect of buddhism when we drink tea, but really we are not involved in any of the philosophy. Because Buddhists do not have the monopoly on tea leaves. God created the plant. Same with the body and the way it can move and the health benefits that can be derived thereof. So once again I must say that "Yoga" can mean simply a series of physical exercises to some, that happened to be devised by Hindus for their own purposes. I believe from what I have read that the belief in the yogic system is that in order to practice the spiritual life one must have control over ones body and keep it healthy. So the physical aspect was developed as a way to keep the body healthy so they could practice the other aspects of Yoga (the spiritual ones), which we do not agree with. If the stretches happen to achieve the end of making the body more supple there is nothing wrong with that. So close attention must be paid to what we mean by "Yoga". If any heretical philosophy is taught in your yoga class, things contrary to the Gospel, then it is heretical to our faith. But if you are simply using the exercises there is nothing wrong with that.

you merely have knowledge of the gateway, or the introduction to Yoga. Yoga is a component of a false religion. I would no more practice it than I would practice white witchcraft.

I do have more knowledge of yoga than you think. And I understand your concern completely hr. jr. However, I ask you to distinguish between those aspects of Yoga which are merely physical and those that have to do with philosophy and spirituality. To call the physical exercises components of a false religion, does not mean they are bad. Like the use of tea by the buddhists could be said to be a component of Buddhism. Tea really has no meaning on its own. Neither do the physical exercises. But there is a danger in heretical ideas being introduced through modern yoga classes I am sure, and it certainly could be used as a gateway. But simply because of that fact you cannot bar people morally from physical exercises which have no meaning on their own. Even if 99 % of all American Yoga classes taught an heretical component of Hinduism in disguise, the teaching would be philosophical or spiritual and would have little to do with the stretches. You must always make the proper distinction. Bodily positions are not evil, and are not gateways. No bodily position can change your thoughts, or make you a different person. If there is a gateway it has to do with teachings, not exercises.

Yoga has the same danger many other pagan practices have. They have the capability to open the door to the spirit world. Regardless of your intentions, practicing an art that was designed to make contact with the spirit world is dangerous. Jogging and weight lifting were not designed to contact the spirit world. I personally can not see how a christian could be comfortable practicing a rite of a false religion.

Are you familiar with the "Five rites of rejuvination?" It is 5 rites, or exercises that are similiar to YOGA. It all looks great, until you get access to one of the origional books it was taken from. Near the back, it says the 5 rites (simply exercises, nothing mental) will lead the participant into deeper levels of "The Occult." There are absolutely no mental teachings in the 5 rites, only stretching and breathing. The 5 rites plainly tells you this stretching and breathing will lead you into deeper levels of the Occult. What is that saying? Those simple stretches and breathing techniques are actually intorductory occultic practices.

how can you "connect" to the spirit world if those gods a fake and dont exist?

[botticelli]

ONce again though, mere physical positions have nothing to do with the spiritual world. If a hindu uses yoga to help his body and believes in the religion behind it and uses it to contact spirits thats his own malarky. Hindus have no monopoly on the body and the way in which it can be stretched and moved. These things belong to God and subsequently to all of us since he gave us the ability to move our bodies. The mere physical practice of contorting yourself into a certain position is not evil. Evil comes from the heart. If one intends to use physical exercises plus the added Hindu spiritual practices to contact spirits and such then it is bad. But to copy the physical exercises because they are good for the health is not evil. No matter what position you put your body in you are not doing anything wrong. Physical contortions are not bad, its what you have in your mind and in you heart that is defiling. It is quite possible that a western medical expert who is Christian could do research on physical exercises and stretching, having no knowledge of the yoga exercises, and could develop a similar set of stretches on the basis that they are healthy for the body. Sitting a certain way doesnt make you more in touch with spirits. The body is physical and spirits are spiritual. I believe that tea before it became popular in the west was used by buddhist monks to keep them awake and aware for proloonged meditation periods. But now we all drink tea, yet our intent is not to stay awake for meditation is it. So in a sense one could make the claim we are practicing an aspect of buddhism when we drink tea, but really we are not involved in any of the philosophy. Because Buddhists do not have the monopoly on tea leaves. God created the plant. Same with the body and the way it can move and the health benefits that can be derived thereof. So once again I must say that "Yoga" can mean simply a series of physical exercises to some, that happened to be devised by Hindus for their own purposes. I believe from what I have read that the belief in the yogic system is that in order to practice the spiritual life one must have control over ones body and keep it healthy. So the physical aspect was developed as a way to keep the body healthy so they could practice the other aspects of Yoga (the spiritual ones), which we do not agree with. If the stretches happen to achieve the end of making the body more supple there is nothing wrong with that. So close attention must be paid to what we mean by "Yoga". If any heretical philosophy is taught in your yoga class, things contrary to the Gospel, then it is heretical to our faith. But if you are simply using the exercises there is nothing wrong with that.

you merely have knowledge of the gateway, or the introduction to Yoga. Yoga is a component of a false religion. I would no more practice it than I would practice white witchcraft.

I do have more knowledge of yoga than you think. And I understand your concern completely hr. jr. However, I ask you to distinguish between those aspects of Yoga which are merely physical and those that have to do with philosophy and spirituality. To call the physical exercises components of a false religion, does not mean they are bad. Like the use of tea by the buddhists could be said to be a component of Buddhism. Tea really has no meaning on its own. Neither do the physical exercises. But there is a danger in heretical ideas being introduced through modern yoga classes I am sure, and it certainly could be used as a gateway. But simply because of that fact you cannot bar people morally from physical exercises which have no meaning on their own. Even if 99 % of all American Yoga classes taught an heretical component of Hinduism in disguise, the teaching would be philosophical or spiritual and would have little to do with the stretches. You must always make the proper distinction. Bodily positions are not evil, and are not gateways. No bodily position can change your thoughts, or make you a different person. If there is a gateway it has to do with teachings, not exercises.

Yoga has the same danger many other pagan practices have. They have the capability to open the door to the spirit world. Regardless of your intentions, practicing an art that was designed to make contact with the spirit world is dangerous. Jogging and weight lifting were not designed to contact the spirit world. I personally can not see how a christian could be comfortable practicing a rite of a false religion.

Are you familiar with the "Five rites of rejuvination?" It is 5 rites, or exercises that are similiar to YOGA. It all looks great, until you get access to one of the origional books it was taken from. Near the back, it says the 5 rites (simply exercises, nothing mental) will lead the participant into deeper levels of "The Occult." There are absolutely no mental teachings in the 5 rites, only stretching and breathing. The 5 rites plainly tells you this stretching and breathing will lead you into deeper levels of the Occult. What is that saying? Those simple stretches and breathing techniques are actually intorductory occultic practices.

how can you "connect" to the spirit world if those gods a fake and dont exist?

They do exist. Ever heard of demonic spirits.

James 4:7

Im not really afaid of demons all these movies will they act like demon are so strong they arent to the beleiver.

im in God im safe

[botticelli]

i know im protected from demonic possesion how can a demon enter a body where the holy spirit dwells....

please explain demonic influence thou

[botticelli]

i know im protected from demonic possesion how can a demon enter a body where the holy spirit dwells....

please explain demonic influence thou

Demons hinder, and attack believers. Demonic spirits can oppress and oppose believers. Look at the book of Acts. Paul's ministry in particular.

I thought that already happened daily?

[Jefferiah]

There may very well be demons, or bad things out there, but breathing and stretching wont make you come into contact with them. There is no way you can breathe or stretch that is evil. If HIndus happen to believe this thats their problem. Its malarky. Demons are spirits, the ability to breathe and stretch comes from God. If a person were to sit in a certain position similar to a Yoga position without foreknowledge of yoga, or to practice deep breathing naturally he would be doing the same thing. If your breathing could make you come into contact with demons, God would not have given us lungs. Breathing is breathing. They may have intended the breathing and stretches as rites of passage, who knows. But the thing that makes it bad is their own belief that breathing or stretching can do this and the intent. Have some judgement! Breathing and stretching are not bad. There is no bodily position that makes you more in contact with the spirit world. I have read somewhere that certain occult people placed emphasis on the natural phenomenon of mist and fog as a gateway to the spirit world. Their own silly belief that this is so is primitive, and we dont consider fog and mist evil. They are not gateways to anything. Fog is fog, mist is mist. Breathing is breathing, stretching is stretching. If your next door neighbour believed that drinking water helped him get closer to his pagan idol OogaBooga, would you then stop drinking water?