Yoga poses dangers to genuine Christian faith says Seminary president

[millyskate]

ITA all the way with Wyliefan on this. And I don't know with why the discussion has drifted onto being concerned with other people's religions, because this particular comment is exclusively directed at christians.
Whether or not this particular person has a point, it's a valid concern for a religious leader to be concerned with what the people within his religion believe.

And it's also a part of the christian faith to be concerned with sharing it. It's not the case in all religions, but it's a core part of christianity.

Jesus instructed his disciples that way. Spreading the word is a strong idea throughout the new testament. I can't really see how that can be interpreted away.

BUT Jesus also said that in villages where the disciples and their message were not welcome, they should shake the dust from their sandals and walk away. Some unfortunately vocal christians tend to forget that wise bit of advice, without which the "go throughout the world and make disciples" command makes no sense.

[Prancer]

Back in the earth-mothery 70s, this was a very common stance among Christians. I guess it's new to some of you. I'm kind of surprised to see it now after all these years, but back then, anything involving meditation or even a hint of Eastern religion was viewed as an insidious threat.

I'm not sure why anyone cares, though. If you are comfortable with your own beliefs, after all, there is no reason to worry about what other people believe--or to condemn beliefs that are not your own.

Right?

And you certainly wouldn't want to tell Christians what to think or believe or how to behave, because that would be awfully close to shoving your beliefs down their throats.

[snoopy]

The good thing about both non-religious / religious people acting opinated and bossy is that it is a good mirror. I am not being snarky, but really, one of the few methods I have seen that actually changes people's behavior is to illustrate their own behavior in an opposing group. Not that it is foolproof because most of us are stubborn but as so few other things work, I don't mind keeping this one.

[Artemis@BC]

Ok, am I the only one who first read this thread as "Yoda poses dangers to genuine Christian faith ..."?

[Wyliefan]

A little Grover-voiced Antichrist he is!

[Matryeshka]

sorry, this confused me, is yoga a religion or not?

And if it is, do they worship Yogi?

[jlai]

Scanning national news the other day for various reasons and I found that Texas sees yoga schools as something worth licensing. So religion or not to you, it's not a religion to state officials who want the yoga schools to register as "career schools".

They have to pay a fine, register, or file for exemption, or something like that.

[mmscfdcsu]

I'm old enough to remember the TM movement. Thousands and thousands fell for their line that TM was not a religion. LOL!

http://www.suggestibility.org/religion.php

[JerseySlore]

When I first read the title, I was as to what genuine Christian faith had to do with funky yoga poses.

I'm pretty much ignorant about yoga, but even if yoga is recognized as spiritual practice or religion, why is it incompatible with Christian faith as long as it doesn't involve worshipping deity of any kind? Does Bible prohibit meditation, selfhelp, etc?

[heckles]

Okay, but the important question really is: do the Southern Baptists offer an exercise class that brings out the hotties?

[hirshey girl]

It's always seemed to me that the more secure one is in their OWN religion, the less they are disturbed by what anyone else is doing....

[MacMadame]

“Believers are called to meditate upon the Word of God — an external Word that comes to us by divine revelation — not to meditate by means of incomprehensible syllables.”

So I guess speaking in tongues is not Christian....

But if one is going to argue that religious leaders should never tell their followers what they should or shouldn't do, then one should realize that viewpoint might entail when taken all the way to its illogical conclusion.

There, I fixed it for you.

He's concerned about members of his own religion possibly being lured to another religion.

Yoga isn't a religion. It is an activity. It's an activity that can have a spiritual component and some people who belong to a particular religion incorporate it into their religious practices. But that doesn't make it a religion.

It's like eating bread. Some people eat bread in church as part of the practice of taking communion. But that doesn't make eating bread a religion and not everyone who eats bread is even engaging in a spiritual activity. I eat bread all the time and I'm an atheist.

[Wyliefan]

I didn't mean that yoga was another religion. I meant that he was concerned about members of his own religion possibly being lured to another religion by way of yoga and other spiritual practices that had their roots in another religion.

[GaPeach]

IMO, during my yoga classes, I feel I am getting closer to God. I'm praying and saying both his name and his son's name during the different poses.

[Karina1974]

I didn't mean that yoga was another religion. I meant that he was concerned about members of his own religion possibly being lured to another religion by way of other spiritual practices that had their roots in another religion.

Let's hope he's consistant and also bars Christmas trees, and burning Yule Logs in December, since those have their roots in Paganism. The fact is that a lot of "Christian" traditions have their roots in Pagan religions.

[Tinami Amori]

YOGA question (non-religious):

I always wanted to ask a large group of people what they thought about the following and here is my chance:

Yoga is a non-issue for me and just a form of exercise; tried it – for me it’s slow and boring; others like it – good for them. I have no horses running in the “yoga race”.

I reside in Northern California and am surrounded by New Agers, yet never heard Yoga and Christianity in the same discussion.

However, instead, I’ve heard many other odd-ball comments about Yoga and the Personality of its followers:

- One, a rather intelligent, professional and well educated man in his 40’s, often said “I will never date a woman who does Yoga. I found such women to be extremely selfish”. He asks women if they are “into Yoga” before inviting them out on a date.

- Another group of “educated, secular and prosperous Marin County adults”, at a party recently, were discussing “how Yoga contributes to self-centeredness”.

- Then I’ve heard: “men, who are into Yoga, are emotionally unavailable”.

- and also: “men, who are into Yoga, often feel superior to their peers, and act as if they obtained the dept of knowledge not available to other mortals”. (I guess, “Coach” from the US TV show “Survivor” comes to mind….. ).

Any truth to this? Has anyone heard similar comments?

[Cheylana]

Okay, but the important question really is: do the Southern Baptists offer an exercise class that brings out the hotties?

Wait, Southern Baptist hotties exist?
(Bitter Presbyterian girl will now)

[Southpaw]

And if it is, do they worship Yogi?

Naw, they worship Yogi.

[PDilemma]

YOGA question (non-religious):

I always wanted to ask a large group of people what they thought about the following and here is my chance:

Yoga is a non-issue for me and just a form of exercise; tried it – for me it’s slow and boring; others like it – good for them. I have no horses running in the “yoga race”.

I reside in Northern California and am surrounded by New Agers, yet never heard Yoga and Christianity in the same discussion.

However, instead, I’ve heard many other odd-ball comments about Yoga and the Personality of its followers:

- One, a rather intelligent, professional and well educated man in his 40’s, often said “I will never date a woman who does Yoga. I found such women to be extremely selfish”. He asks women if they are “into Yoga” before inviting them out on a date.

- Another group of “educated, secular and prosperous Marin County adults”, at a party recently, were discussing “how Yoga contributes to self-centeredness”.

- Then I’ve heard: “men, who are into Yoga, are emotionally unavailable”.

- and also: “men, who are into Yoga, often feel superior to their peers, and act as if they obtained the dept of knowledge not available to other mortals”. (I guess, “Coach” from the US TV show “Survivor” comes to mind….. ).

Any truth to this? Has anyone heard similar comments?

I thought yoga was slow and boring as well. I did it for about ten months and also saw no real benefits in fitness, muscle tone, etc... And the whole be quiet and meditate and breath thing was just not for me. I am taking adult beginning ballet now. I saw more fitness and muscle tone results after four weeks of that than ten months of yoga. And the class is fun. Yoga is not fun for me. I don't like worrying that I am breathing wrong.

The rest of your post sounds to me like a bunch of stereotypes. Although, my SiL is a selfish nutjob and now obsessed with yoga as her "religion", "spiritual path", "vocation", "purpose in life" and thinks that if she gets enough people in town to take her classes it will end conservatism and racism in the whole town, and shut down all the fast food restaurants.

I have no problem with people doing yoga if that's what works for them. It doesn't work for me. But I do have a problem with being told, as I often am now, that not doing yoga makes me unenlightened and all that.

[Cheylana]

I'm a Christian who enjoys hatha yoga. I do a fair amount of vinyasa at a yoga studio in my neighborhood. I enjoy it a lot because I find it challenging yet relaxing. I welcome the opportunity to forget about my high stress job for 60-90 minutes and just focus on breathing in and out of my asanas. I don't follow - or know much about - the religious side of it, but I still get a lot out of it, and I don't think that makes me ungodly.

I wish pastors would focus more on helping people deal with temptation of jumping ship to another faith, rather than telling them to avoid it entirely. I guess I might as well never turn on my TV or go on the internet, or make friends with people of other faiths, or go to school, or walk through Times Square; heck I better not ever leave my house except to go to Sunday services.