Yoga And Christianity.What's Wrong About It ?

[bhakthi]

Yoga has nothing to do with Christianity or the Bible. It is predominantly a Hindu practice. Then why some Christians in America are trying this?When Israel went on backsliding they tried a lot of things like this. Isaiah says,†For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines†Isaiah;2:6 When God is about to leave a land or when He forsakes a people they will try to find some kind of alternatives. Because God will leave them to the hardness of their own hearts. “Woe to them when I depart from them!†Hosea;9:12 God will stay with a people or nation only as long as they choose to stay with Him. Mediums, astrology, soothsaying, palmistry, yoga.etc are pagan stuff. They have nothing to do with God or the Bible.All these kind of things were always waiting to creep into a nation or people who forsake the Lord and His ways. "They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water.†Jeremiah;2:13
This is a sign of backsliding. It declares that the Lord is about to leave the land. As He did to Israel, when Baal’s power prevailed. Then Elijah said to the people. "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." 1 Kings;2:18 This is a time for America to make a choice like that. Before it is too late .Before , “Judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.†Hosea;10:4 as Hosea wrote.What did God say when Israel turned away from God? "Woe to them, for they have fled from Me! Destruction to them, Because they have transgressed against Me! Though I redeemed them, Yet they have spoken lies against Me.†Hosea;7:13 To find out more about this message visit http://www.gilead.ws

 

[Sothenes]

Yoga has nothing to do with Christianity or the Bible. It is predominantly a Hindu practice. Then why some Christians in America are trying this?

Some Christians think Yoga is just a stretching curriculum and don't know the philosophy behind Yoga. A lot of Christians don't read enough of their Bibles.

 

[Soma-Sight]

So I guess the alternative is having stiff joints, eatling pork, and joining the NRA???? :

I know people that are in there 80's that practice yoga and are as healthy as a 40 year old!!!

Unless you have actually tried yoga and the subsequent breathing techniques to judge it is unfair and ignorant.

Health Benefits of Yoga

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/beginnersgui ... nefits.asp

http://yoga.org.nz/benefits/benefits_personal.htm

http://yoga.iloveindia.com/yoga-benefits/index.html

http://www.lifepositive.com/body/yoga/yoga-benefits.asp

http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Health-Be ... &id=183955

 

[Soma-Sight]

"Over 75 scientific trials have been published on yoga in major medical journals. These studies have shown that yoga is a safe and effective way to increase physical activity that also has important psychological benefits due to its meditative nature."

: : :

 

[bhakthi]

Yoga has nothing to do with Christianity or the Bible. It is predominantly a Hindu practice. Then why some Christians in America are trying this?

Some Christians think Yoga is just a stretching curriculum and don't know the philosophy behind Yoga. A lot of Christians don't read enough of their Bibles.

“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live;†Isaiah;55:2,3

 

[Sothenes]

So I guess the alternative is having stiff joints, eatling pork, and joining the NRA???? :

I know people that are in there 80's that practice yoga and are as healthy as a 40 year old!!!

When the crown or top chakra is reached, the union of Shiva/Shakti occurs, supposedly leading the practitioner to divine enlightenment and union with Brahman. "Traditionally she is known as Durga the creatrix, Chandi the fierce and bloodthirsty, and Kali the destroyer. She is also Bhajangi the serpent. As Chandi or Kali she has a garland of skulls around her neck and drinks human blood."4-ATRI Journal

from http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/n ... 0501W3.htm

 

[soma]

Do you guys believe or not? I feel if one truely believes he will not be afraid.
Why be afraid of every shadow? Are you comfortable cowering in the corner? Why not stretch your body and mind?

"For you are my light, O Lord; and the Lord will make the dark bright for me." 2Samuel 22:29 BBE

Why are your thoughts so wicked?

"The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts." 1Chronicles 28:9 NIV

 

[ArtGuy]

When the crown or top chakra is reached, the union of Shiva/Shakti occurs, supposedly leading the practitioner to divine enlightenment and union with Brahman. "Traditionally she is known as Durga the creatrix, Chandi the fierce and bloodthirsty, and Kali the destroyer. She is also Bhajangi the serpent. As Chandi or Kali she has a garland of skulls around her neck and drinks human blood."4-ATRI Journal

That yoga originated from Hindu spiritual practices doesn't make yoga, as practiced by most people, a bad thing. "Yoga", for most people, is a cool, stretchy exercise regime that's relaxing and stimulating. They don't pray to Shiva, or anything, they're just working out.

Christmas was co-opted from a pagan ritual. Does that make its celebration evil? No, because a practice is exactly as good or evil as your intentions are. If you practice yoga with the intention of worshipping Hindu gods, it's bad. If you practice it with the intention of getting into shape, it's good. I mean, jogging could theoretically be bad if you use it as a way to commune with Dionysus, or something.

 

[WMD]

Some Christians think Yoga is just a stretching curriculum and don't know the philosophy behind Yoga. A lot of Christians don't read enough of their Bibles.

Is yoga mentioned in the Bible?

 

[lorena]

Sure Yoga may be great for you in a physical aspect but I don't think random meditation is right i God's eyes. I think that while you do yoga you should pray.

 

[Sothenes]

How do you stretch your body like a contortionist unless you are applying their worldview on meditation?

There are only about four theories on the universe/creation. Monotheism, Polytheism, Pantheism and Dualism and what Yoga science teaches is another worldview.

Hindus and others believe in a chi force. If you watched martial arts, the professionals try to tap into that chi force and other people call it metaphysics. Witchcraft would say that there is this unharnessed energy from the earth and you have to tap into it. That is probably how they do these stretching exercises without hurting themselves because unless they are double jointed, it would hurt unless they are applying mind over matter or trying to tap into this spiritual force they call 'chi'. That is entertaining Pantheism or asking other spirits to come in through an altered state of consciousness.

 

[Soma-Sight]

When the crown or top chakra is reached, the union of Shiva/Shakti occurs, supposedly leading the practitioner to divine enlightenment and union with Brahman. "Traditionally she is known as Durga the creatrix, Chandi the fierce and bloodthirsty, and Kali the destroyer. She is also Bhajangi the serpent. As Chandi or Kali she has a garland of skulls around her neck and drinks human blood."4-ATRI Journal

And Biblegod of the OT demands the blood of his Only Son in order to appease his distaste of mankind.

"Unless ye drink my blood......."

You get the picture.....

There are only about four theories on the universe/creation. Monotheism, Polytheism, Pantheism and Dualism and what Yoga science teaches is another worldview.

And of course only ONE of these theories is correct? And of course mankind has it all figured out in one of these FOUR theories!!

For the record Hindhus are MONOTHEISTIC. (do a search on wikipedia) :wink:

Hindus and others believe in a chi force.

And they are wrong?

If you watched martial arts, the professionals try to tap into that chi force and other people call it metaphysics.

And it does not exist?

Have you ever read up on Bruce Lee or saw a Grand Master break blocks with his bare hands?????

Or see a 100 year old man in good health that is a martial artist?

Witchcraft would say that there is this unharnessed energy from the earth and you have to tap into it.

And they are wrong on this point?

Ever see the video of a mom lifting a car off her child to save its life?

She was a "witch" for a moment tapping into that "occultic" power right?

That is probably how they do these stretching exercises without hurting themselves because unless they are double jointed, it would hurt unless they are applying mind over matter or trying to tap into this spiritual force they call 'chi'. That is entertaining Pantheism or asking other spirits to come in through an altered state of consciousness.

Correct.

 

[ArtGuy]

How do you stretch your body like a contortionist unless you are applying their worldview on meditation?

I wasn't aware that being limber required an allegience to paganism.

The whole idea of "chi" is just a means of communicating the idea that you should focus on your attention on the particular thing you're doing. There's nothing mystical about it. It's a meditative device to help you relax and concentrate. There's nothing sinister about it.

Blackbelts can't shatter concrete blocks because they've sold their souls to Shiva, they can shatter concrete blocks because they've learned to move their bodies with a whole lot of speed and power and in such a way as to efficiently transfer kinetic energy from their hands to a pile of blocks.

Frenetic moms can't lift cars off their loved ones because they've tapped into the power of Mother Earth. They can do it because the epinephrine (adrenaline) released during stress triggers the release of the chemical in the muscles that stores energy, allowing for short-term feats of great strength, particular in the knees. It also numbs pain, so you don't notice as much that you're tearing the heck out of your muscles in the process.

It's just biology. There's nothing spooky about these exercise techniques in general, or yoga in particular.

 

[fResH]

I meditate daily. Some people does not understand it's concept. In the view of me (as a martial artist), it is a way for disconnecting your mind with your body.

“If your mind is diverted in any way, you will falter,†consoled Takuan Soho. “The mind must be immovable – that is, not distracted, detained or occupied by any thought, judgment or emotion – not congealed in one place but instead stretched through the entire body and self. It must have a total awareness and sensitivity without focus, and thus will be able to flow with events without getting attached to them. No mind, no thought.â€Â

If one empties the mind, the function of the intellect disappears –“arms, legs and body remember what to do, but the mind does not enter into this at all,†-Takuan Soho.

That is the motivation for me as a martial artist. I apply this same concept for Jesus to flow through me.

 

[Soma-Sight]

Nice post Artguy.

That is the motivation for me as a martial artist. I apply this same concept for Jesus to flow through me.

I agree.

 

[Relic]

.


Do you smoke pot while you practice your Yoga up in the mountains while
you balance yourself straight upsidedown on your
head? :smt025 ....aye Soma-sight? :wink: :roll:

=====================


Eastern religions and mediations are
against Judeo Christian teachings.
Any eastern religion and meditation
lead you away from Judeo Christian teachings.

Truth is, merging different cultural forms of religions and/or
meditations are not what we are taught in the scripture. Paganism and
Pantheism
is not of the Judeo Christian teachings and the bible clearly warns of not
participating in them, for good reason, in that, they are an open
door to "unholy" spiritual forces and practices. Anything or anyone
who advises you to empty out your mind so to let the kundalini take over,
or to meditate on the chakras, or to focus on your "life force" and/or to
control it by way of breathing is not of the holy spirit of Christ Jesus.

However, Soma-sight and some others here think it's just fine and dandy
to continue practicing eastern meditations as long as they "include"
Jesus. But little do they know they are being lead away from Christianity
by focusing on the philosophies of these eastern meditations.



excerpt (which describes two cases of taking it too far) taken from an
article entitled:

• Innocent Yoga?
  by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
  
  For example, in the case of kundalini yoga, symptoms of
  mental illness and demonization are gratuitously redefined as
  emerging manifestations of "higher" or divine consciousness.
  Thus, we are not to question or fear the kundalini process
  but to surrender to it and trust it implicitly, for it is indeed part of that
  ageless wisdom of evolutionary transformation which is far wiser than
  ourselves. A chapter in a recent book edited by Stan and
  Christina Grof, Spiritual Emergency, reveals a basic approach of SEN
  counseling. The title is "When Insanity Is a Blessing." 7
  http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/new-age/NA1101W1.htm

"...we are not to question or fear the kundalini process but to surrender
to it and trust it implicitly, for it is indeed part of that ageless wisdom of
evolutionary transformation which is far wiser than ourselves. ..."
:o :o :o

Would you call that Real Christ-like mediation? :


Judeo Christianity teaches us to live practical lives within biblical precepts
and principles. Judeo Christianity does not teach us to get into these
trances and state of being that has nothing to do with the HOLY SPIRIT of
JHVH GD.

==========================

excerpt from an article which describes the truth about Yoga:

• 
  Yoga Theory and Practice:Separable?
  -- Part 2
  by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
  (from Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs,
  Harvest House Publishers, 1996)
  
  Consider a final statement as to why yoga practice and theory are
  inseparable. The Spiritual Counterfeits Project in Berkeley, California,
  publishes a relatively brief treatment on yoga, which we reproduce here
  with permission. The author was a former practitioner of yoga for several
  years with the Ananda Marga Yoga Society: 1
  
  Yoga exercises are taught as part of YMCA physical education programs,
  as health spa esoterica, on educational TV, and are incorporated into
  institutional church youth activitiesâ€â€all on the assumption that
  these techniques are nothing more than a superior brand of physical
  conditioning.
  
  Yet this assumption is really the worst presumption.... [E]ven
  physical yoga is inextricably bound up in the whole of Eastern religious
  metaphysics. In fact, it is quite accurate to say that physical yoga and
  Indian metaphysics are mutually interdependent; you really can’t have
  one without the other. This point may be illustrated by referring to the
  two major traditional occurrences of physical yoga in the East. ....
  Read the rest of this informative article here:
  http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/new-age/NA0102W2.htm

excerpt describes the truth about Kundalini: :o

• Yoga: Kundalini Yoga
  by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
  http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/new-age/NA0402W3.htm
  
  No discussion of yoga is complete without an evaluation of "kundalini
  yoga." By name, this is now practiced by tens of thousands of Americans,
  including many professing Christians in mainline churches. However,
  since we have discussed kundalini yoga at length elsewhere, we will give
  only a brief definition here.
  
  In Hindu mythology and occult anatomy, the goddess Kundalini
  is thought of as a female serpent lying dormant at the base of the spine.
  Arthur Avalon comments that "kundalini is the Divine Cosmic Energy
  in bodies." 1 She represents the female half of the divine polarity in man.
  While lying at the base of the spine, she is separated from Shiva, her
  divine "lover" and masculine counterpart, who resides in the brain. When
  aroused by yoga practices, she uncoils, travels up the spine toward her
  lover, opening the alleged psychic centers called chakras in the process.
  When the crown or top chakra is reached, the union of Shiva/Shakti
  occurs, supposedly leading the practitioner to divine enlightenment and
  union with Brahman. "Traditionally she is known as Durga the creatrix,
  Chandi the fierce and bloodthirsty, and Kali the destroyer. She is also
  Bhajangi the serpent. As Chandi or Kali she has a garland of skulls
  around her neck and drinks human blood." 2
  
  Kundalini arousal is not, as commonly thought, restricted to hatha yoga
  practice. Even yoga authorities have said that all yoga is ultimately
  kundalini yoga and that yoga is meaningless without it. This is
  why no less an authority than Hans Rieker concludes,
  "Kundalini [is] the
  mainstay of all yoga practices." 3
  
  Kundalini arousal or its equivalent is found not only in yoga; it is also
  encountered in scores of the new religions, many occult practices, and in
  some practices of New Age medicine. Indeed, we have found no less
  than 15 different New Age health techniques in which proponents claim
  that their methods may arouse kundalini. (Please see our extended
  discussion in Kundalini Yoga, New Age archives, May, 2001)
  
  ENERGY PHENOMENA AND SPIRIT POSSESSION
  
  Perhaps the dominant characteristic in kundalini arousal and other yoga
  practice is an experience of energy infusion, or possession.
  
  Read the rest of the article here:
  http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/new-age/NA0402W3.htm

For more articles:
http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/article-index-y_1.html


.

 

[gingercat]

You sure are resorceful Relic :angel:

 

[ArtGuy]

I maintain that anyone who suggests that it's impossible to stretch your muscles and monitor your breathing without abandoning the Holy Spirit is a paranoid fool. The alleged "former practitioners" of yoga who are now coming forth to talk about how a health regimen is really just a way of selling your soul to Satan were likely just scared into their current beliefs by those weak of mind and faith who convinced them that their superstitions were valid.

I mean, really. I've seen yoga videos. I've done yoga. My wife has a DVD. All it is is people breathing slowly while getting into really uncomfortable positions. It's about as scary as a Harry Potter book.

Oh, right. Some of these people are scared of those, too. Nevermind.

 

[soma]

Yoga is the preventive mediciene for people who are so uptight they can't relax, see the devil lurking behing every bush, and have lost all touch of reality. Take a deep breath sorry that is yoga, take a shallow breath, a pill, a drink or a legal drug and maybe you will be able to chill out a bit.

 

[reznwerks]

really

It's about as scary as a Harry Potter book.

Now you've really done it!