I have always worshipped Christ while in Catholic school up until the age of 15 when i changed to a public school and stopped going to church, recieving communion, ect. I am now 29 years old and know I need to integrate a strong spiritual side into my life including getting closer to God. I have been attending some Siddha Yoga meetings and have found that the relaxation and feelings of inner peace is very similar to that of church. Now that my wife and I have a baby I am going to have him baptized in a few months and intend on going to a Catholic church every weekend and refreshing my relationship with God. The basic idea behind Siddha Yoga is that God is everywhere and in everything and dwells in each of us. This can be experienced by calming the mind and controlling breathing among other things. I feel it is essentially not a religion, but rather a way to fine tune my connection with god and the universe. Will I be condemned by Christ/God if I embrace both entities? God Bless!
2006-10-18 03:58:46 · 17 answers · asked by Bumbo 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yoga should have nothing to do with your religion, it is an exercise and a good way to clear your mind. This should lead to better prayer (or any other religious thing)
2006-10-18 04:01:02 · answer #1 · answered by fish lips 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
What a good question, I heard a sermon on this several years ago, and they said that when you clear your mind it leaves it opened for Satan to come in, sure wish I could remember the scriptures that were used as it was a very good sermon. I would say that as long as you are focusing on God and not the universe you would be ok, there are so many things that can lead into nature worship these days that you have to be careful to keep things in the right perspective, and be careful of things that the New Age Movement is using. There is a good book out called Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin, it might be worth getting and reading as it should cover some of the topics that would interest you. You should be able to purchase this book at a Christian book store or they can order it for you, or you can probably order it on line from Christian Book Distributors and save a few bucks.
Good Luck and I hope you will check this book out. You can also find books on the New Age Movement.
2006-10-18 04:12:13 · answer #2 · answered by judy_derr38565 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In my humble opinion, I think God would be delighted that you are finding a path of spirituality that fits you best and allows you to grow most fully, never mind what religion that spirituality does or does not belong to. Heck, if God was the sort to get all bent out of shape because someone didn't fit into some neat little box, He's not a God I'd like to be worshipping. You are correct in that your yoga is simply a type of spiritual discipline *independent* of religious creed, so I think that yoga and Christianity could blend very nicely. Others have done so before, and I think many will continue to do so in the future.
2006-10-18 04:04:11 · answer #3 · answered by explorationredwing 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The most important thing with religion is to not get bogged down with dogma. It should be obvious to everybody that if there's anything of importance in any religion, it has nothing to do with (e.g.) events that are supposed to have happened in the Middle East 2,000 years ago. It has to do with your own personal spiritual experience.
I don't dispute the "personal relationship with Jesus Christ," for example; that's what you'd call a "mystic experience" exactly like the results you can get from certain types of Yogic meditation practice. I DO dispute that the "Jesus Christ" in question has anything to do with a first-century Jew who probably never lived in the first place. If you study various religions, you begin to see the essential and identical kernel of Truth hidden beneath the varying forms of expression. Doesn't it make more sense to suppose that "spiritiual experience" is a "non-partisan" phenomenon in itself, but people simply tend to associate it with the mythology in which they were raised?
In other words, I think it's absolutely fine to take Truth where you can get it, without tying it down to non-essentials. Note that the objections other people have to your question always revolve around the notion that the christian god is the "right" one, and if you stray, you're "condemning" yourself - "and why take the risk?" These people are simply spiritual primitives and bigots.
P.S. Interesting sidebar - the Yoga guru Sri Parananda has written some really remarkable commentaries on the gospels of Matthew and John in which he shows that many of the sayings of "Jesus" show identity of idea, and in some cases actual verbal parallelism, with the classics of Yoga.
2006-10-18 04:08:35 · answer #4 · answered by jonjon418 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry this is such a long answer:
Yoga isn't just a exercise regime to bring you peace and tranquility.
With the basis of yoga being found in Eastern Mysticism, and the Hindu faith, you are opening yourself to beliefs of other religions.
Do some research and you will find that yoga and the Eastern religions are inseperable (T.M. is one of your next steps.). The Bible tells you to stay away from idolotry and other gods of any kind. Why would you compromise your faith?
I suggest you go deeper into the Bible rather than into the religion of the Eastern Mystics.
The peace you seek and the depth of religion are found only in Christ.
2006-10-18 04:12:55 · answer #5 · answered by Bob L 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What kind of god does Christianity follow that makes you afraid to practice yoga. You're like a prisoner, either somebody taught you wrong or the christian god is one scary dude. Do you seriously want to follow a religion that makes you that afraid of trying new things?
2006-10-18 06:22:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok, I'm afraid that you can't follow two religions at the same time truthfully, at least not in this case. The Bible tells us that this is true. Eastern meditation derives from their own religion, which is contrary to the Christian religion in many aspects. What you are describing seems to me more like pantheism, and that goes directly against God and the Christian religion. I would be very careful with using 'spiritual tools' that come from other religions, even if it seems like it's not contradicting Christianity at first. I would advise you to find a more secular form of relaxing exercise, or even a specifically Christian one. Why take the risk?
2006-10-18 04:08:41 · answer #7 · answered by twasbrillig 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
in catholisism they dont have too many problems integrating other religions in with their own hence the name catholic which means universal. when they first began they integrated beliefs with peganism which is why you can find many pegan symbols and ideas within it. if you wish to become closer to god read what your bible tells you about answers to these questions. old and new testimate. it will tell you all you need to know about this question and what god himself thinks of it not what an earthly priest can tell you
2006-10-18 04:04:00 · answer #8 · answered by kenshiro 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yoga is a religious practise in Buddhism and Ayurveda, so may contradict, but if your religion stops you doing something you enjoy, and which is good for you, you are in the wrong religion!
2006-10-18 04:11:55 · answer #9 · answered by Kate 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As in all things, if you are in alignement with His word, you are fine.
Exodous 20:
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me,
6 and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments.
2006-10-18 04:06:16 · answer #10 · answered by Dr. Linder 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋