Do christians think Yoga is bad?

Question

since its consider new age and all...

Answer 1

Christians think everything is bad, that's why I'm an Atheist.

Answer 2

That's a big generalization! Firstly, Yoga is more ancient than Christianity. Some yoga paths are followed by some devout Christians, some who live in yoga ashrams here and in India. It's no problem, no conflict for them for because they are able to acknowledge that the highest truth transcends all religions and paths to that truth. An enlightened yoga guru will also embrace all other religions and paths to the truth and you will find in his yoga communities or ashrams that in addition to all the yoga celebrations, Christmas and the birth of Christ is also celebrated as well as some Jewish festivities. Many Christians pursuing yoga meditation and yogic rituals would find themselves having Christian experiences and revelations which demonstrated to them that the highest truth knows nothing about different paths taken to attaining it. So enlightened Christians do not think yoga is bad.

Answer 3

Dear Batteries:

I am a Christ-based, non denominational and Spiritually-oriented person. I am deeply spiritually oriented. It is the spirit that brings mysticism into religion. It is spirit that provides religious or spiritual "experiences" that propel us into still more Knowledge.

For those who deny New Age thought (which isn't new age at all -but took place at the time of Plato in Greece), it is my purely personal opinion that they limit themselves in learning.

Methods that quiet the mind and cause inner stillness and peace can only lead to greater contact with the spirit within us. All New Age thinking leads to methods and studies that propel us forward on the Journey. I recommend that all include a taste of what is available. If some of the methods or words of New Age seem to go against the OT or the NT, I wonder if that is simply because some minds have not learned how to integrate different ways of thinking the same basic thing - into a richer, and fuller interpretation. Plato's mind was not considered limited in its grasp and scope of Mankind's plight and successful moral living as the answer.

Best regards, Lana


P.S. TO LUKUSMCAI: I studied Tai Chi and have performed it since 1989. The body is kept flexible and strong by it. It also causes a meditative mind-set. Performed each day - as many sets as you desire - gives you stillness within also by releasing tensions.

Answer 4

I can only speak for myself, I am a Christian, and I do not think that yoga is bad. I am not afraid of knowledge either, so I guess I am not your run-of-the-mill Christian, at least as they are thought of on this Q&A site.


PS: Some "Christian" posters on here certainly earn the stereotype

Answer 5

Can no one think for them selves? Is the color brown, bad? Is it wrong to put your left shoe on, before you put the right one on? Are christians allowed to wear red socks on tuesdays, and if so, must they be plain, or are they allowed to have patterns on them? Can christians get dressed by themselves in the mourning, or do they continually need God to tell how to do the every day functions they need to do in thier normal lives?
I am interested in learning more about tai chi, it is supposed to work all your muscles in about 30 min. And once you've learned the routine you can chose your own music. Any free thinkers know more, if you bother to answer this question?

Answer 6

Yeah,apparently they do. I'm a Buddhist who practices Yoga and my fundy sister-in-law keeps giving me Praise Moves tapes to save my soul.

Answer 7

So once again we ask: 'Can yoga be practiced simply as a physical exercise to develop a healthy body and a relaxed mind, without any involvement with religion?' In view of its background, the answer would have to be no.

Where Can Yoga Take You?

The objective of yoga as a discipline is to lead a person to the spiritual experience of being "yoked" to or merged with a superhuman spirit. But which spirit would that be?

In Hindu World, author Benjamin Walker says of yoga: "It may have been an early system of magical ritualism, and yoga still retains in its meaning an overtone of occultism and sorcery." Hindu philosophers admit that the practice of yoga can give supernatural powers, even though they usually claim that this is not the ultimate goal of yoga. For example, in the book Indian Philosophy, former president of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, says of the yogi that "control of the body through postures results in an indifference to the extremes of heat and cold. . . . The yogin can see and hear at a distance . . . Transmission of thought from one individual to another without the intervention of the normal communicating mechanisms is quite possible. . . . The yogi can make his body invisible."

The image of a yogi sleeping on a bed of nails or walking on hot coals may appear to be a hoax to some and a joke to others. But these are common occurrences in India, as is the practice of standing on one leg while staring directly at the sun for hours and breath control that allows a person to be buried in sand for long periods of time. In June 1995, The Times of India reported that a three-and-a-half-year-old girl lay in a trance as a car weighing more than 1,600 pounds [750 kg] was allowed to run over her abdomen. To the amazement of the crowd, when she awoke she was totally unharmed. The report added: "It was sheer yogic power."

Without a doubt, no normal human is capable of performing any of these tasks. Hence, a Christian must ask: Of what are these feats an indication? Are they from Jehovah God, "the Most High over all the earth," or are they from some other source? (Psalm 83:18) The Bible is clear on this point. When the Israelites were on the verge of entering the Promised Land, which was occupied by the Canaanites, Jehovah told the sons of Israel through Moses: "You must not learn to do according to the detestable things of those nations." What "detestable things"? Moses warned against "anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer." (Deuteronomy 18:9, 10) These things are detestable to God because they are works of the demons and of the fallen flesh.—Galatians 5:19-21.

The choice of what physical exercise to pursue is a personal one. Christians, however, would not allow anything—be it bodily training, eating, drinking, clothing, entertainment, or something else—to mar their relationship with Jehovah God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) For those exercising simply for the sake of their health, there are many avenues available that do not involve exposure to the dangers of spiritism and occultism. By keeping clear of practices and beliefs that are rooted in false religion, we may look forward to God's blessing of a righteous new system of things in which we can enjoy perfect health in body and mind for an eternity.—2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

what it stands for, yes many consider it bad, the health of body it give to you, no this is good, you can split the two and that's what many Christians do.

Answer 10

Christians keep there eyes and ears on Christ and ask as they read the Bible how can I live as God wants. Yoga, positions etc, done with heart beholding Christ is to learn of Him.