Some Christians Can't Leave Yoga Alone

originally posted on myspace.com on April 27, 2006

Oh for pete's sake..... are you serious? (for the record, I am not making fun of fundamentalists, everyone has a right to their beliefs, I just find this a silly thing to split hairs over. that's all.... my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.).

Here's a link to the article : Yoga with a Christian Bent

Because something is steeped in a religious tradition other than your own, you stand a chance of committing a crime against God and your values? Is this what they are really suggesting?

Could these close-minded group consider for a moment that Learning from other traditions while staying within your own is totally possible?

Contrary to what they might fear about the perils of integrating Eastern disciplines and attitudes, within another tradition, they might discover what they are seeking - - centeredness (is that a word?). The various Hindu and Buddhist practices give very basic and effective ways to quiet agitation in his body and mind. In turn, that tranquility allows a deeper kind of awareness to surface and awakened a natural sense of love and compassion. Stilling the mind will never drew you away from Jesus Christ; it draws you closer.

Most of us don't realize that the various religions we engage in have been influenced and enlivened in some way by different beliefs and practices around them. None of them has existed in a vacuum. In a similar way, what we learn as individuals from a spiritual tradition other than our own can infuse vitality into our path. Do you think these Christians realize that many of our traditions coincide with pagan festivals?

Coming from a fundamentalist upbringing, I know this attitude expressed in this article is not held only by a select few.

Honestly, if these people were secure in their faith, they would not worry about something like meditation interfering.

After all, the body itself is neither Hindu nor Baptist nor Catholic nor Muslim.