yoga in church

[DamianWarS]

recently I heard of a local church where a group of ladies, members of the church, who wanted to conduct yoga classes in the churches facilities as a mid week event for outreach. The Pastor of the church ended up rejecting this idea sighting the roots of yoga and the counter-christian spiritual focuses people surround it as his reasons.

There is a level where I understand the reasons yet Christianity has embraced many pagan systems from Christmas trees to wedding rings and we are all the better for it. Today we don't associate these symbols with their pagan roots and we have redefined them to suit Christianity. But at one point the church did adopt these things and there was controversy over them.

Many times adopting these customs helped the pagans to keep their cultures and still become Christian; a contextualization method. However today we cringe at the thought of these modern pagan forms coming into our churches (but they are ok at home). I say we contextualized in the past and were able to create some powerful symbols for Christianity so why are we so uptight about it today?

 

[wannabeadesigirl]

I think the Church in America has become very sterilized in it's association with nonbelievers. We've almost tucked ourselves up and away from the seething unwashed masses in order to remain 'pure'. Thus anything that could infringe on this self righteous concept of purity scares the living daylights out of Christians in America.
Back in the day when wedding bands and Christmas trees were "teh ebil" Christians were well aquainted with their non believing, mostly pagan neighbors. In fact it could be said those European Christians were first generation from pagan backgrounds.
In order to acclimatize to the new lifestyle and faith, small innocuous rituals and traditions from their former life were brought into the church, and honestly it really didn't do anything to the fundamental values of the faith. It just created more things for us to quibble over.
I love Yoga and if I could find free classes for it here I would sign up immediately. The meditation part of yoga is concerning since it teaches transcendental meditation and not meditation on one single concept such as the love of God, or a bible verse (which is what I did to keep my mind grounded instead of launching it into spiritual realms it has no right to go into.)

 

[wayseer]

Pretty much support all of that.

 

[lux et lex]

Yoga is fantastic. Just because of it's roots, that doesn't mean it still doesn't have many benefits. I'm sure it could be Christianized (if that's needed...you can meditate on anything)

 

[StopSignTheology]

recently I heard of a local church where a group of ladies, members of the church, who wanted to conduct yoga classes in the churches facilities as a mid week event for outreach. The Pastor of the church ended up rejecting this idea sighting the roots of yoga and the counter-christian spiritual focuses people surround it as his reasons.

There is a level where I understand the reasons yet Christianity has embraced many pagan systems from Christmas trees to wedding rings and we are all the better for it. Today we don't associate these symbols with their pagan roots and we have redefined them to suit Christianity. But at one point the church did adopt these things and there was controversy over them.

Many times adopting these customs helped the pagans to keep their cultures and still become Christian; a contextualization method. However today we cringe at the thought of these modern pagan forms coming into our churches (but they are ok at home). I say we contextualized in the past and were able to create some powerful symbols for Christianity so why are we so uptight about it today?

Why can't these Christian women just have a stretching, mediatation and exercise class at their Church and leave it at that? No need to bring in pagan ideology to get in shape or relax.

 

[ThePresbyteers]

recently I heard of a local church where a group of ladies, members of the church, who wanted to conduct yoga classes in the churches facilities as a mid week event for outreach. The Pastor of the church ended up rejecting this idea sighting the roots of yoga and the counter-christian spiritual focuses people surround it as his reasons.

There is a level where I understand the reasons yet Christianity has embraced many pagan systems from Christmas trees to wedding rings and we are all the better for it. Today we don't associate these symbols with their pagan roots and we have redefined them to suit Christianity. But at one point the church did adopt these things and there was controversy over them.

Many times adopting these customs helped the pagans to keep their cultures and still become Christian; a contextualization method. However today we cringe at the thought of these modern pagan forms coming into our churches (but they are ok at home). I say we contextualized in the past and were able to create some powerful symbols for Christianity so why are we so uptight about it today?

I like tai chi. I think most churches will think tai chi has it's roots in Taoism or Buddhism and Hinduism. I can understand why most churches believe it's improper to teach Yoga in an church property or environment. I've seen Christian yoga on TV and many Traditional Yoga practitioners were very unhappy about Christians changing the root's of Yoga to be more suitable for Christians. I would like to know who believes that Yoga can be redefined and changed to fit Christianity.

How can we change meditation to prayers?

 

[wannabeadesigirl]

Why can't these Christian women just have a stretching, mediatation and exercise class at their Church and leave it at that? No need to bring in pagan ideology to get in shape or relax.

In other words yoga sans transcendental philosophy? In my experience with yoga that is the ONLY problem with it, and that can be very easily remedied with a meditation on a Bible verse.

 

[Rajni]

Having heard of something called "Christian Yoga" in the past, I just did a quick search and found this: Christian Yoga

 

[DrivingThru]

I can understand not taking the teachings of yoga into the church. You can still meditate on Bible verses, and get all the good physical relief from the actual yoga exercises. However, I think it is a little silly NOT to call it yoga, and try to pretend it's not the same practice in a new skin. I think that is far more dangerous than bringing new ideas into the church.

 

[CommunityStraightUp]

I think this is one of the things that we can look at and remember biblical references that say what is right for some is wrong for others and vice versa. My own conviction is that I would not do it. I can't find myself being able to fully honor God with it. Would I hinder anyone that does? No. That is their own conviction, and it's between them and God. Maybe they can honor God with it in a way that I personally could not. Does it determine their salvation? No. So I say let the Yoga-ers Yoga, and the stretchers stretch, and the meditators meditate all to the glory of God.

In love,
Jonathan Wright

 

[brightmorningstar]

Quite whether the church's adoption of Christmas trees and wedding rings means anything to God is another matter, but I dont see why highjacking pagan stuff and making it representation of Christian celebration is a bad thing.
The issue with yoga is slightly different, it may be more of a problem to Christians who cant see a spiritual problem with it than to non-believers who dont know a problem with it.
I would say let the pastor/vicar/priest decide and dependant on how God can use it.
If its just to be nice and friendly to people there is no point, its opening up to spiritual attack, there are plenty of other ways to serve people, but if it can win people for Christ in some tangental way, then perhaps why not?

 

[ThePresbyteers]

The real problem with ancient unfamiliar routines is that new Christian don't believe in Qi, the very animated physical events that keeps us alive. Those that are unfamiliar with situations that keeps us living and physically alive are those that downsize or downgrade themselves, unnecessarily.
One example is speaking in tongues among certain Christian groups. They say that modernday popular tongues are from God and then say that the other tongues are from the demon while at the same time the tongues are the same. So they stab themselves in the back.

It's like roadrunner cartoon, where the wolves always harm himself.

BEEP ! BEEP !