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| sivaram - 2005-03-30 8:41 PM
Very nice, Jeri. That's really the essence of it.
Whew, long row to hoe. 
Happy trails...
Yet if I had NEVER done yoga and had done pilates instead, or tai chi, or just some systematic form of methodical stretching given to me by a physiologist, I would be thanking God just the same for the particular blessing at the particular time that I think about it. Perhaps because I use yoga only as a form of stretching, I can honestly say it has not contributed to my life on that level. I'm thankful for it like I'm thankful for my daily food, but it wasn't the hamburgers that taught me to pray either. Having Christ, I have been given a standing I do not deserve, and that bounty from Him is what prompts me to pray. All the incidentals that evoke thanks from me are just that: incidentals. The source of blessing is Christ. In my opinion. But I will gladly rest my eternal soul on Him.
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| >>Witches are not nice, they play games with people and they are mean. In Nepal they do special poojas for houses with witches, you do not want witches to be around you, they are trouble makers.<<
Wow. And someone who shall remain claims I'm judgemental.
This is as harsh and as serious a generalization as saying all Christians believe yogin burn, or that homosexuals are all out to recruit. Unkind and unwarranted.
Being as it is NOT about me, whom I know really doesn't matter. However, I do happen to know many people who follow earth worship in their practice of witchcraft. "What one perpetrates on others, one receives back thricefold." A true practicing witch (which is not what Wicca happens to be, BTW), lives by that and does no harm.
just my opinion
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Location: A Blue State | jeriwho - 2005-03-30 8:54 PM
sivaram - 2005-03-30 8:41 PM
Very nice, Jeri. That's really the essence of it.
Whew, long row to hoe.
Happy trails...
Yet if I had NEVER done yoga and had done pilates instead, or tai chi, or just some systematic form of methodical stretching given to me by a physiologist, I would be thanking God just the same for the particular blessing at the particular time that I think about it. Perhaps because I use yoga only as a form of stretching, I can honestly say it has not contributed to my life on that level. I'm thankful for it like I'm thankful for my daily food, but it wasn't the hamburgers that taught me to pray either. Having Christ, I have been given a standing I do not deserve, and that bounty from Him is what prompts me to pray. All the incidentals that evoke thanks from me are just that: incidentals. The source of blessing is Christ. In my opinion. But I will gladly rest my eternal soul on Him.
Jeri
But if you are thankful for the yoga, or the food, you are acknowledging that it is of god, no?
And when we acknowledge the godly qualities of the things we do and the things around us,
we are doing yoga. I posted the following once before, but this discussion reminded me
of it. This is Krishna speaking:
Mature in yoga, impartial
everywhere he looks,
he sees himself in all beings
and all beings in himself.
The man who sees me in everything
and everything within me
will not be lost to me, nor
will I ever be lost to him.
He who is rooted in oneness
realizes that I am
in every being: whereever
he goes, he remains in me.
When he sees all beings as equal
in suffering or in joy
because they are like himself,
that man has grown perfect in yoga.
Bhagavad Gita
6:29-32, S. Mitchell's translation
Edited by Bay Guy 2005-03-30 10:19 PM
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| Hi guys. I am new here and I have to admit I got interested as soon as I seen this thread. Some things people should think about. There was a special a while back on the Missing Years of Jesus. I mean the Bible speaks about him from his birth to age 12, then he's not there until age 30. Those are 18 critical years missing! Well it is said that Christ travelled to India and Nepal to study with the masters there. There he learned.....guess what?? YOGA!!! LOL Seriously. I am a Christian and I strongly believe that Christ was influenced by Hindus and Buddhists of the time. That's why early Christianity resembled Buddhism more in it's non-judgemental and peaceful ways than the judgemental and dogmatic religion of Judaism. I believe that Christ studied and mastered yoga to the highest level. Yoga means union with God so why wouldn't Christ study it? That was His life. They said the miracles achieved by Jesus were skils typical of anyone who has mastered the highest form of yoga. I don't know what kind of Yoga that Christ did but I sincerely believed He did it. He was known as Saint Issa in the east. Issa means Jesus. And since yoga is not a religion, it can fit with all religions. So I don't see the conflict at all. |
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| Sivaram :-)
Yes, the differences between Christianity and other religions are _exactly_ self-imposed; self-imposed by our God. In our scriptures, our God unequivocably claims to be the _only_ God, and our religion to be the only true religion. So our belief is that there is only one God, and that He is exactly as described in the bible. Likewise, we believe in one heaven, one hell, one cosmology, one afterlife, one thing called salvation, and one process whereby that salvation is granted to persons.
So at the core of our religion is the insistance that God is as He is described in the bible, and only that. To us, God cannot have other names, or other characters, or other teachings, &etc. It is impossible to us that our God is the same God described in any other religion (except Judiasm, but that's another story :-).
As far as core religious matters go, we are prohibited from adopting any religious beliefs that are not either explicitly taught in the bible, or are a necessary result of those teachings.
This is what Jeri & I mean by historic Christianity. So she & I cannot believe in nirvana or Shiva or that we are all part of God, etc, because these doctrines conflict with what we believe to be absolute Truth. I am so very NOT God! Not even God's fingernail :-).
But I _am_ a child of God, and that is a wonderful thing indeed :-).
That said, we can admire and receive with delight, philosophies or tools that lead to beauty and freedom. I am tickled pink by meditation, because it has given me greater control over my restless mind. Meditation techniques allow me to pray and adore Jesus with greater focus, concentration, and stillness.
The difference is that meditation is not a doctrine, but a tool.
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Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hello PeonyDancer,
My comment about witches had nothing to do with being judgemental....and I do believe that you were referring to WICCANS and I was referring to WITCHES...big difference. I also made reference to the Wiccans that got burned and crucified in the US and Europe...not the same as witches, that I was referring to as being mean, playing games with people and being troublemakers. There are some people that claim to be a Witch, when in fact, they are not actually a Witch, they are Wiccans  You should study and inquire about the true Witches, it is very interesting. |
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| Neel, you can call Jesus a yogi if you wish. He was certainly a Master and a teacher. But let's not imply that He gave any credence to any vedic beliefs, because that would contradict the evidence contained in the eye-witness accounts of His life. This thinking especially conflicts with His own words.
So if you respect Jesus for anything, then you have something of a puzzle. Since he made it totally clear that He was God Himself in the flesh, according to His Jewish theology, then I suppose he was either lying about that, or he was insane. The other possibility is that He was exactly who He said that He was.
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| Bay Guy - 2005-03-30 10:14 PM
But if you are thankful for the yoga, or the food, you are acknowledging that it is of god, no?
And when we acknowledge the godly qualities of the things we do and the things around us,
we are doing yoga.
Well, again, if you define "yoga" in such broad terms as that, then by your definition it cannot be argued. But my view of the thanksgiving that I offer is that Christ is the cause of it. Perhaps I am mistaken, but from what I gather from this thread, the spiritual side of yoga is seeking an accrual of good deeds, directed concentration, meditation, etc., to spiritually uplift or enlighten the soul. But Christianity, as I have defined it, recognizes that Christ has done that for us.
What you view as causative, we view as an after effect. I am thankful, not because I am on my way to being enlightened or enobled, but because a position of righteousness and acceptance with God has already been given to me in Christ. Living by faith, I experience His nature and His mind in my life. And that nature is expressed in thankfulness, prayerfulness, joy, etc.
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| The Len - 2005-03-30 11:21 PM
Hi guys. I am new here and I have to admit I got interested as soon as I seen this thread. Some things people should think about. There was a special a while back on the Missing Years of Jesus. I mean the Bible speaks about him from his birth to age 12, then he's not there until age 30. Those are 18 critical years missing! Well it is said that Christ travelled to India and Nepal to study with the masters there. There he learned.....guess what?? YOGA!!! LOL Seriously.
Christ never deviated from explaining the Old Testament to those hwo listened to Him.. He never acknowledged yoga or anythng else. If you understand the New Testament, you also see that his listeners expected Him to remain clean according to the Law, and He did so. (That's why it astounded people when He would have gone into the home of the centurion. To enter the dwelling of a gentile would have defiled Christ according to the Law.) the Lord Jesus clearly declared that He had been expressly sent to Israel, and that was where He would minister.
Specualtions that He wandered off into other countries for years to learn that to which He never referred and which would have polluted Him in the eyes of His countrymen are just that---mere speculation that springs from a lack of understanding of the systematic thoroughness with which the Law governed such things and the expectations of His culture.
I am a Christian and I strongly believe that Christ was influenced by Hindus and Buddhists of the time. That's why early Christianity resembled Buddhism more in it's non-judgemental and peaceful ways than the judgemental and dogmatic religion of Judaism.
Christ spoke of Hell far more than He spoke of Heaven. He condemned the Pharisees, to Hell, repeatedly. His final words before He was judged by the Sanhedrin were a prophecy of destruction upon the Sanhedrin. The New Testament lays down rules to excommunicate and expel those who refuse to comply with church authority, and anybody who denies the eternal sonship of Christ is expressly under ban from fellowship in CHristian churches. Paul directs that a man be "delivered to Satan" for the sin of gross fornication. Christianity, in its earliest days, tooled itself to be focused on Christ as our only Savior. It is an exclusive religion at its very root. Christianity teaches that any person can be saved, but that salvation is through Christ alone. It teaches thatt those in whom God works come too Christ as repentant sinners.
I think your views stem from faddish ideas, but not from any real scholarship or knowledge of what Christ actually taught or the role He had come to fulfill. There's nothing Buddhist or Hindu about what Christ taught. He came to reconcile His people to God, His father. And He accomplished that. In my opinion.
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Location: A Blue State | jeriwho - 2005-03-31 6:00 AM
Well, again, if you define "yoga" in such broad terms as that, then by your definition it cannot be argued. But my view of the thanksgiving that I offer is that Christ is the cause of it. Perhaps I am mistaken, but from what I gather from this thread, the spiritual side of yoga is seeking an accrual of good deeds, directed concentration, meditation, etc., to spiritually uplift or enlighten the soul. But Christianity, as I have defined it, recognizes that Christ has done that for us.
Jeri
No, Jeri, that's too simple. Yoga has its roots in Hinduism, and personally I find it a bit
artificial to try to completely separate the "spirituality" of yoga from Hindu concepts of the
divine. It's in the latter that the real difference, and friction, between yoga and
Christianity is to be found.
Within Hindu or Yogic thought, god pervades everything and all of us. It is only
our own problems and muddy thinking (avidya and the other kleshas) that prevent us
realizing this fact in its entirity. The ultimate goal of yoga is to free oneself of such
afflications and of all the baggage of past action (karma...it's a real term with specific
meaning, not a phrase from southern California...). Once that is done, over the course
many lifetimes for most of us, we realize our oneness with god (in this context, sometimes
called Ishvara...Neel gave a very thoughtful exposition of divinity and diety in Hinduism
a couple of months ago, down in the general mediation forum).
The Hindu concept of god does not involve salvation in any sense. This god is largely
passive with respect to human affairs and cannot be thought of as imposing a set of
rules on us poor humans. The various rules of conduct from the Yoga Sutras,
the Yamas and Niyamas, are designed to help us free ourselves from kleshas and to
avoid creating additional karmas so that we can eventually recognize god within ourselves,
Brahman (not Bramha).
As was mentioned at points above, yoga asanas are tool for reaching this awareness of
god and for stilling the human passions that separate us from that knowledge. Asanas
(or poses) are one of eight steps in Raja Yoga (which I'm not going into now b/c I need
to hurry and get offline). There are other paths of yoga, such as the path of devotion
or Bhakti yoga, which are intended to lead to the same result. Hatha yoga is a subset
of Raja yoga dealing primarily with physical practices -- asana and pranayama in particular.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I object to the occasional characterization of yoga
as just new-agey self-realization, stretching, and relaxation. Lots of people use Hatha
yoga for that purpose without any awareness of its broader intent, but that's not the
whole story. Gotta run.
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| Any time someone makes sweeping generalizations about a group, it is being judgemental.
If you add humanity into anything, there are bound to be goods and bads. I'm sure you ran into what you consider to be bads. Frankly, given the generalizations made, I'd be tempted to play games and be a troublemaker with you, too.
Witches are an interesting breed, and inquiring is not necessary. I have several in my world, who are part of very interesting, altruistic covens. This is one of the reasons I refuse to let such a broad generalization sweep by.
I also have more than several Wiccan friends. Friends with families being raised in this faith.
I do know the difference and know that it is wrong, unfair and narrow minded to cram every practitioner into your generalization.
Just as it is wrong to cram every Christian into the stereotype of being narrow minded, judgemental, and frightened.
So there you have it.
Jeriwho, you called the idea that Jesus travelled to be "faddish.?" I'm not learned enough in the life of Jesus to know where the fundamental Christian (and I don't mean fundamentalist, but basic) doctrine states he was. Or is this one of the Mysteries.
The LDS faith states he travelled, too. They state he visited places like the indians in the Americas and claim there are carvings that substantiate this. This is offered in the "newest" gospel being the book of Morman. Would you consider this to be "faddish?" I realize it isn't recognized by conventional Christianity....
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| Well, if you accept extra-biblical "revelations," we would just have to agree to disagree. The New Testament Gospels were written by four men, three of whom personally witnessed the ministry of the Lord Jesus. The fourth writer, Luke, took it onto himself to research what was still extant about the life of Christ in order to make an end-to-end documentation of what Christ did (and what He had not done) in order to present His life to the Greeks.
From the agreement of these four writers, we see that Christ's ministry was to the nation of Israel, even though that ministry was used to announce that salvation had come to all men. Christ clearly says He has been sent to the nation of Israel and not to any other nation. Furthermore, when the Lord took up the Scripture in the synagogue of His own town and read them, He caused a lot of confusion and anger when He declared that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah. The towns people who knew Him exclaimed, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" an exclamation that shows first, He was well known to them, and second, His life had been entirely unremarkable. He was not a world traveler returning to make a triumphal declaration. He was the kid from around the corner who made a startling announcement.
The Lord Jesus was not a cosmopolitan world traveler who saw other lands. There is no record from his followers at all that He ever visited India or any other country. He was remarked upon for being extremely ordinary. Isaiah prophecied that there would be nothing about Christ to commend Him as extraordinary, and certainly traveling that far and returning would have been quite extraordinary, especially to people who would have declared Him unclean after visiting Gentiles and living in a Gentile country.
No credible documentation exists to show that He ever left Israel, and His own repeated declarations that He had come to minister to the nation of Israel and be rejected by her leaders shows that He had no reason to leave Israel. He explicitly said that He had NOT come to minister to other nations during his lifetime. His perfect grasp of the Law at the age of 12 shows that He had no need to go anywhere else to rebuke the leaders of Israel for twisting the Law, and His expertise at that young age shows that He was fit to open the Scripture to the common people. But that's what Christ did: He taught the Law, the Old Testament, to the people in the way it was intended to be taught. That's what He said He was doing. That's what the Apostle Paul says Christ did. That's why the Pharisees hated Him so much, and that was why He rebuked them so often.
If people want to presupose that every possible statement is inherently credible, then I can't stop them. But there is a lack of credibility and evidence to support these assertions. There is no more evidence in the Bible that the Lord Jesus went to India or America than there is that He invented fire engines, and there are certainly abundant statements that show that He did not.
The LDS/Mormon account of Christ has changed so much since the sect was founded that I think they have pretty thoroughly discredited themselves. They have split into four subgroups, each with differing doctrines. Currently, the largest sub group of LDS/Mormonism is working to get back to a more mainstream view of Christ and Christianity. I think they will always be distinnctively a group called LDS, but they have made the Book of Mormon a lot less prominent.
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Location: A Blue State | YogaDancer - 2005-03-31 8:35 AM
Jeriwho, you called the idea that Jesus travelled to be "faddish.?" I'm not learned enough in the life of Jesus to know where the fundamental Christian (and I don't mean fundamentalist, but basic) doctrine states he was. Or is this one of the Mysteries.
The LDS faith states he travelled, too. They state he visited places like the indians in the Americas and claim there are carvings that substantiate this. This is offered in the "newest" gospel being the book of Morman. Would you consider this to be "faddish?" I realize it isn't recognized by conventional Christianity....
Christine
This again goes back to the point that doctrine is a selective and interpretive reading of
the scriptural and historical record. LDS are probably excluded from the "historical
christian" category. The Gospel of Thomas was omitted from current "bible".
Paul's writings (eg, from above "Paul directs that a man be 'delivered to Satan' for the sin
of gross fornication.") are well known to impose a severity of observance not so evident in
earlier books, and they have, by reputation, an anti-female bias. While some may
choose to take the bible as only document relevant to christianity, it's clear that other
christians don't similarly limit themselves and that the historical record is richer.
Edited by Bay Guy 2005-03-31 12:04 PM
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Location: A Blue State | jeriwho - 2005-03-31 11:54 AM
The LDS/Mormon account of Christ has changed so much since the sect was founded that I think they have pretty thoroughly discredited themselves.
Jeri
Really, Jeri, this is a fundamentalist write-off of the LDS. I doubt that the LDS ever wanted
to have credibility with with the strict bible churches.
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| Bay Guy said,
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I object to the occasional characterization of yoga
as just new-agey self-realization, stretching, and relaxation. Lots of people use Hatha
yoga for that purpose without any awareness of its broader intent, but that's not the
whole story.
But it's the whole story for me, because I only take yoga as far as stretching. This is like the gentleman who asked me about my opinion if he were to use the Bible only as a pillow. Now, I believe the Bible is the Word of God. But if a man were to use it only as a pillow, then clearly it would be grossly incorrect to look at his actions and say, "Well, he did that good work because he uses the Bible." His use of the Bible as a pillow would have nothing to do with any good work that he does. If he's using the Bible only as a pillow, two things are true: 1) He's free to use it as a pillow if that's all he wants to do with it, and 2) it will not benefit him in any way other than as a pillow, no matter how powerful its message.
Ditto with me and people who choose this method. We don't take yoga for a spiritual purpose but rather for physical therapy. That's why, as a Christian, I am free to do yoga. It means no more to me spiritually than the Bible would mean to a man who uses it only as a pillow. It's a tool. It's not my faith.
I'm sure there is a broader story to yoga, and if you want to follow that story, that's up to you.
You are right when you comment on the Hindu idea that God pervades all of us. Christians (using the term as I have defined that) don't believe this. We believe that God made us as separate and distinct individuals, and that our standing as creatures made in the image of God enables us to surrender to His will, as the Son surrendered to the will of the Father. But the individuality is what gives us dignity, for God welcomes us to His table and we converse with Him as separate individuals, having opinions and experiences that we bring to Him. God is my Master, of course, but it is also true that Christ didn't save me to make me a part of God like an appendix or even His heart. Christ is my friend, and I am His friend. I will know Him face to face and have fellowship with Him. It is the individuality of each human being that we regard as an expression of God's personality and His love for us. I hope that explains it.
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| Bay Guy - 2005-03-31 12:04 PM
Really, Jeri, this is a fundamentalist write-off of the LDS. I doubt that the LDS ever wanted
to have credibility with with the strict bible churches.
Which LDS group are you talking about?
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| You guys, I just got this from a student.
If you don't like it, just change the label!!!!!
In this article, the woman states that her husband said, "Well, praise moves God." Sure it's out of context, but (read the article) consider that statement.
It tells me that with any luck, God can be flattered, therefore manipulated. Yeah!!!
I'm in luck, since promises and bargains never seemed to work.
(If you can't find the sarcasm there, you're not listening.)
Anyway, check this out: http://www.praisemoves.com/ChristianAlternative.htm
Christine
Edited by YogaDancer 2005-03-31 12:49 PM
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Location: A Blue State | YogaDancer - 2005-03-31 12:31 PM
You guys, I just got this from a student.
If you don't like it, just change the label!!!!!
In this article, the woman states that her husband said, "Well, praise moves God." Sure it's out of context, but (read the article ) consider that statement.
It tells me that with any luck, God can be flattered, therefore manipulated. Yeah!!!
I'm in luck, since promises and bargains never seemed to work.
(If you can't find the sarcasm there, you're not listening. )
Anyway, check this out: http://www.praisemoves.com/ChristianAlternative.htm
Christine
Need to edit your original post, Christine, the hyperlink is trashed.
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| YogaDancer - 2005-03-31 12:31 PM
You guys, I just got this from a student.
If you don't like it, just change the label!!!!!
In this article, the woman states that her husband said, "Well, praise moves God." Sure it's out of context, but (read the article ) consider that statement.
It tells me that with any luck, God can be flattered, therefore manipulated. Yeah!!!
I'm in luck, since promises and bargains never seemed to work.
(If you can't find the sarcasm there, you're not listening. )
Anyway, check this out: http://www.praisemoves.com/ChristianAlternative.htm
Christine
HAHAHAHAH! Well, I guess she's in it just for the love of God; self promotion has nothing to do with it.... Sorry to earnest yoga practitioners for this glaring plagiarism of your sytems, but the people who said Rock music was evil and then brought you Christian Contemporary music, and that afternoon cartoons were evil and then brought you Veggi Tales, and that romance novels were evil and then produced the endless pioneer/frontier Christian romances, are now saying that yoga is evil, so here is the Christian alternative.
This Christian will continue breathing and stretching in her Bikram yoga class. Some Christians used to say the same thing about why martial arts was wicked to study. In fact, they said a lot of the exact same things about it that this lady is saying about Hatha yoga. And it all comes to the same end---wind. I think it's pretty clear that yoga has not diminished the faith in Christ of those who hold that faith dear and study the Scripture. |
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| The praisemoves postures depicted in the website look identical to hatha yoga asanas. Though she is quite eloquent, her viewpoint is no different from Pat's.
I guess the postures have been designed exclusively from the "Christian" point of view so that the poses take the practioner closer to Christ.
How is that different from Yoga again?
Why are they so afraid of Yoga? Is their belief so brittle and their God so unforgiving that they are in such constant fear. |
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Location: A Blue State | The difference is probably in the names of the asanas.
So Hanumanasana becomes Jeremiahasana, Kapilasana
becomes Hezekiahasana, etc.
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| I couldn't read the whole thing... I tried, but I couldn't. First of all, the woman at the top looks like she is insane or perhaps demonic. Second of all, she is just ticked that she isn't making any $$ out of the yoga boom! |
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| tourist - 2005-04-01 9:18 AM
I couldn't read the whole thing... I tried, but I couldn't. First of all, the woman at the top looks like she is insane or perhaps demonic. Second of all, she is just ticked that she isn't making any $$ out of the yoga boom!
I must admit my reaction was similar at first, and yeah, seem's likely some jealousy there. Well, she was a yoga teacher for some time after all, and obviously she got some benefit before the 700 Club makeover.
I've heard fear like this: http://www.praisemoves.com/ChristianAlternative.htm
one may be “oppressed” by demonic influences.
expressed by students, who've heard it from their church leaders, not realizing that statements like this:
Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being… If anyone says to you, ‘This was offered to idols,’ do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake…not your own, but that of the other… not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved”
are perfectly compatible with the teachings of yoga.
Her editorial is clearly slanted, especially the way yoga is lumped together with new age...whatever...
Christianity sometimes resembles a very successful marketing campaign (a friend of mine once opined it's the biggest MLM organization on the planet). People with something to sell always have a slant.
But then, let's face it. As this thread amply demonstrates, many people simply express a tendency toward difference, exclusion and identifying "others', us vs. them, I-ness mine-ness... ad nauseum. I think it's pointless to protest too much against this, however much I personally disagree. I'll agree to disagree.
The fact is, not everyone will be open to yogic practices. C'est la vie. [Not contradicting Neel... in fact I see all life as spiritual practice/progression toward union]. Just saying, I myself don't take on the role of proseletysing evangelist.
In her own way Laurette may be doing a lot of good. She'll certainly be able to reach out to and help many people who are of a similar mindset. And if she can adapt yoga asanas to help people avoid or overcome their suffering, it's for the best. Obviously one possible downside is more rigidity, but not a whole lot to be done about that, other than try to live another example IMHO.
Edited by sivaram 2005-03-31 10:05 PM
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| Dear Elson wrote the following:
Neel, you can call Jesus a yogi if you wish. He was certainly a Master and a teacher. But let's not imply that He gave any credence to any vedic beliefs, because that would contradict the evidence contained in the eye-witness accounts of His life. This thinking especially conflicts with His own words.
So if you respect Jesus for anything, then you have something of a puzzle. Since he made it totally clear that He was God Himself in the flesh, according to His Jewish theology, then I suppose he was either lying about that, or he was insane. The other possibility is that He was exactly who He said that He was.
Sound reasonable?
===> My reasoning: Vedic statements do NOT require Christ's support to prove. They were proven thousands of years before Jesus Christ was born. Also, they do not need any proof support. Because they were made out of experience, so they were statements of the proof, which do not need to be proven later. Next, if Christ says anything whcih contradicts the Vedic Statements, that will be a blasphemy. And, I know for sure that he did NO such a thing. Also, it is beyond doubt that he practiced yoga, learnt Yoga and also preached his realization in his own language, NOT in English, but in the dialect of that time. Also, what he preached is NOT practiced mostly. Again, if you say that Christ means the God in Flesh form, and NOT in Spirit, that Flesh is gone now. That means the flesh does NOT exist. This will mean God does not exist. Does this sound reasonable to you?
And, I am not respecting Christ for what he said. I am respecting him for what he did. He did study Yoga, practiced it, and demonstrated to people that one can love others unconditionally. That is what I respect him for. Same with the Vedas, I do not respect them only for the statements. But, for the Rishis who actually got the realizations by the practices mentioned there, where one can practice them and get those experiences, exactly like Jeriwho gets in flexibility by performing Stretching Part of Yoga. Now, those who do not practice the other part, whill NOT get that experience, and can only make hollow statements about them.
Neel Kulkarni
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Can Christians Practice Yoga?
