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Yoga? It's too Hindu for church: Priest bans exercise class because it's 'not Catholic'
Daily Mail ^ | Wednesday, September 26, 2012 | Daily Mail Reporter

Posted on 09/26/2012 9:17:56 PM PDT by Jyotishi

-Yoga instructor Cori Withell was told activity was part of Hindu religion -37-year-old banned from using Catholic church hall despite paying up beforehand -She said the class was just for exercise and did not feature meditation -Ban not Catholic church policy - decision left to discretion of individual priests

Banned: Fitness instructor Cori Withell was told she could not hold her yoga class at a Catholic church as it was a Hindu religious activity

She meant her yoga classes to be a calming and relaxing experience for all those concerned.

Instead, Cori Withell has ended up flustered and frustrated after a priest banned her from his church hall because her lessons are ‘not compatible’ with the Catholic faith.

The 37-year-old instructor was told by Father John Chandler that yoga is a Hindu religious activity and therefore not in keeping with his rules on promoting Catholic activities.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Current Events; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholicism; christian; hindu; yoga
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To: Jyotishi
Exposing the Dangers Behind Martial Arts & Yoga
41 posted on 09/27/2012 7:42:31 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Government is the religion of the sociopath.)
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To: entropy12
WOW, I was under the impression only Muslims had the monopoly on religious intolerance.

It's not about "religion."

Exposing the Dangers Behind Martial Arts & Yoga

42 posted on 09/27/2012 7:43:50 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Government is the religion of the sociopath.)
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To: Jyotishi
Father Chandler said the church was ‘misled’ by Miss Withell’s booking because he claimed that, at first, the hall was booked for pilates and then he found out it was also for spiritual yoga.

*****************************************************

Pilates okay, Yoga bad.

I take a yoga class at my Methodist Church. I wouldn't call it relaxing or very spiritual. In fact, brutal is the word that comes to my mind.
My church offers all kinds of free classes that are just about having fun and getting together with other church members.

This is just silly. Obviously, no one is going to a Catholic church to practice Hinduism.

43 posted on 09/27/2012 8:10:32 AM PDT by kara37
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To: kara37

I have a list of things I do in my spiritual walk, that if I were to share it with fellow Christians, they would basically disown me and say I was unChristian. I know this from experience.

And if you look at the things that I do that they find objectionable, it doesn’t come down to doing inappropriate things, it comes to thinking inappropriate things.

I always heard a group of Christian friends trashing a certain pastors book, and out of curiosity I checked out the book. What they found objectionable, is that the man imagined holding the hem of Jesus’ robe, while he was in prayer. They said that was visualizing, visualization was new age, so they trashed him.

Many times I felt that while God is doing all he can to bring people into his house, some Christians are doing all they can to keep people out.


44 posted on 09/27/2012 8:25:04 AM PDT by Tuanedge (The Buffalo hates the Tiger, but the Tiger loves the Buffalo.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I wonder what you’d think if you’d been born in India?


45 posted on 09/27/2012 8:36:47 AM PDT by ZX12R (FUBO GTFO 2012 !)
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To: Cronos

It would have been very beneficial to me to get into Yoga in the late 1970s, I had gotten close to the biggest Yoga operators in San Diego, so I immersed myself into the decision of whether I could do Yoga with a clear conscience.

While not a theologian, I finally came to the conclusion that it was a wrong path, that there was something anti-Christian in there somewhere, and that for me, I best choose not to start down that path. I have done a lot of impulse sinning, but when I have time and consciousness of deliberately choosing a path, I try to avoid spiritual confusion, or subtle spiritual seductions.

I’m not interested in arguing Yoga with people, but I will reveal my simple vote, I vote with the Priest.


46 posted on 09/27/2012 9:11:14 AM PDT by ansel12
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To: Cronos
Hindus won’t care. They’re good people.. . they are good people and know how to live alongside other faiths.

Then why are Christians in India being persecuted by Hindus?

http://christianpersecutionindia.blogspot.com/2012/07/karnataka-christians-attacked.html

47 posted on 09/27/2012 9:24:30 AM PDT by aimhigh
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To: ZX12R
I wonder what you’d think if you’d been born in India?

I wonder what Hindi's would think about having Mass in their temples?

48 posted on 09/27/2012 9:24:54 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Government is the religion of the sociopath.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I wonder what Hindi's would think about having Mass in their temples?

You'd probably be a yoga instructor, and walking around with a jewelry laden cow.
49 posted on 09/27/2012 9:29:26 AM PDT by ZX12R (FUBO GTFO 2012 !)
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To: Jyotishi

Yoga IS a Hindu religious practice.
You can get “denatured” yoga, pretty easily, though. Or find some other low-impact exercise regime.


50 posted on 09/27/2012 9:35:41 AM PDT by Little Ray (AGAINST Obama in the General.)
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To: ZX12R
You'd probably be a yoga instructor, and walking around with a jewelry laden cow.

For such an open-minded sort, you certainly have a fondness for bigoted stereotypes.

51 posted on 09/27/2012 9:37:08 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Government is the religion of the sociopath.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
For such an open-minded sort, you certainly have a fondness for bigoted stereotypes.

I think those cows are pretty cool looking, very regal. Are the Hindus the same ones that feed the rats? Or is that some other culture? I forget.
52 posted on 09/27/2012 9:43:10 AM PDT by ZX12R (FUBO GTFO 2012 !)
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To: Jyotishi

Seems to me a Catholic Church should be more concerned about teaching it’s members anti-Biblical doctrine.


53 posted on 09/27/2012 9:53:27 AM PDT by crosshairs (America: Once the land of the free. Still the home of the brave.)
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To: Jyotishi

I started practicing yoga about 18 months ago. It made me a better Christian.


54 posted on 09/27/2012 9:54:46 AM PDT by SoftballMominVA
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To: Cronos
If one takes the philosophy too far, it is then Hindu spirituality specifically Tantric and vedic, which asserts about emptying the mind.

That is false. Anyone who has ever done more than superficial study of the subject knows that they teach that the mind cannot be emptied. It is impossible.

55 posted on 09/27/2012 10:13:53 AM PDT by TigersEye (dishonorabledisclosure.com - OPSEC (give them support))
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To: sinsofsolarempirefan

> Once had a devout christian come to my martial arts
> training class a few years ago. He didn’t come back after
> the first session, as he considered reing (bowing) to the
> sensei at the beginning and end of the session to be an
> idolatrous act and was too pig-headed to be persuaded otherwise.

Same reason why a person of a faith other than Islam needs to think twice about letting Obama win reelection; Obama bows to the Saudi king. Whenever I see someone wearing a cross these days I say to them, “Ah, so you’re not gonna vote for Obama!” Most don’t get it until I ask them why a Christian would vote for someone who bows to an Arab. Sorry about the digression from the topic of Yoga.


56 posted on 09/27/2012 10:18:06 AM PDT by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
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To: Bon mots

> My ex-girlfriend does yoga and she’s Satan.

Well there’s that hope & change guy, maybe he can help her. /sarc


57 posted on 09/27/2012 10:28:56 AM PDT by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
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To: Tuanedge
Many times I felt that while God is doing all he can to bring people into his house, some Christians are doing all they can to keep people out.
***************************************************

That is so true. I droped out of going to church for years because of some of the things you described. I only started going again for the sake of my young children.

I was luckily enough to find a good Methodist church that likes to say that they are a church for un-church people.
That pretty much describes me. I am a strong believer. However, I have zero tolerance for preachy judgmental Christians.

58 posted on 09/27/2012 11:08:18 AM PDT by kara37
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To: kara37

Why would Yoga be going on in a church in the first place?


59 posted on 09/27/2012 11:11:42 AM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: entropy12

It is not intolerant to tell them to get their own church.

Do you think Mosques should let Christian services be held there?


60 posted on 09/27/2012 11:15:30 AM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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