:Dvarapala in Hindu temple, two demon statue, Bali, Indonesia"
Posted on 09/19/2017 5:25:10 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Recently Duke Chapel at Duke University in North Carolina tweeted photos of yoga exercises on the floor of its majestic worship space as part of Healthy Duke Week of Wellness. Built in the 1930s as a Methodist sanctuary in the style of a Gothic cathedral for what was then a Methodist affiliated school, Duke Chapel is now nondenominational.
There are Evangelicals and Catholics who critique yoga as wrong for Christians because its mantras originate in eastern religion. Setting aside that concern, should worship space be open to recreation and "profane" (i.e., secular) activities? Tai-chi? Kickboxing? Karate? Spinning? Ballroom dancing? Salsa? Hip-Hop? Ballet? Volleyball? Badminton? If not, why not?
Catholic and other liturgical traditions generally consecrate their worship spaces and open them to profane activities only after decommissioning. There is an understanding that the place where the Eucharist is served and the Word proclaimed is in some sense sacred, meriting reverence, dignity and protection.
Lower church Protestants and Evangelicals don't always attach the same sense of lofty spirituality to their worship space. Many congregations, especially new ones, don't own property, instead worshiping in rented school gymnasiums or theaters. Other congregations convene in multipurpose rooms with folding chairs, where space shifts from worship to meals to gymnastics or basketball.
Most traditional Protestant churches even if not very liturgical still have formal worship space filled with pews, faced by pulpit and altar, with walls adorned with Christian symbols. This space, while perhaps sometimes used for non-worship meetings, is still usually accorded respect and not host to recreation.
Worship space for many modern non-liturgical churches, while not hosting recreation, often resembles theaters without much if any sacred adornment, often purposefully so, ostensibly to avoid discomfiting unchurched visitors. Worshipers there, and increasingly in more traditional spaces, are often quite casual, wearing shorts, flip flops, baseball hats, carrying lattes or other drinks. These worshipers will often conform to more formality when attending weddings, funerals, graduations or other ceremonies they deem deeply significant.
This casual attitude at church should provoke reflection. Isn't worship deeply significant and meriting respect? Shouldn't Gospel proclamation, reading of God's word, and the Lord's Supper always together inspire awe, reverence and celebratory solemnity, no matter the surrounding architecture? And shouldn't ideally that architecture itself point Godward, conducive to worship? Shouldn't the space itself be deemed special, with expectation that God Himself is present, recalling that when Moses met Him in the wilds he removed his footwear in respect?
Duke Chapel, built as a medieval cathedral with such a sacred sense of God's presence in mind, was intended to inspire appreciation of divine awe and mystery. It's not a multipurpose room or gymnasium. There are plenty of places on the extensive Duke University campus for yoga practitioners and other exercisers to perform their craft.
But exercising and sweating in tights on floormats in a soaring cathedral beneath its stained glass and carvings of saints and martyrs seems to detract from the sacredness of that place. Moses in God's presence did remove his footwear and fall prostrate, but not to stretch and grunt. Today's sanctuaries may not equal Mt. Sinai or King David's Temple, but they should point in spirit to the same God, with consequent respect for His holiness from all who enter. This reverence honors God while also helping us to know Him a bit better.
Ouch! :)
It isn’t witchcraft but it is Hinduism.
The mission of the church is not to conform to the culture. Exercise in the gym. Or the library. Or the park. Or the grocery store. There is nothing about yoga that glorifies God, and only that which glorifies God should be going on in the building of the church.
The “don't judge!” meme spread amongst the church is about judging other people and/or brothers in Christ for DOING THE SAME THING WE OURSELVES DO.
Jesus’s admonition against judging has to do with judging hypocritically.
Jesus’s admonition about judging righteously or with discernment, if not the Holy Spirit gift of “discernment of spirits”— is what all believers are to exercise.
Modern Christians get this idea that we follow a ‘nice” greeting card Christ.
Jesus was never “nice”. (The Greek definition of “nice” by the way is about being a stupid pushover).
Did I jump on your words about yoga not being a big deal? Yes. If I was wrong, and you do completely understand the supernatural and spiritual ramifications of opening yourself up to evil entities, entities that Christ warned us about, then please forgive me. But I have seen too much supernatural weirdness in Christian circles not to try to counteract the idea that yoga is spiritually neutral.
In fact, I recommend anyone who has ever ignorantly engaged int this practice ask the Lord to reveal if there is any spiritual “clean up” or renouncing of the Enemy of our souls that they may have gotten into unwittingly.
And I'll pray it right now:
Dear Lord Jesus: if anyone reading this FR thread has unwittingly bowed the knee to any evil entity while practicing yoga, or somehow compromised their faith with this deceptive practice, based on the first commandment to love You with all our minds, bodies, souls and spirits, because You are a jealous God and You will have no other gods before You...
... then I pray the sweet conviction of the Holy Spirit on these people so that You might deliver them from evil. Lord, as Paul wrote, physical exercise is good, but spiritual exercise is way more important, and I pray for all those reading this thread that their faith in You is increased, encouraged and blessed with joy. Amen!
What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
#62
yes it is a part of hinduism.
the individual is god and/or a part of god.
Dictionary or wikipedia; just about any reference source will confirm this.
So, depending on ones belief in the sanctity of a church building,I would think it inappropriate in that setting.
How many angels fit on the head of a pin?
Next irrelevant question please.
What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
You stole my answer.
The olympics are a secular endeavor, right? Has nothing to do with being a Christian.
Christianity has lots of sacred places, in every inhabited continent. Many of them are quite beautiful, with priceless treasures of sacred art and architecture as settings for worship. And there are some, perhaps more modest but still venerable, in the town where you live.
I do think you can tell what is really important in a culture by its most eminent buildings. In some places, cathedrals. In others, casinos. In others, airports. In still others, banks.
:Dvarapala in Hindu temple, two demon statue, Bali, Indonesia"
NO!!!!
The modern Olympics are but they owe their origin to Greek religious ceremonies where both being Greek & the gods were honored. The opening ceremony is a modern copy of the religious ceremony asking the gods to witness the events. So if you want to claim that the stretching routines in yoga are somehow worshiping pagan deities or demons then lets be honest so are the Olympics and every other sporting event that has an opening ceremony. Western athletics & the western cultural concept of athleticism all come from the same historical sources.
Additionally to be intellectually honest you must stop using the names of the days of the week. Saturday, Sunday & Monday are the three days of the week honoring three Roman gods respectively. To use the name of the god (or I guess you would call it a demon!) is to call it into your presence. Tuesday through Friday is to invoke the Norse/Germanic gods. Again you are calling on these demons and honoring their day. Don’t go by what I say look it up!
Shouldn’t that decision be made by members of the congregation?
Yes of course, but I think the question is this — Does the God of the Bible allow Yoga in a church built for Christians to worship Him?
I think they are doing it on purpose, looking for an enlightened place for a pagan inspired routine ... and the hypocrites wouldn’t dare do it in a Muslim prayer room and would likely take their shoes off for a mosque.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.