Yoga is Dangerous to Christianity

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Mar 4, 2020
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#61
I’m not sure how you came to the conclusion that the Bible distinguishes between the unseen spirit realm and the material world.
All of those verses you quoted demonstrate that it isn't the physical world but the spiritual world. That's exactly what my point is.

We wrestle against dark spiritual powers and not flesh and blood. Paul was made blind by the power of God and not by physically falling to his knees on the road. Paul's blindness was healed by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by having hands placed on him. Putting hands on someone without the Holy Spirit deciding to do something doesn't do anything. Partaking in the Lord's Supper with bad intentions is what brings judgement on them, not simply eating food.

One can eat unleavened bread and drink fruit of the vine for every meal if they would like, but what instantly transforms it from a meal to a memorial service for Jesus is doing it in remembrance of Him. Luke 22:14-23

Someone can put their hands on someone else but literally nothing happens unless the Holy Spirit wills it.

Someone can fall to their knees on a road to Damascus and not go blind. See how the physical and spiritual are separate?

So with that context, I’m not sure how you are connecting the mouth defiling quote to the symbols. Please do elaborate on your thought process and explain how you are connecting them.
"And out of the mouth come things that show what’s in their heart, like evil thoughts, immorality, lies etc"

Yes... And idolatry also comes out of the intentions of the heart. By doing yoga poses is someone intending to practice Hinduism and worship false gods? Then out of their heart came idolatry.

What Jesus is trying to teach here is that it is what someone's intentions are that determine whether it is spiritually good or bad. What defiles someone goes well beyond appearances, well beyond what we have the capacity to perceive as mere humans. That's why if you see someone doing yoga you can't automatically discern why they are doing it. Consider Romans 14:4-6.

Why must we do all things with love or otherwise we are a "clanging symbol" (1 Corinthians 13:1) In other words it is just vain noise, hollow vibrations that serve no purpose. If love is added then the entire motive changes.
 
Mar 4, 2020
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#62
And to add to my previous post before this one, actually read all of Romans 14.

While I'm there, here's a thought. On Christmas day when someone kneels down in front of their pine tree decorated with silver and gold, are they worshipping an idol because of what Jeremiah says in chapter 10?

3For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut down a tree from the forest;
it is shaped with a chisel
by the hands of a craftsman.
4They adorn it with silver and gold
and fasten it with hammer and nails,
so that it will not totter.
5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch,
their idols cannot speak.
They must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them, for they can do no harm,
and neither can they do any good.”

Or is there no harm because no one is intending to worship a Christmas tree?
 

RemnantRD

New member
Jun 7, 2020
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#63
And to add to my previous post before this one, actually read all of Romans 14.

While I'm there, here's a thought. On Christmas day when someone kneels down in front of their pine tree decorated with silver and gold, are they worshipping an idol because of what Jeremiah says in chapter 10?

3For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut down a tree from the forest;
it is shaped with a chisel
by the hands of a craftsman.
4They adorn it with silver and gold
and fasten it with hammer and nails,
so that it will not totter.
5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch,
their idols cannot speak.
They must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them, for they can do no harm,
and neither can they do any good.”

Or is there no harm because no one is intending to worship a Christmas tree?
Technically, since God says not to learn their ways and not to use them to worship Him... It would seem that the act is tied in to the original method of worship? You left out verses 1 and 2:

1 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord:
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

As for yoga, it is intrinsically tied into Hinduism and there is no real way to separate the spiritual part of yoga from the physical practice. Why not do different stretches?
 
Mar 4, 2020
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#64
Technically, since God says not to learn their ways and not to use them to worship Him... It would seem that the act is tied in to the original method of worship? You left out verses 1 and 2:

1 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord:
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

As for yoga, it is intrinsically tied into Hinduism and there is no real way to separate the spiritual part of yoga from the physical practice. Why not do different stretches?
That's directed to the house of Israel who were called to be God's own special people. In other words, if the house of Israel learned from the Gentiles they would adopt practices that would make them indistinguishable from them. Leviticus 20:23,24,26

But in Christ we are all the same. There is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ. Galatians 3:28

I know there is a lot to read before this post, but somewhere way back there I pointed out how the ability to move our bodies, stretch, pose, etc. are not monopolized by Hinduism or any other faith.

If people started abstaining from what other ideologies have appropriated you couldn't even breathe because breathing is required in some yoga exercises.
 
Dec 23, 2019
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#65
All of those verses you quoted demonstrate that it isn't the physical world but the spiritual world...
Okay, interesting. Thank you for clarifying. I think I see how you’re thinking of it. I still see the spiritual connected to the physical though. Yes, we do wrestle against darkness and spiritual wickedness etc. And yes, the Holy Spirit is the one that caused Paul to fall, be blind, and get healed. However, God used physical means like the laying on of hands for healing, a physical fall, and physical blindness. Yes, the spiritual again works with the physical when partaking in the Lord’s Supper. If you physically eat/drink it unworthily you eat/drink spiritual judgment on yourself. The spiritual sin may even have physical consequences like weakness, illness, and death which are seen as a discipline from God so that we believers may not be condemned with the world (see 1 Corinthians 11:29-32).

Yes, the physical bread and cup aren’t anything by themselves. However they become the Lord’s Supper when like you said we do it in remembrance of Jesus. Physical and spiritual, not physical by itself.

Agreed. If a person does not have the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Spirit does not act through them, nothing will happen if they lay their hands on someone else. But God does use that as a physical avenue for His Spirit. God presented Himself through the burning bush with Moses and traveled with the Israelites under the guise of fire, in the ark of the covenant, under a tent etc but when David wanted to build God a physical house God was like I have never dwelt in a house of cedar. Instead I will build you a house and Solomon will one day build me a temple. And physical sacrifices were involved for the forgiveness of sins before Jesus’ ultimate and final sacrifice. Just as Adam sinned and brought on our spiritually fallen state with physical consequences like death, Jesus with his physical death and resurrection brought us spiritual redemption and reconciliation with God. They’re tied together.

It wasn’t that Paul became blind after falling. God who is Spirit made him physically blind.

I agree that yes, if the person intends to worship false gods it is definitely idolatry. That is why eating meat sacrificed to idols is dangerous to a person that thinks they are committing idolatry by eating it, versus someone who eats it saying the idols are nothing. But the latter can also put a stumbling block for the one that sees it as idolatry and participates. That’s why Paul said to consider the weaker brothers and if that was the case it was better not to eat the meat at all.

I agree that no one can know what is inside a person’s mind and heart, only God. That is why He is our judge and not us. I’m not saying we ought to judge our brothers and sisters in Christ as idolaters or say they are condemned etc for doing yoga. No. I’m saying we should consider the Hindu roots and occult/New Age ties of yoga and the souls of both our fellow Christians and outside non-believers. Then, in considering them as more important than ourselves, deny ourselves and not participate in a spiritually dangerous practice that could have negative (demonic) consequences and has led many astray.

A little further from the initial verses you said to consider (and yes I did read the rest), it says “if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love” and “it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble” (Romans 14:15, 21). That is what I’m saying is a big problem with yoga. If a person believes in their conscience it is not wrong and does it in the privacy of their own home without encouraging anyone else to do it, at their own risk, then that is between them and God. However, I think it’s always important to consider your brothers. Like if a person thinks it’s okay to drink, that is fine, but would it be okay to do so in front of an alcoholic who is fighting the temptation to drink daily? Consider them.

Yes, exactly. Going through the motions, you can do all the good deeds in the world and yet without love they are meaningless. As for motive, if you just want to stretch, why not try Pilates? That’s not associated with Hinduism, the occult, or New Age movement and is just as good a workout for your body if not better. If they happen to coincidentally have any poses that are similar to yoga, that would be accidental and not sinful because like you said the motive or intent behind the exercises is different. Yoga was purposefully created to spiritually yoke your soul with the universal consciousness Brahman “god” in Hinduism. Completely different motive. Although I’d be careful there as well as some teachers my try to incorporate New Age or Eastern religious ideas and practices into their version of Pilates, but it wasn’t designed that way originally. If that instructor does that though then just pick another.

And no, kneeling in front of a Christmas tree is not committing idolatry. But to pose an interesting question, don’t you think it’s strange that so many secular movies, shows, and even the culture promote Christmas trees and yet find ways to completely exclude Christ? Even if they’re not physically worshiping it like they did in Jeremiah’s time, isn’t an idol anything you put in your heart above God? Just some food for thought there.

And you will have Christians that disagree about whether to celebrate Christmas, Halloween, and other holidays for their possible pagan ties etc and if so how it should be done. Take Halloween for example. Some believe it is a day that should be devoted to prayer because of all the negative spiritual warfare going on that day. Others answer trick-or-treaters and give them Bible tracts with their candy. Some churches have trunk or treat events for their members and as a form of community outreach. Some dress up and some don’t. I think each person in the body performs different functions and following what we’ve read in Scripture, the Holy Spirit guides and convicts each believer and we act in accordance with our conscience there. I feel a certain way, but I don’t think someone that feels a different way is wrong or condemned etc. I used to watch at least one horror movie on Halloween, but I got convicted of those years ago and I don’t watch them anymore. Others still do but God hasn’t convicted them yet and I’m not going to stand there and judge they are terrible Christians or anything. Though I’d ask if they believe it’s beneficial to their soul, what are they feeding and putting in their minds, and mention, “but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” and “if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out” (Matthew 6:23 & 5:29).

We as believers can use the word to train, correct, build up, etc in love and with gentleness, so if we share something that’s just a seed planted. We don’t know what kind of ground it’ll land on. People are continually learning and growing, so not judging your brother or sister does not mean you never share anything. Nobody can come to faith or repentance without first hearing the gospel and from God’s Word. Nobody changes on their own, but because God who began His work in us will one day bring it to completion. No one is fully sanctified in this life, otherwise we’d have no need of our perfect Savior Jesus.
 
Dec 23, 2019
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#66
Technically, since God says not to learn their ways and not to use them to worship Him...
Thanks for chiming in RemnantRD :) Exactly, God said not to learn the ways of the Gentiles and yoga was created to worship Hindu gods and yoke your soul with Brahman. Even Hindu teachers say the spiritual Hindu beliefs cannot be separated from the physical poses. Like you, I’d also suggest doing different stretches.
 
Dec 23, 2019
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#67
That's directed to the house of Israel who were called to be God's own special people...
The Jewish ceremonial laws were meant to distinguish God’s people Israel from the other nations such as circumcision which Christians no longer have to keep. Jesus said he came to fulfill the law, not abolish it. God never wanted the Israelites to follow the pagan practices because they were abominations to Him. “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for heir gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:31). When Gentiles become Christians, they leave those pagan practices behind and become new creations in Christ. Paul said such were some of you till the blood of Jesus washed you clean.

Yoga is very popular today, but “what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). Why? Because in Hinduism (as well as other religions) they used to sacrifice people, even children, to their “gods” which are nothing. Though in America we might not see a lot of that, child sacrifices are still performed today. Do you want others or yourself to spiritually participate in that by doing yoga when God says their spiritual practices are an abomination he hates and to be ye separate? “You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:21).

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

“Take no part in unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).