Can a Christian be a Yogi?

Spirituality Religion
#94

I am sure you didn’t, but you did. Stating the teaching and I suspect you agree with it, you are making your point load and clear. To now say you are simply stating that of the Church, well that is being a coward in my books. Take responsibility, if you want to say I am a homophobe and a racist and a bigot, do it man, don’t blame the words on the Church. Stand up for what you belief, but don’t dress it up as the teaching of this or that.

I don’t understand. I agree with what the Church teaches. I believe the Church is of God and not of men, and is incapable of teaching error when it concerns faith or morals.

But I do not believe those outside the Church who do not have the benefit of this guidance are as culpable as those within the Church who know better.

I don’t see why you have resorted to name-calling. I am now a “coward” a “homophobe” a “bigot” and a “racist” for stating a teaching of my Church, one that I agree with, along with everything the Church teaches, including those things that challenge me and my own sins.

I don’t believe God makes mistakes but I believe the human race is a fallen race, full of disordered desires and behaviors (and no person is free of them) because of the orginal fall, which is why we need a Church and why we need a Savior.

#95

[quote=thomas;41138]I don’t understand. I agree with what the Church teaches. I believe the Church is of God and not of men, and is incapable of teaching error when it concerns faith or morals.

But I do not believe those outside the Church who do not have the benefit of this guidance are as culpable as those within the Church who know better.[/quote]

I think this is a fundamental difference between you and me, I belief the Church is not of God, but man made and as such are prone to error. We will then not see eye to eye on this matter and I’ll leave it there.

Apologies if I call you a coward and suggested that you are all of the other names I suggested, but I did it on purpose, can you see how my words have hurt you? Can you now see how your words might have hurt me?

Then if you don’t belief that God makes mistakes, see His perfection in everything, even in gays, no matter what the church teaches, but again this is where we differ, you see the Church as God. I don’t. the church is fallable, God not and for me the two are vastly different.

#96

Originally Posted by David View Post
I’ve taken over 35 theology courses, sat on the board of three gay and lesbian non profits, and have memorized every version of the bible I’m aware of. Therefore, it is in my very expert opinion that, the problem with gay people is that they’re gay and, as the bible says, they should therefore not eat pork on Fridays.

Meditate on that wisdom yogis.

Originally Posted in reply to David by Pandara…Now that is great wisdom, and as far as I know they usually have sausage on Fridays!

Hahahahahah well David and Pandara what can i say…my sight is going
Cqrrt on sorrk

#97

The divine is loving , caring, forgiving, understanding, beautiful, all knowing, creative, perfect… The Church, trys to be but doesn’t quite make the grade Thomas

Differentiation between insulting and using the tools of debate is always a problem on the Religion forum and a very grey area, it seems xx

#98

As long as just don’t get hair on the palms of your hands, then everything is just dandy! :slight_smile:

#99

hahahah Ive just got the joke I made…that was by accident and your very naughty, but nice:grin:

#100

Pandara…naughty but nice is taken from a famous advert in Britain for fresh cream in Buns x

#101

Now now, I have been accused of being a bigot on this forum before, but now I am sure everybody will understand after talking to a real one, I was never one in the first place :stuck_out_tongue:

#102

SD, you a bigot? Now who said such a thing? Shame on them! :wink:

#103

I know many spiritually enlightend Catholics. I do not know any who are paranoid, insecure, dogmatic, and dishonest, though I don’t doubt they exist, but this would be in spite of and not because of Catholicism.

Can’t get anymore representative than the pope now can we? This pope of yours certainly is dishonest, for he covered up the molestation of children going on in your Church :wink:

Look if Christianity could provide the well being that Yoga provided, then people would not have turned away from Christianity in droves this century and Christians would not have been fighting with their local churches and pastors to do Yoga. And there would have been no Christian Yoga.

It is clear to any honest person that Yoga provides what Christianity does not provide. To be honest, Christianity provides nothing more than false promises of salvation in the life here after. Yoga, on the other hand provides physical and mental health and well being in this life. This is not even debatable as it is backed up by the testimony of millions of people all over the world and decades of scientific studies.

Yoga > Christianity :wink:

#104

Surya says…It is clear to any honest person that Yoga provides what Christianity does not provide. To be honest, Christianity provides nothing more than false promises of salvation in the life here after.

The things is you dont know that, it goes back to what I said about many Christians must have experienced the divine at some point in History and will in the now and in the future and no matter what can be said about any religion/or practice it is the individual that the divine reaches out to when on a spiritual quest and even when they are not. Yoga I agree provides the individual with steps of truth towards self realisation that may be more comforting in progress/proof terms But the divine is present in both.

#105

It is clear to any honest person that Yoga provides what Christianity does not provide.

This is very true. Christianity does not tell us how to exercise or give us exercises to do. It doesn’t tell us what to eat, either.

See, we do get to use our minds sometimes.

So yoga gives us something that our religion doesn’t–a good way to exercise. And some Christians instead are running or walking or lifting weights or doing pilates or playing sports, etc. It’s all good.

#106

I would very much like to stay out of this beyond the Yogi Bear bits but I looked at the title of this thread today “Can a Christian be a Yogi” and I had a thought.

Can a Yogi be a Christian?

Actually that is a serious question and I am not trying to make light of this.

Mathematically (geometrically) a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square and I was wondering if the answer was different if you reversed the question.

#107

Brilliant! Not much else to say, except brilliant again! You do some great thinking while ill!

#108

well lets see whats said about that Yulaw:-D

#109

Can a Yogi be a Christian?

The square/rectangle analogy doesn’t work if one is not the subset of the other, and I don’t think that’s the case.

At any rate, ANYONE who is not a Christian may become a Christian by accepting what Christians believe and by discarding any baggage that they are currently carrying which is in conflict with Christianity, which pretty much puts us at the same place as the original question.

#110

[QUOTE=thomas;41286]Can a Yogi be a Christian?

The square/rectangle analogy doesn’t work if one is not the subset of the other, and I don’t think that’s the case.

At any rate, ANYONE who is not a Christian may become a Christian by accepting what Christians believe and by discarding any baggage that they are currently carrying which is in conflict with Christianity, which pretty much puts us at the same place as the original question.[/QUOTE]

A true Christian response.

Can a yogi be a Christian may or may not, from the Yogi’s point of view, have anything to do with discarding anything. Therefore from the Yogi side of the issue it may or may not put one right back to the original question. It could be a very different question actually.

Mathematically, if you could ask a square if it was a rectangle it would say yes I am a rectangle but mathematically if you ask a rectangle is it is square it will say no. A square need not discard anything to be a rectangle but a rectangle has to discard part of 2 sides to be a square.

But since you can’t ask either of them ask a mathematician because talking to squares and rectangles may make one look as if they are a few fries shy of a happy meal :smiley:

#111

What is a yogi?

What is a Christian?

We could debate both questions for a couple of years.

And then we could address your question and maybe come up with an answer by 2015.

#112

There is no need for a debate.

A Yogi is one whose highest value of life is self-development and who practices self development in this life. They have no other priority. As soon as they become aware of the Self, their aim is then to achieive it through Yoga. This involves stuff like mind-body training via exercise, diet, meditation and balanced living.

A Christian is one whose highest value in life is to attain salvation in the hereafter. To pass the test of judgement day and be given an immortal body to live a life of eternal happiness with god his son Jesus. In order to achieive this they endeavour to live a religious life by not sinning. This involves stuff like attending church, praying, confessing sins and following the dictates of the chuch. As well as adhering to the 10 commandments and striving to love others and bring them to Jesus.

Neither are the values the same or the goal.

End of debate.

#113

A Yogi is one whose highest value of life is self-development and who practices self development in this life.

And Christians don’t practice self development? Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they? This is how they would reach salvation.

They have no other priority. As soon as they become aware of the Self, their aim is then to achieive it through Yoga. This involves stuff like mind-body training via exercise, diet, meditation and balanced living.

And this excludes Christians how? I certainly hope they are aware of self. I do believe Christians exercise, watch their diet, meditate via prayers and try to live a good balanced life.

Neither are the values the same or the goal.

End of debate.

If you look at the sutras and the eight fold path, many, if not all the ideas can be applied to most religions. Goal is the same. As far as values, who cares? If the goals are basically the same and the values are based on attaining those goals or goal, it matters not whether you are a christian, jew or muslim. The end goal is the same albeit different paths.

I don’t believe we can be so narrow minded in our views here. Yoga, whether it is embraced though Hinduism, christianity, etc can lead to living a better, happier life. Why would anyone deny that of another?

And I do believe Yulaw stated this brilliantly.