Catholic college in Kansas wipes ‘yoga’ from names of classes — it’s a Hindu thing

[Greekrhetoric]

Hot water? Lol

 

[lynnvinc]

Yoga may be more Danish Christian than Hindu.

So relax.

According to Singleton, distinctively Hindu or Indian yoga developed in reaction to this fusion, and seems to have been accompanied by a tinge of anti-imperial nationalism. The Indians might have learned about the “physical culture” from the British, but they were intent on making it their own. And “yoga” as we know it was heavily influenced by this collision of cultures.

mereorthodoxy.com/call-danish-gymnastics-yoga-body/

That’s interesting, since Hinduism (at least part of it) came from Europe perhaps during the Mesolithic. For instance, Sanskrit is an Indo-European language, thought to have originated in Northern Germany. In linguistics we learned that “lakh” (the Sanskrit word for 100,000) and “lal” (Sanskrit for red) are cognates of “lach” (salmon in German) which is a red fish in bountiful supply (100,000s) in Northern Germany during the Mesolithic and a dietary staple, as well as “lacquer” in the Germanic language, English (a reddish finishing paint).

And the Hindu Trinity is thought to have come from the ancient European Nordic Trinity, and the general Indo-European emphasis on 3s – the 3 Bears, 3 wishes, the Christian Trinity, the 3 little pigs, 3 meals, bad luck comes in 3s (when we know is comes in 100s, but is just grouped in 3s ), etc.

So what are we talking about here? I think if we get rid of yoga to purify Christianity, we need to get rid of maybe 80% of our Western culture.

Good by Easter, Easter bunny, Easter eggs, etc. Let’s purify Christianity!

 

[jeannetherese]

142 signatures on a petition sounds more on the luke-warm side. Perhaps it was a slow news day.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Purify or imprison? Catholic means universal. Christ came for all cultures and peoples. Not just Europeans and those who adopt European culture. It seems wonderful to see Christianity flourish appropriately inculturation across the world.

 

[dnu]

I do yoga almost every day…what were they expecting in a class called “yoga?” This is one of the silliest thing I’ve read today.

 

[lynnvinc]

Purify or imprison? Catholic means universal. Christ came for all cultures and peoples. Not just Europeans and those who adopt European culture. It seems wonderful to see Christianity flourish appropriately inculturation across the world.

 

[lynnvinc]

I forgot, we need to get rid of Thursday – Thor’s Day.

So now it becomes Maundy Whateverday…

 

[TheAmazingGrace]

Our Church needs prayers.

"**Benedictine yoga instructor Julie Romano, a yoga practitioner for 10 years, questioned the decision.

“I have a moral objection to taking something that people spent thousands of years working on and calling it something else,” she told the school paper. “I don’t see a conflict in yoga and Catholicism and I don’t see why we should call it something else to appease others.”"**

Read more here: kansascity.com/news/local/article144453484.html#storylink=cpy

BTW-anyone else notice the irony of a school described as “strongly Catholic” officially giving credit for practicing a different religion? Oh my…Jesus we need you.

It’s just exercise. That’s like saying practicing meditation alone makes you a Buddhist.

 

[larsont7]

I do yoga almost every day…what were they expecting in a class called “yoga?” This is one of the silliest thing I’ve read today.

Interesting that a “Former Catholic” would be one that would admit to doing yoga almost every day. Perhaps yoga did have an influence on your faith?
Michael Mayo:

Then with all the millions of people doing yoga there should be an epidemic of demonic possession.

Well, if you listen to exorcists out there, there is an epidemic of demonic possession out there, which I think is evident if you look at how much the world is falling into sin. What were once universally considered “evils” are now not only being accepted, but considered normal and being forced upon those who disagree with them.

Another thing is that many people have the wrong assumption that all demonic possession is Hollywood-like, head-spinning, vomit spewing, Linda Blair-esque possession. This is simply not the case. According to actual exorcists (who I choose to believe and trust in this matter), possession can come in small forms that would not even be detectable to the average person.

But no, not everyone that does yoga will become possessed, but it can certainly open the door for possession, as has already been proven by those who deal with it. Heck, kids can use Ouija boards and not become possessed, but I doubt you’ll find too many on here that will say that the Ouija board is just a harmless game. People can look at horoscopes and get their fortunes told and not become possessed, but the Church is pretty clear that these are in opposition to Holy Mother Church.

If one can separate the stretching exercises of yoga from the eastern spirituality of it, then they may be fine. I would just question why one would take the risk when there are other ways to stay fit and enjoy peace of mind?

 

[Michael_Mayo]

The world is falling into sin because people do yoga?

“Proven” that yoga opens the door to demonic possessions? I don’t think anything has been proven at all. What we have is a vague definition of possession (unrecognizable) and also a vague definition of Yoga. And then an attempt to correlate them simply because it is presents as from a Hindu tradition. There are many posts here you can search on “some aspects of Easten Meditation” as well as on the document on New Age. What you will find in them is NOT a wide brush condemnation, but specific qualifications of dangers. And all the dangers have to do with intentions and attitudes.

"28. Some physical exercises automatically produce a feeling of quiet and relaxation, pleasing sensations, perhaps even phenomena of light and of warmth, which resemble spiritual well-being. To take such feelings for the authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit would be a totally erroneous way of conceiving the spiritual life. Giving them a symbolic significance typical of the mystical experience, when the moral condition of the person concerned does not correspond to such an experience, would represent a kind of mental schizophrenia which could also lead to psychic disturbance and, at times, to moral deviations.

“That does not mean that genuine practices of meditation which come from the Christian East and from the great non-Christian religions, which prove attractive to the man of today who is divided and disoriented, cannot constitute a suitable means of helping the person who prays to come before God with an interior peace, even in the midst of external pressures.”

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19891015_meditazione-cristiana_en.html

 

[lynnvinc]

Interesting that a “Former Catholic” would be one that would admit to doing yoga almost every day. Perhaps yoga did have an influence on your faith?

Well, if you listen to exorcists out there, there is an epidemic of demonic possession out there, which I think is evident if you look at how much the world is falling into sin. What were once universally considered “evils” are now not only being accepted, but considered normal and being forced upon those who disagree with them.

Another thing is that many people have the wrong assumption that all demonic possession is Hollywood-like, head-spinning, vomit spewing, Linda Blair-esque possession. This is simply not the case. According to actual exorcists (who I choose to believe and trust in this matter), possession can come in small forms that would not even be detectable to the average person.

But no, not everyone that does yoga will become possessed, but it can certainly open the door for possession, as has already been proven by those who deal with it. Heck, kids can use Ouija boards and not become possessed, but I doubt you’ll find too many on here that will say that the Ouija board is just a harmless game. People can look at horoscopes and get their fortunes told and not become possessed, but the Church is pretty clear that these are in opposition to Holy Mother Church.

If one can separate the stretching exercises of yoga from the eastern spirituality of it, then they may be fine. I would just question why one would take the risk when there are other ways to stay fit and enjoy peace of mind?

Ouija boards are dangerous. We played with one when we were kids and when we figured out they call up the evil dead, we gave it up immediately.

However, yoga has a lot of benefits re physical conditions and mental peace, and if the college were concerned about it leading to demonic possession or had some anti-Christian elements they could have simply talked to the instructor and made sure she was not including anything that was calling on demonic possession or having anti-Christian elements.

I’m thinking that if yoga does lead to demonic possession, then it is some weird, unauthorized type that does so, and not the mainstream hatha yoga (physical exercise) type. It is completely doable to tailor a class to not include such bad elements. That would have been the tact to take, rather than change the name – which is highly insulting to Hindus everywhere and could lead to Christians in India being killed, if it is perceived as anti-Hindu in nature.

The problem is India was taken over by a Christian nation, which, of course, had nothing to do with Christianity (in fact the British refused to allow Christian missionaries in at first). There were already a lot of Christians, especially in Southern India, since St. Thomas in the 1st century, then later the Portuguese in the 1400s came and made converts.

However, the West in its colonialism and rough domination has made at least some peoples think it is due to evils of Christianity. So Hindu fundamentalists pretty much hate Christianity and consider it a power-grabbing, tyrannical religion out to take away people’s wealth and livelihood, stomp on them, insult them, and force them to convert away from their religion.

When people in the West, unaware of this type of experience-based thinking, make remarks or criticize Hinduism or aspects of it in some way, some Hindus take it as proof of the will to suppress and dominate them, as an insult that they are inferior and need to be controlled by others. They are just sick and tired of being insulted, oppressed, and robbed. And some take it upon themselves to attack and kill nearby Christians and/or bomb their churches. Sort of a “you hate us, we also hate you” type of thing.

It’s a very tense situation, so just out of concern for fellow Christians in India, it would have been better if that college had not changed the name, but in private had consulted with the instructor to make sure there was no anti-Christian or demonic content in the course…which is perfectly doable. No one in public would have been the wiser to that directive.

 

[lynnvinc]

Now, having said all that, there are negative aspects of Hinduism (roughly paralleling negative aspects of all state-level civilizations) that should be opposed if they are taken up by Christians.

And that is the caste system, especially untouchability. My husband (a Catholic Indian) and I have been studying untouchability among Hindus for decades, and have recently turned our attention to untouchability among Catholics in India, finding it to be much worse than among the Hindus.

India for its part created their Constitution to ban untouchability (their Constitution was actually written by an untouchable), recognizing how evil it was. However, the practice continues, but the Catholic Church in India refused to come under Indian law re untouchability, so the dalit (untouchable) Catholics are not protected by the law – they are left to be oppressed, raped, brutalized, forced into labor, ill-paid, and killed.

So I would suggest that the Catholic Church and Catholic colleges focus on teaching about and rooting out untouchability among Catholics in India, rather than changing the name of a PE course to denounce yoga (a good or benign aspect of Indian culture). Even the Hindus are surprised to find out that Catholics are worse than them on this untouchability issue.

And as mentioned re evils in all state-level societies, we can also focus on teaching about and rooting out racism and evils associated with social inequality in the West, as well.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Yoga postures could just as easily have been running, walking, or any calisthenic. They were adopted into Hinduism ( as an option even) just like incense, fasting and for that matter, chastity, generosity and truthfulness . This correlation people are trying to make with demons Makes no sense.

 

[mikekle]

I wouldn’t say going to a yoga class is “practicing a different religion.” It’s just a fitness and relaxation thing, for Pete’s sake. .

There has been a HUGE effort to make majority of people see it in this light, its called conditioning. The same thing has happened in regards to homosexual marriage recently, its not just coincidence that so many people, even devout christians see absolutely nothing wrong with this today.

Changing to name to ‘lifestyle fitness’ is absurd imo, its still the same thing, but not really surprised, didnt someone once say times would come when evil was called good and good evil…hmmm?

 

[Lost_Sheep]

Much ado about nothing.

 

[starlady88]

I would be interested in whether or not the actually curriculum/positions/practices of the class would change, because to me the original article from the school newspaper The Circuit seems to suggest that the actual class would change, and not just the name.

That being said, people are making this a bigger deal than it has to be. Yoga is not the only way to become flexible/relax/deal with stress/etc. At the end of the day, the college will not close and the world will not end because of this. I’m sure there are numerous other opportunities for yoga in other places in Atchison if it is really that important to people.

I say that as a fairly recent Benedictine College alum who could give much testimony to the Catholic identity of the college.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

There has been a HUGE effort to make majority of people see it in this light, its called conditioning. The same thing has happened in regards to homosexual marriage recently, its not just coincidence that so many people, even devout christians see absolutely nothing wrong with this today.

Changing to name to ‘lifestyle fitness’ is absurd imo, its still the same thing, but not really surprised, didnt someone once say times would come when evil was called good and good evil…hmmm?

You are seriously comparing yoga to homosexual marriage in term of moral evil?

 

[lynnvinc]

I would be interested in whether or not the actually curriculum/positions/practices of the class would change, because to me the original article from the school newspaper The Circuit seems to suggest that the actual class would change, and not just the name.

That being said, people are making this a bigger deal than it has to be. Yoga is not the only way to become flexible/relax/deal with stress/etc. At the end of the day, the college will not close and the world will not end because of this. I’m sure there are numerous other opportunities for yoga in other places in Atchison if it is really that important to people.

I say that as a fairly recent Benedictine College alum who could give much testimony to the Catholic identity of the college.

I think the point is that Hindus are already upset about this, and who knows what harm may come to Christians in India.

It would have been better if they had never had the course at all, or if they had changed the content to stay within Catholic teachings, rather than change the name and cause an uproar, and possible attacks on Christians in India.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Ouija boards are dangerous.

It’s a very tense situation, so just out of concern for fellow Christians in India, it would have been better if that college had not changed the name, but in private had consulted with the instructor to make sure there was no anti-Christian or demonic content in the course…which is perfectly doable. No one in public would have been the wiser to that directive.

How does a little college in Kansas impact Christians in India? Or are you speaking in principle?

 

[Lost_Sheep]

Ouija boards are dangerous.

Only if you take them seriously.