Yes the church says there is ways to find God.
But it does say in that church document that Hinduism and eastern religions are completely incompatible with Christianity because they worship multi gods, believe in reincarnation, those gods are invited to enter their bodies in each pose, one of the poses is of a snake cobra and in one of the forms of yoga the participants are supposed to literally feel the snake rising inside their body,
Quote from catholic website:
Practicing yoga breaks the First Commandment; it’s pagan worship.
Why the Controversy?
Just the Exercise
Yoga is considered a whole body experience originating in Hinduism as a means to reach enlightenment through exercises and meditations that unite the body, mind, and spirit. For Catholics, worshiping or becoming one with a yoga deity breaks the First Commandment.
The Problem with Yoga
The controversy with yoga goes beyond a person’s intent. The problem is that yoga holds that all existence is one; there is no distinction between God and the universe. Through enlightenment a person becomes one with all of existence. Everything is god (rather than God is in everything).
Having taken a yoga class myself many years ago, I know that the stretches, relaxation meditations and poses, all mesh together. It would be hard to discern the instructor’s meaning behind everything. For instance, a classic yoga mantra: “So’ham” means, ‘I am the universal Self,’” which is often used repetitively, timed with your breathing.
A friend who took a yoga class told me everyone was supposed to fold their hands and bow before they began. She said she did not do that but upon considering that yoga exercise is one part of a bigger pagan spiritual practice, she decided to quit. “Why take a chance?” she said. “If parts of it are wrong, then I’m not going to participate in any of it.”
QUOTE=Michael Mayo;12485047]I appreciate your zeal and concern but think it is misplaced. The church teaches that
- From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense.
Religions, however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed language. Thus in Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust.
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html
That is not to say we should become Hindu. But we should not just jump to the conclusion that anything nonChristian is demonic. It is best to stick with actual church documents on these subjects. The two major documents and Nostra Aetate speak of respect owed rather than disdain and fear.
