Priest explains why yoga and new age are dangerous

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Does electricity have anything to do with generosity? The first is a form of natural energy. The second is a moral virtue.

Is it ok to manipulate, to harness this natural energy? Sure. but we can also abuse it.

And yet electrical energy at a subtle level is actualy what makes the brain function and has a role in virtue after all. God created us in such an awesome way that we do not even understand it all. Yoga starts with the natural realm, the body but it also includes the moral with its yamas and niyamas. It is a pre Christian attempt to bring the entire human organism into a state of harmony.

Kundalini, if it exists, is a natural energy, a psycho-physiological sort of thing. What we would need to evaluate it is someone who claims to have it arisen within them, and then examine their moral life. Same goes for the Chinese Qi or Chi.

It is far too easy to demonize what we do not understand.

I remember a scene from The Name of the Rose. William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) takes out a lense to better read a manuscript. This is something very new for that time in history. One of the monks sees this and says, “The work of the devil!”

Mike if you want to believe you have a spiritual snake living in your bottom and when you are advanced enough or can do enough yoga poses the snake comes out between your eyes, go ahead.I prefer to put my faith in Jesus Christ. This snake you worship may be that same serpent of genesis that deceived adam and eve.
 
Shakti is Kali. Kundalini is Shakti. If you do some very basic reading about Kali then you can work it out for yourself. Kundalini is quite simply the possession of the body by the very serpent of Genesis. And I can assure you, if you find out anything about Kali then I am sure you shan´t want this prehistoric snake anywhere near you!
 
Mike if you want to believe you have a spiritual snake living in your bottom and when you are advanced enough or can do enough yoga poses the snake comes out between your eyes, go ahead.I prefer to put my faith in Jesus Christ. This snake you worship may be that same serpent of genesis that deceived adam and eve.
Your statement is absurd and insulting.

It is you who believe in the spiritual snake, not I.
 
MUCH stress is, therefore, laid on the dangers of arousing Kundalini. Let us examine their nature. First and foremost there is the danger of sexual stimulation so that the individual becomes drained of his vitality through sex-obsession. Mental unhingement lies along this line. Sexual vitality and activity are very closely allied to Kundalini, for both are supremely creative in their nature, and the development of the one is bound to stir the development of the other. All sexual urge must be under complete control, at the will of the individual, and must be in a condition of what may be called sublimation, that is to say it must be recognized as a sacrament and therefore to be used in reverence and in a spirit
of dedication. Sex-differentiation in all its various implications is one of God’s earliest gifts to His children—often abused and grossly used, but at last learned to be approached as the true priest approaches the altar. Only those who thus approach the divinity of sex may be safely entrusted with that later gift of Kundalini, which can be handled with safety and profit by the tried and trusty alone.

The absurd notion that “sex is a sacrament” is disturbing. Marriage is a sacrament,not sexual activity.
The fact that the Egyptians were well aware of this “force” and probably utilized it to control the Israelites is disturbing.
Kundalini is the secret of freemasonry, theosophy, and gnostic thought.
There is absolutely no evidence of a psycho spiritual energy source that resides in our sacrum. Jesus did tell St Bridget though that there are demons that use the sexual organs for temptation and legal entrance as well as demons associated with the heart that seek to destroy people from the inside out.

Perhaps this latent “force” that allegedly lives in all human beings is going to be utilized to usher in the one world religion of antichrist. Its an interesting thought.
 
There is nothing in Jesus statement that says anyone has to have a mystical experience or practice yoga or kundalini. Being kind and compassionate and caring for the poor and sick is what we strive to do. Most all religions do that but it is not necessary to have a mystical experience to be a good person.
I can see you have given this a lot of thought. I would like to agree with you except for the parts that I can’t: 1) that doing works for the poor proves the existence of love, and 2) that you do not have to have a mystical experience.

First, here is evidence that a person can do work for the poor and still not have love:

1 Cor 13:3 – a verse in the chapter that is read at many weddings.
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

OK so this shows that doing charity work (though of course good and as a natural result of desire to extend loving assistance) is not in itself evidence of love. Therefore if you are making your religious life about how nice things you do, then you are aiming at too low a target to truly learn the Great Commands that Jesus gave us.

Next let’s get this straight about mystical experience. If your faith is shallow then you will not understand the following:

John 3:
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born[c] from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, **“Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water *and Spirit. ***6 What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind[d] blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? 11 Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

I can understand how you would gather that Jesus’s point is that the man give away a lot of stuff. The point is that the man found security and power in having those things. In today’s context, this is his nest egg. Jesus is telling him to do the irresponsible act of getting rid of his life’s work as if it meant nothing. This was a psychological issue Jesus was getting at. Not that the kid was rich, but the kid thought he could go down a checklist and do this and that and the other and become perfect.

In other words, it wasn’t in the giving to the poor, but in the letting go of his worldly training wheels. Who needs faith when we have money? That’s the part about the camel and the eye of a needle yada yada

While of course Jesus says that nobody who gives someone a cup of water in His name will lose his reward, the greatest treasure Jesus has to offer is the kingdom.

I don’t know if I’m spiritually advanced because of what I do. Again read all of 1 cor 13 to find out what all doesn’t substitute for love.

How do we know whether we are spiritually advanced? By what measure shall we be judged?

Matt 7
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.

OK watch this now and I’ll put it all together for you. If we are to be born of the spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven, and if we shall be known by our fruits, then would we not conclude that if we are producing fruits that are known to be spiritual fruit, that is one condition for our being in the kingdom?

You might say yes but our works are our fruit. We give to the poor etc. Well yes all those things are good but they are fruit of human manipulation. But let’s raise the bar and go for fruit of the spirit, not just human flesh.

What are fruit of the spirit? I’m glad you asked. Any Protestant worth his or her salt can tell you they are.

Gal 5
22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

There you go bud. Don’t make your God too small. 😉

MS
 
Funny thing.

When Jesus’s teachings are actually taken to heart, they scare people. They scared the leaders of the time and the leaders turned it against Jesus.

They scare people of today because we have substituted a “Jews on Steroids” mentality whereby we have made Jesus into what He came to save us from – the judgment of those who think they are better.

They scare people because we do so much of what Jesus says, backwards. We use His story to bolster our fears and confirm our biases, not to get rid of them. We use Him to judge and condemn sinners in His name – because we are His soldiers for good and evil like some spiritual vigilante – when really the ones Jesus said were in danger of burning in hell were those who did just that.

They scare people because we don’t listen to Jesus’ words and let them go to our heart because we are told what to think about them by people who themselves don’t get it.

They scare people because they sound so close to evil “eastern” practices that we have to invent special words to keep ourselves distanced from them. They sound like this because they don’t understand what Jesus says so they try to make Jesus into just so many more commandments. Jesus gave us two commandments that summarize and perfect (when love is perfected) the imperfect law.

Those who worry about following the letter of the law, will perish by the law. Because if I try to please God by following the law – as opposed to recognizing I’m no better than any new ager or other heretic and failing to put myself above them because I’m so highly enlightened that their prayer forms are bringing evil into this world when clearly Jesus would say it’s our own judgment of them – then I am bound to follow the entire letter.

Don’t like the way others pray? That’s OK because there is a special place for people who think their prayers are favored by God over another’s because we ostensibly know more than they do. I don’t know the name of that special place for any given person, but I think their own pride interferes with their blessings so Jesus tells them “woe” and I feel pity. I was a blind and “wealthy” person until a disability made me a leech and a leper and it wasn’t until then that I was in a position to hear Jesus in a meaningful way. My worldly power and prestige had to be taken away from me because I never would have given it up for lack of understanding the deal I’d be getting. How can I be happier below poverty when I wasn’t as happy with money and medical insurance and prestige? Ask Jesus; He knows.

If the shoe fits here, go read Job 37-42 until you realize God could be asking you these things. When you can answer these questions, is when we can make judgments about what God thinks of anybody else’s prayer but our own. For that matter, our own.

MS
 
cjforJesus, if you go to your doctor and he or she tells you that you are borderline diabetic, you need to watch what you eat and get more exercise, do you respond by saying, “Sorry, doc, but I follow Jesus. He doesn’t say anything about more exercise but he does say that it is not what goes into our mouths that defiles us but what comes out. So I can eat whatever I want. By the way I see the caduseus on you lab coat. I cannot keep you as my doctor since you honor the Greek god Hermes as well as Satan as represented by the two snakes.”
https://blog.itriagehealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/caduceus.jpg
 
This most interesting thread has now moved me to find and read an old copy of Philip St. Romain’s * Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality*. His experience is certainly outside the realm of my own experience, but he offers what seems to me a more rational, natural understanding of this phenomena, and he apparently also sees no conflict between what he experienced as a kundalini awakening and his Catholic faith.

Myself being a retired electrician, I especially appreciate Michael Mayo’s analogy about the electrical energy we harness and use everyday (without which this very online conversation would not be possible) and the type of God-given electrical/chemical energy which medical science readily demonstrates is part of each of us - and very likely has much to do with what we call kundalini or qi.

Consider that the adherents of ancient religions observed this phenomena and labeled it with spiritual entities (like the coiled snake), the way the ancients explained many things. As a Catholic, I see the explanations put forth by the ancients as pointing to the one, true God - the source of all energy.

A puzzlement: We Catholics are not Hindus. We believe that the Hindu faith does not possesses the fullness of truth. Since they lack the Divine Revelation which is the basis of our faith, we do not believe what they believe. Why, then, are some of us so ready to believe that what a Hindu calls a god is actually a demon?
 
This most interesting thread has now moved me to find and read an old copy of Philip St. Romain’s * Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality*. His experience is certainly outside the realm of my own experience, but he offers what seems to me a more rational, natural understanding of this phenomena, and he apparently also sees no conflict between what he experienced as a kundalini awakening and his Catholic faith.

Myself being a retired electrician, I especially appreciate Michael Mayo’s analogy about the electrical energy we harness and use everyday (without which this very online conversation would not be possible) and the type of God-given electrical/chemical energy which medical science readily demonstrates is part of each of us - and very likely has much to do with what we call kundalini or qi.

Consider that the adherents of ancient religions observed this phenomena and labeled it with spiritual entities (like the coiled snake), the way the ancients explained many things. As a Catholic, I see the explanations put forth by the ancients as pointing to the one, true God - the source of all energy.

A puzzlement: We Catholics are not Hindus. We believe that the Hindu faith does not possesses the fullness of truth. Since they lack the Divine Revelation which is the basis of our faith, we do not believe what they believe. Why, then, are some of us so ready to believe that what a Hindu calls a god is actually a demon?
There is no such thing as a snake in your bottom,sorry.It is all myths. The only power they have is if you BELIEVE they do. No Hindu.Christian Muslim or Jew or even atheist is required to have a paranormal spiritual experience. Read the entries in the Catechism regarding the Holy Spirit and you will get a better understanding .

Kundalini is at the heart of Gnosticism as well as freemasonry theosophy and luciferianism.An energy activated through acts of ritual sodomy is NOT related to the Holy Spirit in any way.A force harnessed to perform ritual magick such as that claimed by Crowley seems more like a counterfeit Holy Spirit.perhaps even antichrist in nature.

If you also read “The Way of Perfection” by Teresa of Avila you can clearly see that she is NOT referring to some obscure energy in her bottom/

Phil Romain even admits he does not even know what this “force” is as it seems to have an intelligence which makes it possibly demonic.
 
There is no such thing as a snake in your bottom,sorry.It is all myths. The only power they have is if you BELIEVE they do. No Hindu.Christian Muslim or Jew or even atheist is required to have a paranormal spiritual experience. Read the entries in the Catechism regarding the Holy Spirit and you will get a better understanding .

Kundalini is at the heart of Gnosticism as well as freemasonry theosophy and luciferianism.An energy activated through acts of ritual sodomy is NOT related to the Holy Spirit in any way.A force harnessed to perform ritual magick such as that claimed by Crowley seems more like a counterfeit Holy Spirit.perhaps even antichrist in nature.

If you also read “The Way of Perfection” by Teresa of Avila you can clearly see that she is NOT referring to some obscure energy in her bottom/

Phil Romain even admits he does not even know what this “force” is as it seems to have an intelligence which makes it possibly demonic.
Clearly, you and I are accessing very different reference materials to form our opinions! Ritual sodomy?? Is that what you think is going on at the yoga class at the local fitness studio? And isn’t it possible that Crowley and Freemasons simply hijacked elements of much older Eastern religions for their own purposes?

What I get from reading St. Romain’s book (I’m only half way through it now), is a man trying to describe what he experienced. Trying to put such an unusual experience into words appears to be challenging, so he uses phrases like, “seemed like an impersonal force” to describe the stages he went through. Think about this. Have you ever felt an unexpected burst of energy when you were working or exercising? Do you always attribute this to demons? When you hear a descriptive phrase such as, “He worked like a man possessed” do you always take this literally and call the exorcist?

It is important to note that throughout this time in Philip’s life, he was constantly seeking to stay united with the Catholic Church. He spoke with numerous priests, conveying his experience and seeking guidance. I’m going to sound like a broken record again, but intention seems to be paramount here. “Seek, and you will find.” What are you seeking? What is your intention? In the case of Mr. St. Romain, it appears he was and is seeking union with God. It sounds to me like you are too, and so am I. Good for all of us!
 
Clearly, you and I are accessing very different reference materials to form our opinions! Ritual sodomy?? Is that what you think is going on at the yoga class at the local fitness studio? And isn’t it possible that Crowley and Freemasons simply hijacked elements of much older Eastern religions for their own purposes?

What I get from reading St. Romain’s book (I’m only half way through it now), is a man trying to describe what he experienced. Trying to put such an unusual experience into words appears to be challenging, so he uses phrases like, “seemed like an impersonal force” to describe the stages he went through. Think about this. Have you ever felt an unexpected burst of energy when you were working or exercising? Do you always attribute this to demons? When you hear a descriptive phrase such as, “He worked like a man possessed” do you always take this literally and call the exorcist?

It is important to note that throughout this time in Philip’s life, he was constantly seeking to stay united with the Catholic Church. He spoke with numerous priests, conveying his experience and seeking guidance. I’m going to sound like a broken record again, but intention seems to be paramount here. “Seek, and you will find.” What are you seeking? What is your intention? In the case of Mr. St. Romain, it appears he was and is seeking union with God. It sounds to me like you are too, and so am I. Good for all of us!
I have heard of Phil Romain and what I understand from brief excerpts of his writings is that he is desperately trying to reconcile Christian and Hindu experiences.He delves DEEPLY into Hindu religious beliefs and practices. I see no humility in his writings though just trying to convince people that his experience is the same as what the great saints called contemplation. St Teresa of Avila talks about this in her writings and that the devil is more than happy to provide a counterfeit religious experience. Best to walk humbly with God and obey the commandments. You cannot go wrong

In addition St Teresa NEVER wrote about her or her nuns falling down or jerking and making yoga poses with no control. Phil experienced these jerkings and kriyas for a long time as do most who open themselves to this “force” and allow it to rule their lives.

It is entirely possible we are looking at mystery Babylon or the woman(Kali) who rides the beast.This counterfeit religious system is mentioned in the catechism and will be offered to all as a new world order initiation.
 
Funny thing.

When Jesus’s teachings are actually taken to heart, they scare people. They scared the leaders of the time and the leaders turned it against Jesus.

They scare people of today because we have substituted a “Jews on Steroids” mentality whereby we have made Jesus into what He came to save us from – the judgment of those who think they are better.

They scare people because we do so much of what Jesus says, backwards. We use His story to bolster our fears and confirm our biases, not to get rid of them. We use Him to judge and condemn sinners in His name – because we are His soldiers for good and evil like some spiritual vigilante – when really the ones Jesus said were in danger of burning in hell were those who did just that.

They scare people because we don’t listen to Jesus’ words and let them go to our heart because we are told what to think about them by people who themselves don’t get it.

They scare people because they sound so close to evil “eastern” practices that we have to invent special words to keep ourselves distanced from them. They sound like this because they don’t understand what Jesus says so they try to make Jesus into just so many more commandments. Jesus gave us two commandments that summarize and perfect (when love is perfected) the imperfect law.

Those who worry about following the letter of the law, will perish by the law. Because if I try to please God by following the law – as opposed to recognizing I’m no better than any new ager or other heretic and failing to put myself above them because I’m so highly enlightened that their prayer forms are bringing evil into this world when clearly Jesus would say it’s our own judgment of them – then I am bound to follow the entire letter.

Don’t like the way others pray? That’s OK because there is a special place for people who think their prayers are favored by God over another’s because we ostensibly know more than they do. I don’t know the name of that special place for any given person, but I think their own pride interferes with their blessings so Jesus tells them “woe” and I feel pity. I was a blind and “wealthy” person until a disability made me a leech and a leper and it wasn’t until then that I was in a position to hear Jesus in a meaningful way. My worldly power and prestige had to be taken away from me because I never would have given it up for lack of understanding the deal I’d be getting. How can I be happier below poverty when I wasn’t as happy with money and medical insurance and prestige? Ask Jesus; He knows.

If the shoe fits here, go read Job 37-42 until you realize God could be asking you these things. When you can answer these questions, is when we can make judgments about what God thinks of anybody else’s prayer but our own. For that matter, our own.

MS
now you are saying yoga is a prayer? I thought is was just stretching? I have nothing against ANY religion and do not presume I am better than anyone but you and many others are spreading the belief of a spiritual paranormal experience and union with God that may NOT be compatible with your faith. The heart of HInduism revolves around reincarnation and achieving liberation from the cycle of reincarnation by having a kundalini experience whether it be from breathing and exercises or being touched by a guru who already has the force. and that cannot be reconciled with the belief in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

I spoke with a very kind Carmelite friar who is a contemplative and asked him about kundalini.He said it is NOT the same as Christian contemplation at all.
 
FYI, you can join Philip St Romain’s web forum here

shalomplace.org/eve/forums

and talk directly with him with what he thinks about Yoga and such.

Jim
I am pretty sure Phil equates kundalini with infused contemplation. St Teresa of Avila was one of the greatest saints and doctors of the Church. She experienced contemplation after 20 years of prayer.I suppose a guru thunking you on the head or chest can bypass 20 years of spiritual growth
 
FYI, you can join Philip St Romain’s web forum here

shalomplace.org/eve/forums

and talk directly with him with what he thinks about Yoga and such.

Jim
Thank you. Yes, I have seen this link for his website, but I have also seen entire webpages dedicating to denouncing him in the way cjfor Jesus is doing.

Interesting, St. Romain also claims to have experienced Glossalalia long before the kundalini awakening. In fact, he was not even looking for an experience of kundalini, he was just engaged in regular quiet prayer when it started. Now for me, speaking with the tongue of angels is an even more foreign concept than the idea of kundalini energy. It is simply outside the realm of my experience. Should I then denounce people who claim to have experienced Glossalalia or any other gift of the Spirit? Should I say it is just their imagination, or worse, that they have a demon? It just does not make sense to me to dismiss everything I do not understand or have not personally experienced.
 
Thank you. Yes, I have seen this link for his website, but I have also seen entire webpages dedicating to denouncing him in the way cjfor Jesus is doing.

Interesting, St. Romain also claims to have experienced Glossalalia long before the kundalini awakening. In fact, he was not even looking for an experience of kundalini, he was just engaged in regular quiet prayer when it started. Now for me, speaking with the tongue of angels is an even more foreign concept than the idea of kundalini energy. It is simply outside the realm of my experience. Should I then denounce people who claim to have experienced Glossalalia or any other gift of the Spirit? Should I say it is just their imagination, or worse, that they have a demon? It just does not make sense to me to dismiss everything I do not understand or have not personally experienced.
I am not trying to denounce Mr Romain but he may be preaching a false gospel. I urge caution and always obedience.\

As far as the tongues of angels according to St Thomas Aquinas angels do not communicate verbally
 
Thank you. Yes, I have seen this link for his website, but I have also seen entire webpages dedicating to denouncing him in the way cjfor Jesus is doing.

Interesting, St. Romain also claims to have experienced Glossalalia long before the kundalini awakening. In fact, he was not even looking for an experience of kundalini, he was just engaged in regular quiet prayer when it started. Now for me, speaking with the tongue of angels is an even more foreign concept than the idea of kundalini energy. It is simply outside the realm of my experience. Should I then denounce people who claim to have experienced Glossalalia or any other gift of the Spirit? Should I say it is just their imagination, or worse, that they have a demon? It just does not make sense to me to dismiss everything I do not understand or have not personally experienced.
If you visit St. Romain’s webpage on Spirituality Issues, you’ll see Kundalini denounced more than promoted, from what I recall.

Phil approaches spirituality from an intellectual perspective mostly.

Jim
 
I am not trying to denounce Mr Romain but he may be preaching a false gospel. I urge caution and always obedience.
You should go to his web page and address your issue with him.

I think you’ll find you’re in agreement with him more than not.

Jim
 
I am not trying to denounce Mr Romain but he may be preaching a false gospel. I urge caution and always obedience.
My apologies to you for any assumptions on my part. Caution and obedience to everything the Church actually teaches are good and necessary, no argument here!
 
You should go to his web page and address your issue with him.

I think you’ll find you’re in agreement with him more than not.

Jim
There are literally hundreds on this forum promoting Gopi Krishnas contention that ALL spiritual experiences involve an unknown force called kundalini. I asked a Carmelite friar and he says kundalini has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit or mystical experiences.What is it then? Some say it is a psycho spiritual energy and some claim it is an intelligent cosmic “Christ consciousness”,sort of a hive mind that people are accessing.
 
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