Mjacob • 3 hours ago − Heres what I posted on Catholic Answers in response to the Michelle Arnold article espousing yoga for well formed Catholics. Michelle is on the staff of Catholic Answers Let me start by saying that Im from India and I was surprised by the poor scholarship and naviete in Michelle Arnolds article on Yoga. Yoga has been one of the most effective ways that the Hindu faith has used to spread its set of beliefs. It is merely a doorway into a whole world of experience and beliefs around inner silence, self-divinization, syncretism and for those whove had any experience with deliverance and exorcism - deep problems in that area. Clearly it looks good and tastes good, and over time leads one to the doorway that says you shall be as gods knowing good and evil. Michelle, by quoting secondary sources on yoga, you completely miss the point. Go to the original Hindu scriptures and read what it says about yoga. Let just say that the gurus didnt wake up one day and say,..hmm..we need do do something about the flab thats accumulating with all this meditation, and we do need a way of stretching and strengthening our core, lets create a system of physical postures that will help us do that. No they didnt - every posture was a spiritual act. This funny separation between physical and spiritual that Michelle creates is false dichotomy. I might as well say chanting Om is only a meaningless sound - its a physical vibration of certain vocal chord and perhaps is good for strengthening ones vocal chords. Well, read what the Hindu scriptures say about Om. Every physical act has meaning - that is not superstition. I assume that attributing spiritual value to making the sign of the cross or all the gestures that go with mass have no inherent value according to Michelle. Scripture is full of physical expression - bowing, kneeling, falling on ones face, raising ones hands in prayer all have inherent spiritual value. Yoga often comes as a package. And Ive seen this pattern in almost every catholic who gets into yoga. The first attribute that emerges quite strongly is self-absorption, soon followed by the denial of the power and the name of Jesus as the one before which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, - syncretism seems a natural step. And then comes the emergence of moral relativism - which is an age old Hindu idea. One of the things Ive looked at is the values and moral profile of yoga advocates - and let me say as a Catholic that there are problems. Michelle somehow differentiates between someone well formed in the Catholic faith and someone who is not. The former apparently can practice yoga. I wonder when well-formed happens? I look at the saints as the great examples of well formed - however from Michelles definition most of them would better fit the definition of fundamentalist. As someone from the Eastern Church tradition and from India let me say that the Eastern church is much more cautious of yoga than the western church. Of course there are fringe priests and bishops in the eastern church who support this - however anyone who has studied original sources of Hindu teaching will steer clear. Im disappointed that Catholic Answers has lacked the discernment necessary around this area and published this article. Ive always hoped for a higher standard of orthodox Catholicism than Michelles article.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:26:28 +0000
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