Thursday, February 15, 2007
Is Yoga Compatible With Evangelical Christianity?
Monday, February 12, 2007
Christian Yoga, Innocent Activity or Dancing With the Devil?
By Tracye Gano
Christian Yoga, Innocent Activity or Dancing With the Devil? We are called as believers to search the Scriptures, so that we know what is truth and what is not. There are a good number of Scriptures that tell us of our need to be watchful for the false teachers, teaching and preaching a false gospel. [1]
Tracye Gano is a freelance writer and the wife of Prophezine Founder and President Ray Gano. She has written articles for Prophezine as well as numerous other online publications.
[1] Matthew 7:15, Matthew 7: 21-23, Matthew 24: v 4-5, Mark 13: v 21-23, Acts 20:28-31, Romans 16: v 17-18, II Corinthians 11:13-15, Galations 1: 8-10, 1 John 4:1, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 2 Peter 2:18, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 2 Timothy 4:2-5, Ezekiel 33:6 [2] http://www.classicalyoga.org/page30.html
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism (Part 2)
by Chris Lawson
Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism (Pt.2)
Read more about the Dangers of Yoga
Read more about What Eastern Guru's Warn!
Defining Deception: Yoga, Mysticism, New Age, the Occult
Defining Deception: What is a Cult, New Age, Occult?
Preventing Deception: How Do People Define Yoga?
Redefining Jesus?
False Views of Jesus Christ - Compilation List
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Online Christian Bookstores Continue to Promote Yoga and the New Age Movement
The following News Update if from Bud Press.
_________________
Online Christian Bookstores Continue to Promote Yoga and the New Age Movement
They continue to do it, despite the Biblical warnings against it
"...any Christian leader who promotes, teaches, practices, or endorses any type of 'Christian spirituality' that mixes yoga and these other influences into it is a leader that has been seriously misled and is misleading others...Because when one opens the door to yoga, mysticism, the New Age and occultism, the kingdom of darkness is more than willing to come flooding through" (Chris Lawson, "Defining Deception: What is Yoga, Mysticism, New Age and the Occult?" Complete article at http://tinyurl.com/yrkdvk ).
To the Reader:
The following online Christian bookstores contain authors and materials that promote Yoga and the New Age Movement. For further articles and information on why Christians should avoid all forms of Yoga, go to http://www.christianresearchservice.com/ChristianYoga.htm .
American Family Association's Family Resource Center:
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon. AFA's bookstore provider is Innovative, Inc. of North Carolina.
Berean Christian Stores:
Yoga for Christians by Susan Bordenkircher
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon
Biblepal.com:
Promotes at least 31 items on Yoga (too numerous to list). For verification, go to http://www.biblepal.com/ and type-in the word Yoga in the search window.
Books For Christians:
Promotes 12 items on Yoga (too numerous to list). For verification, go to http://www.booksforchristians.com/ and type-in the word Yoga in the search window.
Christianbook.com:
Promotes at least 12 items on Yoga (too numerous to list). Go to http://www.christianbook.com/ and type-in the word Yoga in the search window.
Christian Book Network:
This website promotes Yoga and accessories pertaining to Yoga such as books, DVDs, Yoga mats, mood music, and clothing (too numerous to list). For verification, go to http://shop.christianbooknet.com/ and type-in the word Yoga in the search window.
Christian Heritage Books:
This website contains authors and books promoting and pertaining to Yoga and the New Age Movement (stopped counting at 1000). For verification, go to
www.christianheritagebooks.com/ and type-in the word Yoga in the search window.
Cokesbury.com-Resources for the Christian Journey:
This website promotes hundreds of authors and books pertaining to Yoga and the New Age Movement (too numerous to list). For verification, go to http://www.cokesbury.com/ and type-in Yoga in the search window.
Dalton's Christian Bookstore:
Yoga for Christians by Susan Bordenkircher
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon
Koorong.com (Australia):
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon
Kregel Christian Books & Resources:
Kregel uses Parable Christian Stores for its online books and materials, where
Yoga for Christians by Susan Bordenkircher is promoted.
Lemstone:
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon. Lemstone's bookstore provider is Innovative, Inc. of North Carolina.
Lighthouse Christian Stores (not affiliated with Lighthouse Trails Publishing or Lighthouse Trails Research Project):
Yoga for Christians by Susan Bordenkircher
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon
Northwestern Book Stores:
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon
Parable Christian Stores:
Yoga for Christians by Susan Bordenkircher
Word of Life Christian Bookstores:
Yoga for Christians by Susan Bordenkircher
Holy Yoga: Exercise for the Christian Body and Soul by Brooke Boon
Researched & Compiled by:
Bud Press
January 23, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
CHRISTIAN YOGA EXPOSED Tract and Resources From Living Lamb Ministries
Chris Lawson, SRN
Discernment Resources
(Jonna Sutherlands Website)
What is Christian Yoga? (pdf Tri-fold brochure)
Christian Yoga and Hindu Gods by Jonna Sutherland
Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism by Chris Lawson
You Shall Not Worship the LORD Your God in That Way by Brian Flynn
Note: For the below mp3 files, you may want to save the files to your hard drive for easier playing. To do this: Right-click on the link, choose "Save Target As," and download the file to your hard drive.
Christianity and Yoga Don't Mix?
Dr. Ron Carlson Part 1 Part 2 - MP3 files
Friday, January 05, 2007
Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism
Wishing you and yours a blessed New Year!
The main article in this months SRN newsletter is Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism by Chris Lawson, 1/5/2007.
For those who are unaware, yoga and "Christian Yoga" are being practiced by many people who have no idea what yoga is really all about. Yoga has for thousands of years been utilized as a means to achieve Hindu occult enlightenment – ‘Self-Realization’. According to many, yoga even predates Hinduism. Yoga is a spiritual practice utilized in such belief systems as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other occult and mysticism based religions. All true yoga teachers (yogis/yoginis) and countless thousands of pages of yoga literature declare that yoga has as its source of power, Kundalini - the Serpent Power.
Is yoga a philosophy and theory? Yes. And it is also a consciousness and worldview altering religious practice too. Simply stated, yoga from the East has been watered down and commercialised for undiscerning Westerners. Even professing Christian leaders have relabelled and integrated it into their Christianity as "Christ-Centered Yoga", "Holy Yoga", "Yahweh Yoga", "Yoga for Christians", “health”, “fitness”, “exercise”, etc. Occultism relabelled is still occultism!
Something a lot of people don’t know is that this mass Western-world-embracing of Eastern spirituality was planned out long ago by a very powerful fallen angel named Lucifer. Lucifer’s (Satan) literature, stratagems and spokes people have revealed this. One such instance is through William Walker Atkinson, an American writer who was influential in turn-of-the-century (1890s-1900s) spiritual/philosophical movements such as 'New Thought' (a precursor to today's New Age movement) and Theosophy. Atkinson as Ramacharaka was a well recognized Western convert to occultism.
In 1903, Atkinson, otherwise known as Yogi Ramacharaka, wrote his Hindu Yogi occult primer titled The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath. In it he stated:
“The theory of the East, wedded to the practice of the West, will produce worthy offspring.”
This is exactly the case with Westerners today embracing all manner of Eastern spirituality. Ramacharaka’s words were and are in direct reference to the yogic philosophy of breath control (pranayama), also called “The Science of Breath”. Also, Ramacharaka and many other occultists in the past and present state very clearly that yoga poses (asanas) are rooted and grounded in yogic philosophy. The philosophy, practice, methods and ideology of yoga are one package. For the yogi guru (teacher) the worshipful poses and breath control techniques are inextricably linked – the theory is inseparable from practice. In other words, it is impossible to disentangle or untie the two from each other. To do so is committing ‘yogacide’.
In the ever emerging global spirituality of today, Hindu, Buddhist, New Age and Theosophical evangelists, as well as many other practitioners of occult and mysticism based belief systems are watching their dream come true with the forming of a global universal spirituality. Sadly, undiscerning Christians, false followers of Christ, and masses of unbelieving people are being played like pawns in a cosmic chess game – all jumping on the yoga bandwagon. “Universal Consciousness”, Eucharistic adoration”, “Mother Earth”, “Gaia”, “meditation”, “energy work”, “reiki”, “yoga”, “mantras”, “channelling”, “Tantra”, “drumming”, shamanism” and a myriad of other forms of occultism and mysticism are part of this forming one world religion.
The underlying theme that is connecting this global universal spirituality is pantheism (All is God, God is All) and panentheism (All in God – the universe [you and me too] is part of God). Unbiblical and antichrist to the core, they too are the foundations of yoga. And so it is just as Ramacharaka and his Theosophical Society colleagues foresaw, a panentheistic occult oriented universal spirituality - the theory of the East, is being [HAS BEEN] married to the west. Through the Contemplative Spiritual Formation movement and the Emerging Church movement – “Christian Yoga” has arrived in the Christian Church. Another massive Trojan horse has come. My friends this ought not to be. Through the framework of Eastern spirituality being relabelled as “deeper spirituality” for Christians, people are being deceived.
It is every Christian’s duty to “Test all things, hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil”
(1 Thess. 5:21-22). It is my hope that this article, Christian Yoga: Rooted in Hindu Occultism will persuade you from following those who are caught up in the deceptions of this last hour.
'If any man teaches otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing ... from such withdraw thyself' (I Timothy 6:3)
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Can Contemplative Spirituality Be Dangerous?
But just what is Contemplative Spirituality and can Contemplative Spirituality be dangerous? This we seek to examine, not in a spirit of contention, but grace, humility and love. (1 Thess.5:21; Phil.1:8-11)
We recommend the following research sites for a closer look at emerging, emergent church movement, and emerging church spirituality.
At these sites you can also find info about contemplative spirituality, spiritual formation movement, contemplative teachers and teachings, contemplative movements, etc.
Emerging Church - Discernment Research Archives
Apprising Ministries Archive
Critical Issues Commentary Archive
Deception In The Church Archive
Herescope
Kjos Ministries Archive
Let Us Reason Archive
Lighthouse Trails Archive
Lighthouse Trails Topical
One Truth Ministries
Understand The Times Archive
Resources
Books, DVD's, Glossary, etc.
Revival or Return To Darkness DVD
Books and Authors: Buyer Be-a-ware!!!
Critical Issues Commentary - Bob DeWaay
Discernment Tool Kit at Deception In The Church
Discernment POWER Search
We exhort you to examine contemplative and emerging church spirituality and test it in the light of the Word of God. Researching the real foundations of contemplative emerging church spirituality may shock you. We have spent many hours examining the teachings and practices in this movement and have found that they ultimately lead to what we call Contemplative Emerging Church Deception.
Obey Jesus and "let no man deceive you."
Do what the Bible says,
"Test all things; hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil. "
1 Thes.5:21
Saturday, December 16, 2006
The Kundalini Effect and Contemplative Prayer
By Brian Flynn
On a pro-contemplative spirituality web site, I came across the descriptions of those who had experienced the effect of contemplative prayer. Some of this is very disturbing and should be read with care:
I have been practicing Centering Prayer for 2 ½ years.… I began experiencing Kundalini-like symptoms three months after beginning the practice. They were quite intense at first. They have continued in various forms since then. Lately, I only experience them at the very beginning of prayer. I am not aware of any other moral manifestations. Father [Thomas] Keating [ long time contemplative supporter] advised me personally to ignore them if I could, and if they were too bothersome to “balance the energy” with physical exercise or a yoga practice.—Gary
I began to feel energy or electrical current rushes through my body, and some stomach muscle cramping. For the next few weeks, these sensations intensified, and bodily shaking/twitching began, lasting from several seconds to perhaps 5 or 10 minutes. A mild euphoria accompanied. I could willfully stop these sensations, but instead prayed fervently to Christ to help lead me away from them if they were not efficacious to his will.… After meditation, I am left with a tingly face and neck (sometimes arms) and a full or pressured feeling inside my crown. In recent weeks, I am getting more release as the energy eventually gently fizzes out of the top of my head.… Also, euphoric energy flows come [and go].—Richard
Read entire article The Kundalini Effect and Contemplative Prayer
by Brian Flynn
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
What a Hindu Professor Tells Lighthouse Trails About Yoga
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What a Hindu Professor Tells Lighthouse Trails About Yoga
Recently, after finishing as a guest on a radio talk show (Drew Marshall show - Listen), a listener called in and said she was a former Hindu. She was very upset at Lighthouse Trails and said that Hinduism had stolen mantra meditation from Christianity, and now (through contemplative) we were just taking it back.
As we have watched in dismay and shock as one Christian leader after the next succumbs to promoting contemplative, and as more and more churches, seminaries and organizations incorporate icons, candles, yoga, labryinths and mantric chanting, we have wondered why Christian leaders aren't shouting a warning from the rooftops.
A couple weeks ago, I read an article by a Hindu professor (of Hindu University of America) titled Yoga Renamed is Still Hindu. In the article, Professor Subhas Tiwari stated:
The simple, immutable fact is that yoga originated from the Vedic or Hindu culture. Its techniques were not adopted by Hinduism, but originated from it.... Efforts to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal of yoga.... If this attempt to co-opt yoga into their (Christians) own tradition continues, in several decades of incessantly spinning the untruth as truth through re-labelings such as "Christian yoga," who will know that yoga is--or was--part of Hindu culture? ...
Read Entire Article...
http://www.fromthelighthouse.com/blog/index.php?p=36&more=1&c=1
Monday, July 17, 2006
Recommended Reading: Articles by Brian Flynn at One Truth Ministires
In line with posting relevant articles on this blog, I periodically recommend balanced authors and discernment research websites.
Please do take a look at the following articles by Brian Flynn from One Truth Ministries. Brian has an amazing story as the LORD led him out of the occult and into the Body of Christ. By God's grace Brian is serving the Lord and speaking out against the contemplative mystical practices in the church. His ministry glorifies our LORD Jesus Christ and we are blessed to be able to pass on the info about another solid discernment ministry.
Below are some of Brian's articles at One Truth Ministries.
~ Chris Lawson at SRN
http://www.spiritual-research-network.com/index.htm
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Christian Should Dump Contemplative Prayer by Brian Flynn
Be Still and Know...that you are being deceived by Brian Flynn
Mystics Misuse of Scripture - Why contemplative prayer has no biblical support by Brian Flynn
Lectio Divina-Sacred Divination by Brian Flynn
Christian Yoga - Oxymoron by Brian Flynn
Are Psychics Real? by Doug Trouten [About Brian Flynn's testimony]
Spirit Guides or Demons? by Brian Flynn
Can one Christianize a pagan ritual? by Brian Flynn
Can one Christianize a pagan ritual?
by Brian Flynn
Over the past few years, I have received hundreds of emails regarding my opposition to Yoga and other mystical practices being used within the body of Christ. The excuses for continuing the practices range from, it makes me feel closer to God, it is just a form of exercise, or my intention is to worship our Lord only. Unfortunately, none of those explanations holds much water when weighed against the Word of God.
On the plains of Moab, Moses shared God’s decrees and laws that the Israelites were to follow before they could enter the Promised Land:
These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God… Deuteronomy 12:1-4
By setting these rules, God was guiding His people as to how they should worship Him only and according to His ways. God was also testing His people that they might prove their allegiance to Him. The warning was to avoid being ensnared in the practices of the pagans who lived there. This warning is as relevant today as it was at the time of Moses.
Unfortunately, like the Israelites of old, the warning has gone unheeded.
Read Entire Article...
Visit Brian Flynn's Website at One Truth Ministries
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Yoga: Posture of Apostasy: Can yogic practices be integrated with the Christian faith?
Furthermore, the Christian Yoga teachers are not telling Christians about the hazards of yoga. If they were there would not be such a huge growth of yoga classes within the church.
Click here to read more about the Hazards of Yoga at the Spiritual Research Network
~ SRN
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Yoga: Posture of Apostasy
Can yogic practices be integrated with the Christian faith?
by Larry De Bruyn
"Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet . . ." Rudyard Kipling's words accent the difference between eastern and western spirituality, between Hinduism and Christianity. But the two, "the twain" as it were, are now meeting via yogic practices being promoted in various places of worship and activities of spirituality. Take for example, one Jewish synagogue. The weekly Shabbat services of Congregation Beth-El Zedek have included such activities as "Torah Yoga," which asks congregants to "stretch and take deep breaths" as the Torah is read, or when as worshippers enter the synagogue, they are "welcomed by Torah meditations set to drums and chanting."[1] But Jews are not alone in adopting yogic postures and practices.
"Christian yoga" is also gaining popularity. Thomas Nelson, a Christian publisher, recently released a book titled, Yoga for Christians, by Susan Bordenkircher.[2] In an interview with the Denver Post, the author, a fitness instructor, explained, "What we are attempting to do with a Christ-centered practice is fill the heart and mind with God, becoming 'single-minded' as Scripture calls it." Unapologetic for promoting so called "Christian yoga", she explains that "Christ-centered yoga is definitely not just a repackaging of . . . yoga. The difference, she says, lies in the intention: shifting the focus from self to God with yogic postures ('breathing in' the Holy Spirit, for instance), integrating health as critical to effective godly service, and slowing down enough 'from our fast-paced lives to actually hear God's voice.'"[3] Wow . . . "breathing in the Holy spirit . . . slowing down . . . to actually hear the voice of God."
The instructor's words betray an ominous and foreboding ignorance of Christian truth. Believers do not breathe in the Holy Spirit. When by faith people are justified (i.e., saved), in a millisecond of time they are regenerated (Jn. 3:3, 5-7) and instantly indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Corporately and individually believers are the "temple" of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). As Paul wrote to the Roman believers, "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom. 8:9). There are only two types of persons in the world: saints and "ain'ts"--those in whom the Holy Spirit lives, and those in whom He does not. Given the Spirit's abiding presence in the life of the believer, how can He then be inhaled into the soul via yogic practice? Answer: He can't, because at salvation the Holy Spirit makes the justified believer's soul His sanctuary! Hopefully this yoga instructor isn't suggesting that regeneration takes place by a sort of yogic "inbreathing" of the Holy Spirit. If she really is, then by adding a human mechanism (i.e., "breathing in"), her version of spirituality stands in blatant contradiction to the salvation that comes "by grace . . . through faith" (Eph. 2:8-9). Her spirituality formula also opposes Jesus' testimony that like the wind, the Sovereign Spirit blows when and where He "wishes" (Jn. 3:8). The Sovereign Spirit will not be manipulated or controlled by yogic "inbreathing."..
Read full article...
http://www.frbaptist.org/bin/view/Ptp/PtpTopic20060522141106
- Yoga Pt.1: Description, Claims,Occult Potential, Dangers
- Yoga Pt.2: Yoga and Children - Purpose of Yoga
- Yoga Theory and Practice: Separable? - Part 1
- Yoga Theory and Practice: Separable? - Part 2
- Yoga: Kundalini Yoga
- Yoga: The Occult
- Innocent Yoga? Altering Consciousness in an Occult Direction
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Christian Yoga-Oxymoron
See Brian Flynn's website: One truth Ministries
Learn more about Brian Flynn's book Running Against The Wind: The Transformation of a New Age Medium and His Warning to the Church
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Christian Yoga-Oxymoron
by Brian Flynn at One Truth Ministries
- Why is there such a thing as Christian Yoga? It certainly has no scriptural or biblical basis in support of it. I have repeated many times in my book, my writings and in radio interviews that Yoga is an eastern spiritual practice and has no place in the church. Do you think that Hindus who practice yoga are doing it to attain rock hard abs? The answer is clearly no. The purpose is spiritual. It is not just the meditations; but many of the postures used are a form of sun worship. Does that sound Christian to you? If you do not believe me than this newspaper article called "Is Yoga Debased by Secular Practice" should prove it. After you have read the article please click the link at the bottom of the page to return for my comments.
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The description of Yoga is contradictory with Christianity, "Its practice strives to unite the individual soul with the "greater soul" of the universe..." The response from Christians who practice Yoga state that they do not use the meditations normally associated with Yoga. However, the meditations are not the only problem. "It is a whole series of ritual appreciations to the sun, being thankful for that source of energy." To think of it as a mere physical movement is tantamount to "saying that baptism is just an underwater exercise..." Can't Christians find another form of exercise to use then one that is clearly connected to eastern religions? Even the Hindus in the linked article are stating that it is a Hindu religious practice and to stop pretending that it isn't a Hindu religious practice! They seem a bit upset don't they?...
Read entire article at Brian Flynn's One Truth Ministries website...