Yoga don't belong exclusively to Hinduism: frustrated Christians

As the Christians are not getting peace in Church they are moving towards Hindu culture, where yoga is one part of it. To hide the failure of Christian religion some Christian do such kind of foolish statement - Editor
THE report “Hindu leaders slam yoga for Christians” (March 30) and Letters (April 6) refer. I agree that historically yoga appears to have emerged from Hindu culture and has been practised for several thousand years.
However, yoga systems do not belong exclusively to Hinduism. Buddhist and Taoist yoga practices have been around for at least 2000 years and, like all religious, philosophical and political systems, there have been splinter groups and schisms.
Some have maintained a religious connection and others have become more secular and leave the spiritual side, or lack of, to individual practitioners.
I have taught yoga and tai chi for over 30 years, and most of my students prefer the secular approach, which does not interfere with their personal beliefs.
Christianity appears to have its own “styles” of yoga. For example, the founder of the Jesuits, St Ignatius Loyola, designed a set of spiritual exercises which could be classed as yoga. Also, the Quakers include silent contemplation in their meetings — another form of yoga. — DAVID LAWSON
ýTHE person who is practising yoga is a Roman Catholic spiritual teacher. I think we need to understand the difference between Roman Catholicism and evangelical Christianity.
Coming from a Roman Catholic background, I can verify that Roman Catholicism is not evangelical Christianity. As a strayed member of that religion, I firmly believe that Roman Catholicism is a religion on its own.
Because Christianity was forced upon Roman citizens by their emperor, the Romans fused it with their own existing (so-called) pagan religious practices and it became known as the Roman Catholic Church.
Some of these so-called pagan rituals and beliefs are clearly manifested in Roman Catholic practice.
Roman Catholicism (a semi- Christian religion mixed with Roman pagan religions) was technically founded by Emperor Contantine after AD 312. In contrast, the traditional Christian Church was founded in the first century in Jerusalem and Antioch.
The two religions have existed side by side, with the Roman Catholic Church claiming to be the “true” church and branding the other as heretics. Roman Catholics are in denial about this aspect of their history.
On the local front, I am surprised that Hindu leaders are slamming Catholics. As far as I can remember, there has been an affinity between Roman Catholics and Hindus. Hindus have always accepted and embraced Catholics, because the two religions share some common beliefs, and Catholics, unlike their evangelical counterparts, attend and sometimes take part in Hindu festivals and prayers (at least my Catholic relatives did).
Indian Catholics cannot deny that they often consult Hindu mediums and temple aunties. According to church historians, Protestant Christians and Roman Catholics have been at loggerheads since the middle ages.
It is alleged by historians that hundreds of thousands of Protestant Christians were branded as heretics, cruelly tortured and burnt at the stake for going against Roman Catholic beliefs.
Protestant Christians and Roman Catholics have always been in two different camps and have operated as separate religions with their own unique belief systems.
Because there are two different religious beliefs involved, I believe that a Roman Catholic interest in yoga will never amount to general Christian interest in yoga. — DR Mike Reddy, Tongaat
Source: http://www.thetimes.co.za/