Schools turning on to yoga, but some call it foreign religion

NorthJersey.com ^ | 01.29.07 | RACHEL KONRAD

[saalebhosdike]

Whut in the name of lordy god frick is "foreign religion"?

[generalhammond]

Many believe that Buddah and Jesus are incarnations of god, or Krishna. I am not trying to be heretical or offensive - just saying that there is commonality between the great religions of the world.

[XR7]

...muddled suburban syncretics of the "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual" type -- the kind of well-meaning hippies that attempt to homebrew their own religion by mixing bits of Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, Kabbalic Judaism, and Christianity with a lot of high-fiber trail mix and a massive bong hit or two.

LOL
Great synopsis.
Great quote!

[ARridgerunner]

I am not trying to be heretical or offensive - just saying that there is commonality between the great religions of the world.

A true heretic would entertain the notion that he is divine. That belief might not get one crucified anymore, but it isn't exactly a popular idea either.

[misterrob]

It would likely cut down on bullying quite a bit.

[George from New England]

"Eastern mysticism tells you to empty the mind. Christianity tells you to fill it."

satan looks to enter the empty mind. Beware.

[P-Marlowe]

HiTech RedNeck: Eastern mysticism tells you to empty the mind.
TigersEye: Horse crap!

You're right. Eastern Mysticism tells you to fill your mind with horse crap.

Thank you for the correction.

[CarrotAndStick]

Ego chatters endlessly on...

This line of yours couldn't ring any louder above here! Lol!

[horse_doc]

Teachers say it helps calm students with attention-deficit disorder

All it really does is teach them the discipline to sit quietly, which is a very valuable skill.

Of course, you can do exactly the same thing by making a kid sit quietly in church, once or twice a week. But that isn't as exotic as having a starry-eyed hippie do it.

[USMMA_83]

You know, just you don't have to feel so threatened. Eastern Mysticism simply tells you to calm / quiet the mind; so that you can hear God.

But, ofcourse none of that would make sense to you.

[ARridgerunner]

Eastern Mysticism tells you to fill your mind with horse crap.

Such as?

[longtermmemmory]

Yoga as a religion?

Geeze where to they find these people?!

You can teach Yoga without the alleged religious overtones.

being more bendy and flexible is not religious. It is just fun and useful.

[Marysecretary]

Oh, no. They'd get hurt. Can't have that you know. We'd rather raise a bunch of sissies and girlymen.

[isrul]

I agree with you. Kids are filled with yang energy and it needs an outlet. They don't really need to devote much time to practices designed to cultivate chi or prana.

Of course, the more external martial arts are okay inasmuch as they provide an outlet for youthful energy and also teach discipline, self control,l and respect.

[Zack Nguyen]

"I'm not here to say that yoga is necessarily bad, but it is counter to what I think the public education system is for: It should have programs without any form of religious overtones whatsoever," Willis said.

And there is the rub. Is this even possible.

[Nevadan]

generalhammond writes:
"Many believe that Buddah and Jesus are incarnations of god, or Krishna. I am not trying to be heretical or offensive - just saying that there is commonality between the great religions of the world."

Nevadan responds:

Can you elaborate on what these commonalities are?

[USMMA_83]

If you've ever done yoga, you'd understand that it's one of the most difficult forms of exercise.

[TigersEye]

Many believe that Buddah and Jesus are incarnations of god, or Krishna.

Not many Buddhists believe that. Perhaps a few small spinoff sects of Theraveda Buddhism.

[TigersEye]

You're right. Eastern Mysticism tells you to fill your mind with horse crap. Thank you for the correction.

I guess you've had your fill!?! LOL

[TigersEye]

You know, just you don't have to feel so threatened. Eastern Mysticism simply tells you to calm / quiet the mind; so that you can hear God. But, ofcourse none of that would make sense to you.

It is truly amazing how many people are absolutely terrified of sitting calmly and looking at their own mind without distraction. But it is by far the more common condition in human existence. The problem isn't that the mind is empty or devoid of content that scares them it is just the opposite. What is scary is that the mind is so vast that it contains everything and sitting quietly in meditation reveals that unlimited openness.