Judge allows Yoga in Public schools, rejects Church-State Fight

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Yoga is religious then?
Answer me these questions:
What deity do they (yogians?) worship?
What service do they attend?
What rituals do they preform?
What is their icons?
What is their creed or formal statement of their religious belief?
What is their requirement for confession of faith?
Who are their ordained clergy/priest that lead their services?
Who are the leaders or group overseers?
What is the membership procedure ?
Do they have a congregation of members or followers?
Where can I find their churches?

Yoga (Sanskrit: योग) is a commonly known generic term for the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace.[1][2] Specifically, yoga is one of the six āstika ("orthodox") schools of Hindu philosophy. One of the most detailed and thorough expositions on the subject is the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, which defines yoga as "the stilling of the changing states of the mind"[1] (Sanskrit: योग: चित्त-वृत्ति निरोध

. Yoga has also been popularly defined as "union with the divine" in other contexts and traditions.[3] Various traditions of yoga are found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.[4][5][6]

Yoga

Originally posted by Thiaoouba Prophecy

What kind of Yoga do you Practice? Skyfloating? Bhakti, Hatha? The Yoga at 24 hours fitness or at LA Fitness? Thats no different than jumping jacks and lunges that children do already and the court ruled justly.

I practice Kriya Yoga and it is an ancient science in my world view rather than a religious practice like praying has no physical benefit. PE Coaches can teach Yoga and incorporate it into their conditioning tactics.

Raja Yoga

Karma Yoga

Bhakti Yoga

Originally posted by Oceanborn
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

I agree with you.

Other than that,why yoga? There are better things than yoga (how can yoga help someone strength-wise anyway?) that they could do to keep kids in shape?

reply to post by Skyfloating




This is interesting and though the benefits of yoga for calming, flexibility, strength and in general long life have been known for many decades this same "religious" argument has been the one thing keeping it out of schools and the workplace where it might be used to great advantage as well.

In response to those who argue it is essentially or basically a religious practice, I would say that no more than sitting in a pew or simply getting down on ones knees is religious. If yoga is "religious" then why do so many atheists, agnostics and non-religious people practice it as part of a daily health routine?

I think bottom line is there is a faction in this country masquerading as religious but their real goal is to get people, who won't go to war, to die stupid and at an early age. Why? I don't know, but it seems to be a clear agenda. Population control maybe?

When I was a child, we had this thing called recess and we had this other thing called playgrounds, and when the two combined it promoted exercise. Is anyone else starting to figure out this stuff the government is allowing and promoting looks scarily like Nazi Germany just before WWII?



If anyone hasn't read Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, I suggest you do so, if you want to see the future of the U.S. of A. All those Nazi's that came over during Project Paperclip? They've been re-engineering our government for decades and it becomes evident when you read Mein Kampf.

reply to post by Superhans


No friend, I read your whole post, I was merely replying to the one aspect of it I didn't agree with. don't assume because I replied to you, that the entire content of the post was directed at you, it wasn't. Feel free to actually contribute instead of posting a reply with a single line stating you won't read my post, you and I both know that's a T&C violation and ruins the flow of an interesting thread.

*sigh*
now I'm getting the lagged out double posts, sorry mods

Judge allows Yoga in Public schools, rejects Church-State Fight

Personally, yoga is neither good nor bad. It is a choice for the individual... but it is those things that we choose for ourselves, that are now under attack.

What is the crime of faith? What is the sin of any faith, including atheism? How does any of this harm anyone? It should be our choice to make. If there is a prayer being said in a room full of people... or someone doing yoga, or someone doing nothing at all... how does this cause a problem?

History shows that for centuries, religion was pushed and shoved into people's lives. Now after all of that, the anti-religious have some traction and there is a time for revenge... a forced denial of rights to faith.

It was due to arrive because it is neither religion or the lack thereof that leads to things like inquisitions and persecutions. It is strictly human and regardless of position, can be inflicted by anyone on anyone else depending on their ability to do so.

Yoga is, for most, simply sitting with one's legs crossed and eyes closed. The layman's view is based on a comfortable lack of knowledge in the subject itself. Someday, this may be subject to persecution as well. Time generally does see the merry-go-round complete numerous circuits.

In this case, there is another form of faith... one that almost assures a future that will become bleaker and darker for the individual - religious or not - before it ever again finds light.

Originally posted by th3dudeabides
reply to post by MarioOnTheFly

 

Agreed, the poster claiming yoga is deeply religious doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. I practice yoga, and the presentation in the US is strictly non-religious, unless you are seeking out the enlightenment versions which I am certain will not be taught in public schools.

That would be for the 'yogis' Who maintain a way of life which is way beyond your day to day religious practices/customs/norms/traditions If it was part of religion, i'm sure every staunch hindu would be practicing yoga everyday. Yoga is really a way of life (as is gung-fu, karate, jujitsu etc etc).

Originally posted by Superhans
reply to post by SaturnFX

 

Atheism is no belief in a god(s). A Atheist can believe in the following if they so choose and still be Atheist: Martians, Unicorns, AFTERLIFE, Ghosts, Goblins, Spirit, etc etc etc.

You are twisting what i said. i never said they couldn't believe in anything, i said i roll my eyes. Because they sound retarded and they do. When i hear a guy ramble on how its scientifically impossible for jesus to have died and come back to life only for the guy to go onto start talking about new age nonsense- it sounds stupid. When people portray themselves to be this super scientifically literate people who pride themselves on "logic" and then go on about newage and pagan crap that they believe in I roll my eyes because i think they are retarded.
When i see them complain about public christmas displays and ask for pagan ones I roll my eyes, because they sound like retarded hypocrites

That is then judging a person's considerations and imagination. Never a good start.
I am an atheist. I do not believe in God(s).
I am a human, I often wonder if there are God(s).
I am an optimist, I hope there is some sort of pattern or greater form than us out there.

See the difference? A person is complex. A person can have many views that do not contradict, but can confuse the rather simple minds out there.
As far as idiot atheist jerks...well, there are idiot jerks in every single category. They don't represent the philosophy. As far as public decorations, there is no reason my tax dollars should go towards supporting any religion, be it Christianity, islam, judism, norse, ancient greek (although that would be awesome), or any other religious icons on -public- property.
And if a business displayed icons on their property, I would choose to use or not use their service depending on how offended I choose to be (I don't care if a business does frankly..just don't require me to convert to buy something from you)..many businesses don't want to lose customers though, so they try to remain neutral in order to maximize their profit potential.

Originally posted by Skyfloating
A bunch of people repeating "Yoga has nothing to do with Religion" doesnt make it so.

The rabbit hole goes much much deeper....many Christian postures and rituals (such as putting the hands together and an upward-point for prayer) originate in Yoga.

And therefore, is putting hands together a religion in itself?

Your right, many religions across the board have used parts of eastern practices. Yoga is in many religions. Yoga is not a religion.

Kneeling is also in many religions as I stated...Kneeling is not a religion.

Originally posted by luciddream
reply to post by Oceanborn

 

Spirituality is not Religious. One can be Spiritual without Religion. An Atheist can be Spiritual.

___

Yes Parents should have a say, just like any other gym sports, but what reason are they going to give? "i think it is religious" well you will probably be looked at weirdly.

Agree. Lets just look at the spirit of the American Indians and the different tribes and their belief system in 'spirits'.

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Yoga is religious then?
Answer me these questions:
What deity do they (yogians?) worship?
What service do they attend?
What rituals do they preform?
What is their icons?
What is their creed or formal statement of their religious belief?
What is their requirement for confession of faith?
Who are their ordained clergy/priest that lead their services?
Who are the leaders or group overseers?
What is the membership procedure ?
Do they have a congregation of members or followers?
Where can I find their churches?

Yoga (Sanskrit: योग) is a commonly known generic term for the physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a view to attain a state of permanent peace.[1][2] Specifically, yoga is one of the six āstika ("orthodox") schools of Hindu philosophy. One of the most detailed and thorough expositions on the subject is the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, which defines yoga as "the stilling of the changing states of the mind"[1] (Sanskrit: योग: चित्त-वृत्ति निरोध

. Yoga has also been popularly defined as "union with the divine" in other contexts and traditions.[3] Various traditions of yoga are found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.[4][5][6]

Yoga

Mhmm, it is a eastern practice that has long been incorporated into buddism, Hinduism, and other religions. And that has nothing to do with any structure of belief.
I have a physical aspect of myself..yes...jumping jacks is not a religion
I have a mental aspect of myself, yes. math problems and calming down is not a religion
I have a "higher" aspect of myself, This is the part open to debate only. Whereas I personally may simply call it my subconscious, others may call it their spirit, their inner self, their chi, etc. But there is a part that I cannot easily access without meditation and the like..or years of therapy maybe.

If its easier to call it your soul or spirit, then more power to you...but its most likely just your subconscious..but anyhow, that is not a religion either.

All mentioned above however can be part of a religion...a church may raise a barn, raising barns is not specifically a religious practice. A church may do a spelling bee, a spelling bee is not necessarily a religious practice. a church may choose to sit quietly in a candlelit hall and simply let your mind be quieted...but sitting quietly is not necessarily a religious practice.

The Buddhists and the like do these actions and meld it into their religion because it is effective at sending forth their philosophies at the same time with little resistance...remove the religious specific philosophies, and you just have the core exercises without a overtone of belief.

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Originally posted by semperfortis
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

I understand Yoga's roots are in religion but can it not be separated successfully?
I have never been "Stretchy" enough myself to indulge in it personally

Sure it can be separated. Westerners attempt to do so any time. But at "higher levels" when it goes beyond mere physical work, it becomes quite spiritual and attached to various Hindu belief-systems.

Can you tell me what came first? Religion or Yoga? Also how many Gods are there in the Hindu Religion? Yoga was used to flourish/strengthen the belief system(s)/god(s) of Hinduism It wasn't born out of religion nor is it required or mandatory to be a yogi or practice yoga to be a hindu or hinduism Its more about human physiological science and its abilities to attain higher understandings through the belief of spirituality and ofcourse stretching exercises.

GUNG FU(KUNG FU)_AND_YOGA

Originally posted by Superhans

Originally posted by SpearMint
reply to post by Superhans

 

Atheist groups (as you call them, I'm not aware of them) won't care about yoga for the reasons I listed above. It doesn't have to have any religious connections at all, and it's actually beneficial. It usually isn't practiced in a way that has anything to do with religion and the activity itself doesn't shove any religious views down your throat.

lol no,
That is the same as making kids "not pray" and by "not pray" i mean sit in the prayer position and talk about things they want and don't have. See! no forcing a religion "down your throat" just the practices- totally different thing...

During school mornings (at least when I went), after the pledge, we would have a minute of silence. This required you to basically shut the hell up. During this time, it was custom to basically close your eyes and look down. During this time, you could pray, meditate, think about the homework you didn't do, consider the girl/boy next to you, etc...it was not dictated to be anything except what you chose to do.
This is a perfect system, one that is beneficial and pushes no agenda, but allows you to do what you want.
Me, I normally just tried to do a standing minute sleep (it was early after all).

So yes, what you have said sarcastically has already been done...and with no complaint.

Originally posted by Sparky63
There is no reason the school cannot reasonably accommodate those who wish to refrain from Yoga for religious reasons.
Let the kids who don't want to do Yoga do pushups, or other calisthenics. I don't understand why the school felt it necessary to force compliance on such a silly issue.

There you go. Very simple solution but NO. Everything has to be political issue these days

simple solution. call it "stretching/breathing exercises". that is what i did in PE class. religious folk doing what they do the best, making mountains out of molehills.

Originally posted by SpearMint
You can do yoga without any religious teachings or references, people do this all the time and have done for ages.

Maybe for the last few decades, but that's about it.

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000
When I was a child, we had this thing called recess and we had this other thing called playgrounds, and when the two combined it promoted exercise. Is anyone else starting to figure out this stuff the government is allowing and promoting looks scarily like Nazi Germany just before WWII?

When I was a child, school gave lunch.
You know who else fed kids? Nazi's.

Therefore, feeding kids is a Nazi thing....


Point:
Just because a movement based on a bad philosophy used stuff, doesn't mean the stuff they used is bad...yes, Nazi's ate food..that doesn't mean food is bad.
and children exercising to burn off energy and get fit is -not- a bad thing...regardless if we got the idea from the Nazi's, the scientologists, or anywhere else.
Judge the act, not the source.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
So yes, what you have said sarcastically has already been done...and with no complaint.

False, this mandatory moment of silence has been removed from some schools because people have sued saying it was a way of sneaking religion into school.
en.wikipedia.org...
See? "Sneaking" religion into school is only wrong when its a christian religion, anything else is seen as okay, You can have yoga, call it yoga and teach it to kids=okay. Sitting there doing nothing and being quiet = prayer...