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Is Yoga A "Religion" ??????

Dragonfly

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge is expected to issue a ruling Monday on whether yoga is a religious practice that shouldn't be allowed to be taught in public schools.

An attorney representing a family bent out of shape over the public school program in the beach city of Encinitas filed a lawsuit in February to stop the district-wide classes. In the lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court, attorney Dean Broyles argued that the twice weekly, 30-minute classes are inherently religious, in violation of the separation between church and state.

Judge to rule on whether yoga tied to religion

Ummmm... what????

Since when is yoga "inherently religious"?

Anybody?
 

Republic Now!

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Not a religion, though the way some people treat it is creepy.
 

Bob Blaylock

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Judge to rule on whether yoga tied to religion

Ummmm... what????

Since when is yoga "inherently religious"?

Anybody?

Since it first was invented, actually.

Yoga is a series of religious disciplines, originating in Hinduism, and having spread to some other related Eastern religions. Some of the disciplines that compose Yoga revolve around physical exercises, that many who have no interest in the religious aspect believe to be useful as physical exercises, but this doesn't change the fact that all of it is rooted in religion—primarily in Hinduism.
 

Republic Now!

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Since it first was invented, actually.

Yoga is a series of religious disciplines, originating in Hinduism, and having spread to some other related Eastern religions. Some of the disciplines that compose Yoga revolve around physical exercises, that many who have no interest in the religious aspect believe to be useful as physical exercises, but this doesn't change the fact that all of it is rooted in religion—primarily in Hinduism.

You're correct, some quick research shows yoga is a subset of Hinduism. Interesting. I've found in the past that the exercises are effective though.
 

Dragonfly

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As it's generally practiced in the 21st century, in the USofA, yoga is to religion about as much as Christmas is to paganism.
 

Medusa

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it is just a way of reaching nirvana , l experienced such a thing before with prayer.
 

RabidAlpaca

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If it is a religion, then all who do not practice yoga should be filed into a "religious group", perhaps called a-yogists.
 

Republic Now!

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As it's generally practiced in the 21st century, in the USofA, yoga is to religion about as much as Christmas is to paganism.

Tell that to the "Happy holidays" nazis.
 

RGacky3

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Tell that to the "Happy holidays" nazis.

People that say "happy holidays" are not people that do so because christmas is pagan in origens, it's becasue they show respect to people that arn't christians and don't think the world revolves around them ....
 

Republic Now!

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People that say "happy holidays" are not people that do so because christmas is pagan in origens, it's becasue they show respect to people that arn't christians and don't think the world revolves around them ....

Reread the post I quoted a few more times.
 

Republic Now!

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Insinuating what exactly?

Is Christmas celebrated, generally speaking, religiously? Is Santa Claus considered a religious icon? Is the Christmas tree a religious monument?

Of course not. Of course Christianity is, generally speaking, a cultural holiday in modern times and not a holy holiday. By your logic, the people who seem to have this idea that any form of even an ounce of religion in the public sphere is completely unacceptable should accept Christmas as much as Yoga, since, despite its religious origins, is not really religious in modern day.
 

Dragonfly

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Is Christmas celebrated, generally speaking, religiously? Is Santa Claus considered a religious icon? Is the Christmas tree a religious monument?

Of course not. Of course Christianity is, generally speaking, a cultural holiday in modern times and not a holy holiday. By your logic, the people who seem to have this idea that any form of even an ounce of religion in the public sphere is completely unacceptable should accept Christmas as much as Yoga, since, despite its religious origins, is not really religious in modern day.

By my logic??? Where are you getting that crap from?

What's my "logic"?

I made a comment as to how un-religious yoga is these days.
My logic is that yoga has become so far removed from religion that it's not religious at all.

Whatever it is that you're trying to interpret out of my posts is truly confusing to me.
 

Republic Now!

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By my logic??? Where are you getting that crap from?

What's my "logic"?

I made a comment as to how un-religious yoga is these days.
My logic is that yoga has become so far removed from religion that it's not religious at all.

Whatever it is that you're trying to interpret out of my posts is truly confusing to me.

Your logic is Yoga is no longer considered religious therefore it is acceptable in the public sphere.
The extension of that logic is that Christmas is no longer considered religious therefore it is acceptable in the public sphere.
 

Dragonfly

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I study Hung Gar Kung-Fu. A style born out of the Shaolin Monks.

Is my martial art a religion?

Can martial arts schools and yoga schools file for tax exempt status?

Are they basically churches?
 

Dragonfly

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Your logic is Yoga is no longer considered religious therefore it is acceptable in the public sphere.
The extension of that logic is that Christmas is no longer considered religious therefore it is acceptable in the public sphere.

And what's wrong with that connection of the dots?

Christmas has become a commercial entity first and foremost with the vast majority of the world.
Correct?
 

Republic Now!

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And what's wrong with that connection of the dots?

Christmas has become a commercial entity first and foremost with the vast majority of the world.
Correct?

Sure.

I really don't mind them teaching yoga at school, nor do I mind them celebrating Christmas as school. My point, however, is that despite the secularist nature of it, people still act as though it is religious. So yoga may be barred on that basis. I don't agree with it, but there it is.
 

greyhat

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Yoga is not a religion for it lacks its own religious dogma and deity of worship. It's rooted in Hinduism but its not one and the same.

Many martial arts disciplines are rooted in elements of Confucianism yet we wouldn't bar karate or taekwondo from schools.
 

Oftencold

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Judge to rule on whether yoga tied to religion

Ummmm... what????

Since when is yoga "inherently religious"?

Anybody?

Apparently since antiquity.

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]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga


Considering that school districts risk doing themselves an injury in their unseemly exertions to erase all traces of Christianity and Judaism from the schools, then it seem to me that Yoga's got to go too. If you can't have the Easter Bunny, you can't have the Lotus Position.
 

Republic Now!

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Yoga is not a religion for it lacks its own religious dogma and deity of worship. It's rooted in Hinduism but its not one and the same.

Many martial arts disciplines are rooted in elements of Confucianism yet we wouldn't bar karate or taekwondo from schools.

Depends on who you talk to.
 

Surtr

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Dragonfly

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Look y'all - I'm fully aware of the origins of yoga. Even the article I linked in the OP states it quite clearly.

That's not the point.

As I mentioned in another post, kung-fu has it's origins in religion as well. Would you consider a martial art a religion?

Getting kids to stretch, breath, exercise, and generally just take a break is not a religious endeavor. It's a healthy shift in the daily routine that some studies show has some major advantages to both health and learning.
 

greyhat

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Look y'all - I'm fully aware of the origins of yoga. Even the article I linked in the OP states it quite clearly.

That's not the point.

As I mentioned in another post, kung-fu has it's origins in religion as well. Would you consider a martial art a religion?

Getting kids to stretch, breath, exercise, and generally just take a break is not a religious endeavor. It's a healthy shift in the daily routine that some studies show has some major advantages to both health and learning.

Absolutely true! Kids are fatter nowadays, can't imagine yoga hurting...
 

Surtr

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Look y'all - I'm fully aware of the origins of yoga. Even the article I linked in the OP states it quite clearly.

That's not the point.

As I mentioned in another post, kung-fu has it's origins in religion as well. Would you consider a martial art a religion?

Getting kids to stretch, breath, exercise, and generally just take a break is not a religious endeavor. It's a healthy shift in the daily routine that some studies show has some major advantages to both health and learning.

There's yoga, and there's Yoga. It's a very huge distinction. One is just an exercise regiment, one is an inseparable component to a religious theology. The way it's practiced makes all the difference.
 
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