Wednesday, July 11, 2012

“Is it Possible to Practice Yoga as a Faithful Catholic?”


“What is the Catholic Church’s Teaching on Yoga? Is Yoga a Stumbling Block to Your Catholic Faith?”

Here’s what 86 year old chief Vatican exorcist “Father” Gabriele Amorth, who has cleansed hundreds of people from devil spirits said:
“The stretching exercise is Satanic because it leads to Hinduism and a false belief in reincarnation”. He compared the workout regimen to HARRY POTTER promoting black magic.

While the physical aspects can be beneficial, the spiritual aspects may be harmful as they flow into “New Age” religiosity.  Too often Catholics don’t know enough about their own traditions to know where Catholicism ends and New Age form take over.

Yoga shows a concern about New Age.  New Age feeds not just off forms of Eastern spirituality and any other tradition it wants to, but Catholic forms as well. It’s not just the stretches and poses to be  concerned with, it’s some of the Eastern mysticism that underlines them and is often taught with them. Some of that approach to God is not compatible with Catholic tradition, and if a Catholic buys into it and, even unknowingly, blends it with their Catholic faith, then their faith may end up with a combination of different forms of belief.

It’s clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that any dabbling in New Age or Hindu religious practices that worships a pagan god, a god of “nature’ or a god within oneself is intrinsically evil and against Catholic teachings, where there is God and one God only.

“WHOEVER IDENTIFIES, BY PANTHEISTIC CONFUSION, GOD AND THE UNIVERSE, BY LOWERING GOD TO THE DIMENSIONS OF THE WORLD, OR RAISING THE WORLD TO THE DIMENSIONS OF GOD, IS NOT A BELIEVER IN GOD.” Pope Pius Xl (Papal Encyclical, Vol. 3 [1903-1939]. P.526)

Pray the Rosary wear the Brown Scapular and stay clear of anything that will compromise your Catholic Faith.