Yoga is Demonic says Ex-Witch Turned Christian!

[JenniferG]

This headline came through my Facebook thread this afternoon much to my annoyance! "Ex-witch reveals connection between yoga and satan." The article is from Charismanews.com and quotes Beth Eckert's blog post:

 

"Channeling energy is an age-old occult practice. Demons use energy as one of the ways they can move from place to place. They use this energy movement to transfer from person to person, person to object, etc. It is a form of witchcraft, and it is not a practice that brings a person into alignment with the Spirit of God. Even meditation is a form of moving energy as you are trying to move your energy into a certain direction, thought pattern or process in order to gain something. That is witchcraft."    

 

"Doing these Eastern spiritual practices is aligning yourself with the kingdom of darkness. It is practicing inviting the demonic into your being and into your life. It can cause great harm to your physical being as well as your spiritual being. Once you bring these practices into your life, you are also inviting these demonic entities into your home and your family. Yoga in particular is very dangerous because of the momentum it has gained in our world today, even within the Christian church."  

 

"I know that there is such a huge controversy around yoga," Eckert says. "If you look at yoga, it just seems like this great way to get healthy and align your body and your spirit and stretch, and people just absolutely love it."  But don't be deceived."  In her YouTube video, Eckert also condemns practices of karate, tai chi and acupuncture among others as being demonic.

 

My response to this garbage:

What huge controversy around yoga?  "The American College of Sports Medicine supports the integration of yoga into the exercise regimens of healthy individuals as long as properly-trained professionals deliver instruction. The College cites yoga's promotion of "profound mental, physical and spiritual awareness" and its benefits as a form of stretching, and as an enhancer of breath control and of core strength. [237]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga

 

"Demons use energy as one of the ways they can move from place to place. Mmm, demons are subject to physics? I know Hollywood has shown Poltergeists moving stuff around on the movie screen, yes, but can someone show me the latest scientific proof of demons using energy to move around?

 

 "Yoga is a form of spiritual alignment with the Hindu goddess Shakti, ex-witch Beth Eckert says in her YouTube video." [link at the end of this post]

I have this to say about yoga - I have greatly benefited from this practice over the past few months in particular being a sufferer of anxiety disorder and clinical depression that have their roots for the most part in anxiety-inducing fundamentalist religion. There is more to yoga than "a form of spiritual alignment with the Hindu goddess Shakti." There is no channeling of energy or causing "great harm to your physical being as well as your spiritual being." What utter bullshit! Four months ago, I couldn't touch my toes or do a "downward dog pose." I go to yoga classes (Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga, Hatha Yoga) three times a week and the difference in my body and general well-being is phenomenal.

 

There is a plethora of excellent articles about the modern and ancient practice of yoga consisting of a variety of practices and methods, including Jain and Buddhist practices. Hinduism incorporates Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Laya Yoga and Hatha Yoga. The practice and benefits of yoga included in Indian philosophy were introduced to Western philosophers and thinkers in the mid-19th century. The beauty of yoga is that you don't need to be a religious believer in Hinduism or Buddhism to practice it. Man alive! Will there ever be a time when modern civilization will be done with demons and goblins and gods and build upon the marvels of scientific knowledge?

 

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/61880-ex-witch-reveals-connection-between-yoga-and-satan

 

https://youtu.be/uoxs8ixsmrk

 

[Jedah]

A person who dumped one form of woo for another said something insane?

 

This has totally never happened before.

 

 

[JenniferG]

Please someone hurry up with an Artificial Intelligent chip for Beth Eckert's insane brain! 😱

[1989]

If demons use energy to travel from place to place, then why was Satan walking up and down the Earth in Job?  Didn't he get the memo?  Maybe he's Old School.

 

Seriously though, this is nothing new.  The Southern Baptists have decreed yoga as Satanic last year if I remember correctly.

[padgemi]

STOP CHANNELING ENERGY!  

Unplug your fridge,

turn off the lights.

turn off the A/C.

Join the Amish.

 

please 😖

[Jeff]

So demons are stretching my groin and hamstrings...?

 *sigh*

Would they stretch farther, or not quite as far if the demons left me alone?

 

[buffettphan]

Back in the 1980's, my DFH (DearFundyHubby) informed me that yoga was demonic.  (Thanks to his Pastor Dickwad.)  So I immediately took up this form of exercise.  

[florduh]

Heard that shit all my life, and I'm OLD.

[midniterider]

On 8/23/2017 at 8:41 PM, JenniferG said:

This headlin

 

 

tific knowledge?

 

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/61880-ex-witch-reveals-connection-between-yoga-and-satan

 

https://youtu.be/uoxs8ixsmrk

 

 

Beth Eckert needs to shut the F up like it says in 1 Timothy 2:12. (Just kidding)

 

Isn't channeling what Christians do when they have 'a word' ?

[JenniferG]

9 minutes ago, midniterider said:

What huge controversy around yoga?  "The American College of Sports Medicine supports the integration of yoga into the exercise regimens of healthy individuals as long as properly-trained professionals deliver instruction. The College cites yoga's promotion of "profound mental, physical and spiritual awareness" and its benefits as a form of stretching, and as an enhancer of breath control and of core strength. [237]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga

 

 

Has anyone heard about the HUGE CONTROVERSY around yoga? Ooooo, the ACSM must be seriously demonic! 

[mwc]

     I've heard the demonic dangers of yoga since at least the late 70's/early 80's and know it goes back farther than that.  I know people today that won't do basic stretches, even though they could use them for spasms and whatnot, just because they *think* they might be somehow related to yoga and this imaginary stretching evil.

 

     Yeah, I know if you get into the whole yoga "thing" it has a lot of baggage but if you just want to stretch it out you can ignore all the mumbo jumbo, like most things, and take what you want/need from it.  I guess cherry picking only works with xianity.

 

          mwc

 

[JenniferG]

Some of them are beyond cherry picking, MWC.  They are clearly weak in the head! Thank my evolving brain for rescuing me from such insanity. When I was growing up in the "Funny Fundie" church every damn thing was a sin. Just saying "damn" was a sin, cutting my hair was a sin, wearing make-up - extremely sinful as was dancing! wearing pants/jeans was a sin, going to the cinema was a sin (this was in the 60s & 70s) - everything short of breathing was a damn, fucking sin!  And if it wasn't a sin, then whatever (ungodly activity, especially those with roots in Eastern religion) such as yoga was demonic, or listening to rock 'n roll or heavy metal was devil's music. (I remember at a cousins wedding having to turn down someone asking me to dance. My parents sat there in judgement watching these "sinners" having a good time.)  I missed out on so much fun stuff in my youth  all because of fear and repression.   No wonder my poor brain got into a tangle of anxiety and depression having the living hell scared out of me since I was a child and right into adulthood! My brain is now pretty well untangled, thank the universe and its remarkable positive influences and great  modern thinkers such as the late great Carl Sagan and his protege Neil De Grasse Tyson who carries on his work today,  the  inimitable, unforgettable, late great Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawkins, Richard Carrier, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Bart Ehrman, Valerie Tarico, Marlene Winnell (just to name a few) and certainly not forgetting the great minds and thinkers on this site.  I'll take the intelligent words of these guys and gals over the dumb little ex-witch any day! I am just dismayed (in this day and age) that some of my relatives and some Christian friends still buy into this nonsense feeling the need to post it on Facebook as a warning to others.

[midniterider]

Yoga not listed in the bible anywhere, is it?

[florduh]

Here's something else that's demonic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/02/22/demonic-activity-palpable-at-president-trumps-rally-pastor-says/?utm_term=.785e929ae4b0

 

 

[JenniferG]

1 hour ago, midniterider said:

Yoga not listed in the bible anywhere, is it?

Oh some christian know-it-all will probably find some obscure Greek or Hebrew text referring to yoga! They love to point one to the "original" bogus text!

[JenniferG]

1 hour ago, florduh said:

Here's something else that's demonic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/02/22/demonic-activity-palpable-at-president-trumps-rally-pastor-says/?utm_term=.785e929ae4b0

 

 

"I have been in places and experiences before where demonic activity was palpable. The power of the Holy Spirit of God was protecting me in those moments and was once again protecting me and my daughter in this moment."

Lead Pastor Tooley

 

So according to Tooley, people who are anti-Trump are demonic? 👹 I despair! 🙄

[midniterider]

1 hour ago, florduh said:

Here's something else that's demonic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/02/22/demonic-activity-palpable-at-president-trumps-rally-pastor-says/?utm_term=.785e929ae4b0

 

 

 

He's not a demon, just a dickhead.

[JenniferG]

4 minutes ago, JenniferG said:

"I have been in places and experiences before where demonic activity was palpable. The power of the Holy Spirit of God was protecting me in those moments and was once again protecting me and my daughter in this moment."

Lead Pastor Tooley

 

So according to Tooley, people who are anti-Trump are demonic? 👹 I despair! 🙄

 Oh, I misunderstood, it was the religious fervour of the gathering that the pastor said was demonic. There seemed to have been a lot of ENERGY! Which bears out the ex-witch's theory about demons using energy to move around! (Btw I'm saying this tongue in cheek)

[florduh]

My link wasn't a political statement. They can find demonic activity everywhere. They battle not against flesh and blood, you know.

 

[Vigile]

17 hours ago, mwc said:

     I've heard the demonic dangers of yoga since at least the late 70's/early 80's and know it goes back farther than that.  I know people today that won't do basic stretches, even though they could use them for spasms and whatnot, just because they *think* they might be somehow related to yoga and this imaginary stretching evil.

 

     Yeah, I know if you get into the whole yoga "thing" it has a lot of baggage but if you just want to stretch it out you can ignore all the mumbo jumbo, like most things, and take what you want/need from it.  I guess cherry picking only works with xianity.

 

          mwc

 

 

When I was a kid, I remember a missionary who told us that back in the jungles in places like India, the demons were so open and aggressive, they'd just call out to you from the trees. My church was pretty run of the mill, not kookoo as far as churches go, but he had everyone all freaked out. We just knew that stuff like yoga was some sort of demon portal to the god-protected US. 

[Vigile]

2 hours ago, florduh said:

My link wasn't a political statement. They can find demonic activity everywhere. They battle not against flesh and blood, you know.

 

 

Remember Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan (6)? 

[florduh]

To see the mindset at it's worst just look at some of the YouTube videos where Christians claim professional stage, street and close up magicians are doing their tricks with the aid of demons. Mind you, some of these effects I have performed myself and many are commercial effects that anyone could buy. I guess it's a demon of the gaps argument since they claim any magic trick they don't know the secret to must be the work of demons. It's a sad place to be mentally. It's not surprising they see demons in things like yoga and Ouija boards.

[florduh]

1 minute ago, Vigile said:

Remember Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan (6)?

Yes! Bwaaahhhaaaaaa!!!!!!!

[Vigile]

6 minutes ago, florduh said:

To see the mindset at it's worst just look at some of the YouTube videos where Christians claim professional stage, street and close up magicians are doing their tricks with the aid of demons. Mind you, some of these effects I have performed myself and many are commercial effects that anyone could buy. I guess it's a demon of the gaps argument since they claim any magic trick they don't know the secret to must be the work of demons. It's a sad place to be mentally. It's not surprising they see demons in things like yoga and Ouija boards.

 

When I was 18 or 19 my friends and I listened to Bob Larson's call in show and the demons on it scared the shit out of us. Looking back, it's some of the funniest performance art ever:

 

 

[Tsathoggua9]

Well, in my old church (Church of Christ) there were some folks who basically thought that everything was demonic. Yoga, dancing, cards, "Dungeons and Dragons", martial arts, rock music, alcohol and drugs, pizzas, movies, TV, books that weren't the Bible, carpet, other denominations, air, pretty much everything. (Sports were usually seen as okay, though.) I do remember that while I was at David Lipscomb College in the early 1980s, one guy gave a "chapel talk" about the dangers of yoga. The mindset is "Ye ol' Debbil izza everywheer, an' he out ta gitcha ya!"