Yup...Yoga is the devil's work

CutiePie2000 · #1 01-09-2007, 04:06 PM

All I can think about this is.....

eta: To bring it into perspective, Quesnel would be the boonies/sticks/BFE.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...9/bc-yoga.html

B.C. school yoga classes slammed
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 9, 2007 | 9:41 AM PT
CBC News
A school program to fight childhood obesity that includes yoga is drawing
complaints from some Christian parents in the Quesnel area in B.C.'s Cariboo region.

They say yoga is a religion, and shouldn't be taught in public schools.

Chelsea Brears, who has two children in the school system, said her son was asked to do different poses and "to put his hands together."

Brears, a Christian, said she doesn't want her children exposed to another religion during class time.

"It's not fair to take prayer out, and yet they're allowing yoga, which is religion, in our schools."

Local rancher Audrey Cummings doesn't believe Christian children should be doing yoga at all.

A school program to fight childhood obesity that includes yoga is drawing complaints from some Christian parents in the Quesnel area in B.C.'s Cariboo region.

They say yoga is a religion, and shouldn't be taught in public schools.

Chelsea Brears, who has two children in the school system, said her son was asked to do different poses and "to put his hands together."

Brears, a Christian, said she doesn't want her children exposed to another religion during class time.

"It's not fair to take prayer out, and yet they're allowing yoga, which is religion, in our schools."

Local rancher Audrey Cummings doesn't believe Christian children should be doing yoga at all.

"There's God and there's the devil, and the devil's not a gentleman. If you give him any kind of an opening, he will take that."

The two women have complained to the education minister and the Quesnel school board.

But school board chair Caroline Neilsen said the yoga is being taught as a stretching exercise, not as a spiritual practice.

Neilsen also noted that children who don't want to practise yoga can do different exercises or leave the classroom.

valkyrie · #2 01-09-2007, 04:15 PM

LOLWTF. Someone should complain that math is a religion and should not be taught in school.

Also, WTF is this woman smoking: "There's God and there's the devil, and the devil's not a gentleman. If you give him any kind of an opening, he will take that."

Drolefille · #3 01-09-2007, 04:19 PM

Didn't Calvin refuse to answer a math question because it was against his religion? Heck, I've tried to give it up for Lent before, that didn't fly either.

RACooper · #4 01-10-2007, 02:07 AM

Sounds about a stupid as those parents who protested the fact that kids learned to sing "One Tin Soldier" on the grounds that it was anti-Christian in it's message

shinerbock · #5 01-10-2007, 09:54 AM

I don't think this is that ridiculous. While I don't see Yoga as a religion, I don't think a school needs to be involving themselves in such things. A lot of people get uncomfortable when children are asked to do anything bordering on praying or even relaxation techniques.

33girl · #6 01-10-2007, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RACooper

Sounds about a stupid as those parents who protested the fact that kids learned to sing "One Tin Soldier" on the grounds that it was anti-Christian in it's message

How on earth is that anti-Christian? Did they think the "go ahead and hate your neighbor" part was a directive and NOT sarcastic?

Oh, and yoga is not a religion. That's like saying walking back and forth is a religion because you walk up to the communion rail.

Besides, if it was OK for Marcia Brady in 1973, it's certainly OK for Canadian kidlets now.

MysticCat · #7 01-10-2007, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

Oh, and yoga is not a religion. That's like saying walking back and forth is a religion because you walk up to the communion rail.

No, not really. Yoga, as widely practiced in the West has become pretty detached from religious underpinnings, but that just the Americanization of yoga. (McYoga, maybe?) I can tell you that when my wife was getting training as a yoga teacher, she had to read quite a few Hindi religious texts.

Per the ever-helpful Wiki:

Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a family of ancient spiritual practices dating back more than 5000 years from India. It is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. In India, Yoga is seen as a means to both physiological and spiritual mastery. Outside India, Yoga has become primarily associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga (see Yoga as exercise).

Yoga as a means of spiritual attainment is central to Hinduism (including Vedanta), Buddhism and Jainism and has influenced other religious and spiritual practices throughout the world. Hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many others.

Don't get me wrong -- I don't have a problem at all with yoga, and I think these parents took a great big gulp of overreaction. (Although I tend to agree with shinerbock -- is this something for schools to get into?) But these parents are not kooky just for acknowledging that yoga can be a religious practice rooted in concepts that many conservative Christians might find problematic.

moe.ron · #8 01-14-2007, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Didn't Calvin refuse to answer a math question because it was against his religion?

I tried that rationale once in junior high. The teacher or my parents did not appreciate me finding God during midterm examinations.

Drolefille · #9 01-14-2007, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moe.ron

I tried that rationale once in junior high. The teacher or my parents did not appreciate me finding God during midterm examinations.

Teachers never appreciate that. Going to a Catholic school they were completely on top of the "giving that up for Lent" excuse too. I always wondered if I attended a public school (and got a gullible teacher) if I could have pulled that excuse off. My parents would have slapped me silly though.

bcdphie · #10 01-13-2007, 05:50 PM

It's amazing how different the rest of BC can be once you get outside the lower mainland. In Vancouver it's a sin not to include yoga in your lifestyle...

DSTCHAOS · #11 01-13-2007, 06:06 PM

I partially agree with the parents and mostly with shinerbock and MysticCat. I know quite a few Christians who are against yoga because they are older and don't know about the McYoganization (thanks for whoever posted McYoga) of yoga.

The solution would be the school ensuring that the students aren't asked to get into "prayer" poses or participate in chanting. Unless the chanting is in English and the kids are saying things like "frreeeee yourrrr mindddddd" or "matthhhhhhhh issssss eassssssy."

raggann03 · #12 01-13-2007, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

"frreeeee yourrrr mindddddd" or "matthhhhhhhh issssss eassssssy."

haha I'm gonna try that with my neices and see if it works

AKA_Monet · #13 01-14-2007, 02:18 AM

The physicians are finding that some yogic practices, especially those of mindfulness are extremely beneficial in helping terminal patients dealing with disease and most folks from de-stressing.

I agree with Mystic.

I guess the folks were upset because they cannot do the "downward facing dog" better yet, they don't have the strength to do "sets of nine" or the "swan move" from the Kama Sutra or the Tantra...