Christians threatened by yoga for kids

[Goofball]

I love this. They want yoga banned from school because (in their own words): “They’re not just teaching physical poses, they’re teaching children how to think and how to make decisions,” Ms. Eady said. “They’re teaching children how to meditate and how to look within for peace and for comfort.” How Horrible! Sounds like child abuse to me. We can't have children developing self-reliance and the ability to make decisions. Everybody knows you need a gun for the former and Jesus for the latter.

Priceless...

Here is the full story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/us/school-yoga-class-draws-religious-protest-from-christians.html?_r=1&

[rvg]

Wow. Talibangelicals, and in California out of all places. Wow.

[HopAlongBunny]

"...teaching children how to think and how to make decisions." Clearly this has gone too far! Everyone knows education is actually a national babysitting service whose only goal is to send their charges back as maladjusted as they arrived.

Option to opt out => 'nuff said.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Yoga is yoga. Why don't they call it exercising or stretching class? Listen, I don't think teaching creationism in a science class is within bounds. I'm fine with kids praying or doing yoga in groups on school property even during school hours, but not as a state-sanctioned or supported class. I don't think this is inconsistent.

[Hax]

More like exorcism class.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Wow. Talibangelicals, and in California out of all places. Wow.

You say that as if California is liberal beyond San Fransisco and LA.

[Idaho]

Yoga is yoga. Why don't they call it exercising or stretching class? Listen, I don't think teaching creationism in a science class is within bounds. I'm fine with kids praying or doing yoga in groups on school property even during school hours, but not as a state-sanctioned or supported class. I don't think this is inconsistent.

You should have state mandated religion in schools, like in England. The long term effect seems to be endemic atheism and record low church attendance.

[rory_20_uk]

That could be down to the appalling teaching, rather like dreadful science lessons has cleaned us out of engineers and scientists.

Any system that could teach my son inner peace and tranquility would be welcomed. I am against those that try to teach dogma and intolerance, which rules out a fair amount of Christianity and Islam.

[Brenus]

"they’re teaching children how to think and how to make decisions": I am loving it!!!! They are afraid of children able to think...

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

The emphasis being on how if you read the rest of the quote - i.e. they are being taught to think like Hindus and not Christians. Actually, there appears to be a thin basis for this, as the class is supported by a charity founded by a religious teacher.

There are different ways to understand mediation, including several specific to Christianity - in order for Yoga to be effective as a meditate technique it does need to retain certain elements of its original religious context - in view of which it isn't appropriate to the American school system.

But then, the American school system appears to be worse than the English one.

[Idaho]

If christianity is so fragile that it needs protecting from some stretching exercises - you have to wonder whether it is really a robust explanation of our existence.

[Greyblades]

If christianity is so fragile that it needs protecting from some stretching exercises - you have to wonder whether it is really a robust explanation of our existence.

Erm, as much as I am on the non theists side of the lobby, every organization has outliers on each side of each spectrum, so if there's a bunch of retarded christians overreacting it's hardly an indicator of their entire religion's validity.

[Idaho]

I'm quite happy with my straw man thanks

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

If christianity is so fragile that it needs protecting from some stretching exercises - you have to wonder whether it is really a robust explanation of our existence.

Meh - Yoga shoga - you'll get just as much milage out of the via negativia or the Kaballah. The point being - if it's just stretching, it's not really yoga, is it?

[Papewaio]

Leave yoga to the Milfs and I can keep it in my correct mindset.

Keep the downward facing dog for adults for this dirty dog.

[rajpoot]

The emphasis being on how if you read the rest of the quote - i.e. they are being taught to think like Hindus and not Christians. Actually, there appears to be a thin basis for this, as the class is supported by a charity founded by a religious teacher.

There are different ways to understand mediation, including several specific to Christianity - in order for Yoga to be effective as a meditate technique it does need to retain certain elements of its original religious context - in view of which it isn't appropriate to the American school system.

But then, the American school system appears to be worse than the English one.

Yoga and meditation, regardless of what Western views might be, have no religious overtones at all.
The former is simple stretching and working of various muscles while the latter at it's most basic level, is just clearing the head of all thoughts and focusing on relieving the tension individual body parts, letting the entire body relax slowly.
At the highest level of meditation the yogis are said to attain nirvana, (which I doubt is a concept limited to Hinduism any longer).
As far as the mantras are concerned, the sounds are supposed to help one focus.
Either way asking for an opt out clause is reasonable, because all said and done, it's up to the parents as to what they want to expose their kids to.

[Hax]

At the highest level of meditation the yogis are said to attain nirvana, (which I doubt is a concept limited to Hinduism any longer).

Of course, it exists in Buddhism as well. How about Jains?

[ICantSpellDawg]

They should just call it stretch class, use whatever works best and let that be the end of it.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Yoga and meditation, regardless of what Western views might be, have no religious overtones at all.
The former is simple stretching and working of various muscles while the latter at it's most basic level, is just clearing the head of all thoughts and focusing on relieving the tension individual body parts, letting the entire body relax slowly.
At the highest level of meditation the yogis are said to attain nirvana, (which I doubt is a concept limited to Hinduism any longer).
As far as the mantras are concerned, the sounds are supposed to help one focus.
Either way asking for an opt out clause is reasonable, because all said and done, it's up to the parents as to what they want to expose their kids to.

Actually, Catholics have been encouraging meditation for most of the last millenium. Holy Rosary -- an active process of meditative prayer with a repetitive verbal focusing chant -- has been in use in some form since about 1250 and in its more or less current form since 1483. There is absolutely nothing that divides Christianity from meditation and there is no requirement that religion be divorced from spiritualism. Those who so advocate should go back to their basics a bit and consider the purpose of their religious faith. Otherwise they really are allowing their dogma [strict "rules" of religious behavior] to mow down their karma [spiritual sense of existence and its purpose] in a sad reversal of the old joke.

[Kralizec]

They should just call it stretch class, use whatever works best and let that be the end of it.

As much as the yearly "war on christmas" is overblown, there are actualy a few nuts in western society who want it banned from schools/public places because they see it as an endorsement of a particular religion. I think they’re silly.
Likewise, I think that the people who insist that every possible reference to Hindu religion, no matter how small or irrelevant, should be removed from Yogha classes are silly. And I imagine that these people are generally the same folks who tend to rave on about the “war on Christmas”, a tad hypocritical if you ask me.

[Major Robert Dump]

THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS ISSUE, IT IS A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE

[Goofball]

THIS IS NOT A RELIGIOUS ISSUE, IT IS A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE

lol. Now, if the children were armed they'd be able to defend themselves against the dope-smoking, hippy yoga-pushers... Problem solved.

[rajpoot]

So apparently it's not just in West that people find compulsory Yoga in school objectionable. Even people over here are squabbling about it, and I'm at a loss for words.