Tag: torah

You Say Exercise, I Say Exorcise!

Words are powerful things. The Most High spoke the heavens and the earth into existence with just His words. The associations and history of words are important, too. There’s a reason you don’t meet many people named Jezebel, Gomer, Rahab, or Ahab.

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Two for the Price of One

How would you react if a friend said, “Hey _____, a neighborhood temple just opened up their services to the public for a small donation of $20. A guide leads synchronized rituals to help you summon, greet, and worship different spirits. If you’re lucky, you can even form a union with one. After every session I feel like a new person. Wanna join me sometime?

If you believe in and worship the G-d of the bible, you already know that worshiping other deities and summoning spirits are both big no-no’s. Yet, people make propositions like the one above all the time. They’re just worded differently. “Hey _____, a new yoga studio opened up nearby. The classes are only $20 and they’re freakin awesome! You’ll leave a completely different person. Wanna check it out?

Despite its many followers and enthusiasts, yoga will always be a no-go for me.  I can’t ignore its meaning, history, and associations. And I won’t compromise my beliefs for the sake of a “great” workout.

Disclaimer: If your belief system (or lack thereof if you’re agnostic or atheist) allows you to engage in any spiritual activity without restriction and does not prohibit the worship of multiple deities or the practice of divination, this post was neither written for you nor is it directed directed at you.

What’s in a Name?

A lot of friends and family claim that yoga is just a form of exercise and is harmless. But if they knew the meaning of the word yoga and it’s history, they might not see it that way. Words are powerful things. The Most High spoke the heavens and the earth into existence with just His words. The associations and history of words are important, too. There’s a reason you don’t meet many people named Jezebel, Gomer, Rahab, or Ahab.

For better or worse, the English language has a habit of borrowing words from other languages. When you embrace terminology without fully understanding the meaning behind it, you can end up “embracing” way more than you bargained for, literally.

You’ve heard people say I know “just enough to be dangerous” when referring to their language fluency, right? Well, the photo below proves that ignorance of the meaning of words can be both dangerous and painful. Ouch!

A woman with a tattoo on her upper back in Hebrew letters with the word butter and the word fly which do not make the word butterfly in Hebrew.

What Does Yoga Really Mean?

According to yogopedia, “the word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root word “yug,” which literally means to yoke or unite…The union that the word yoga is referring to is that of uniting individual consciousness (our individual experience of reality) with Divine consciousness.”

An article on yoga states,”to those in the know, … the yogic asanas, or positions, retain elements of their earlier spiritual meanings – the Surya namaskar is a series of positions designed to greet Surya, the Hindu Sun God.”

Diagram of the Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation) poses or asanas that form a circle.
Yoga’s Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation)

If you look at the series of poses, you can see the similarities to bowing and prostrating. Deuteronomy 4:19 says, “And when you look up to the sky and behold the sun and the moon and the stars, the whole heavenly host, you must not be lured into bowing down to them or serving them.” The series of poses is called “sun salutations.” If that’s not bowing to the sun, I don’t know what is.

Who or What Is Surya?

According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, Surya is the Hindu god of the sun (and a minor deity in Buddhism) who travels across the sky in his golden chariot pulled by seven horses each day.

KOLKATA, INDIA - FEBRUARY 09: Composite image of Surya, from 10th century found in Basalt, Bihar now exposed in the Indian Museum in Kolkata West Bengal, India on February 09, 2016.
Statue of Surya, from 10th century found in Basalt, Bihar

So, in essence, when you practice yoga. you are worshiping the sun or a sun god or both.

Chakra Con

But what about other forms of yoga? Have you ever heard anyone talk about their “chakras” (i.e. energy centers)? I met a woman at a time that I was trying to get over a guy that I had really liked who had ghosted me. She told me that my chakras were out of alignment. Her prescription was a combination of crystals and casual sex to help me “open up” my “chakras.” I am happy to report that I passed on both. Drawing closer to the Most High and His Word along with some high intensity hikes in nearby regional parks were all I needed. However, you should be aware that chakras refer to another form of yoga–Kundalini yoga.

Kundalini means “coiled like a serpent” in Sanskrit. Kundalini energy refers to the coiled up energy that lies at the base of the spine. When released, this energy moves from the base of the spine through the seven chakras (or energy centers) in the spine.

yogapedia.com
Silhouette of woman meditating, Kundalini energy . Energy in the form of the snake, rising upward..
Silhouette of woman meditating, Kundalini energy . Energy in the form of the snake, rising upward..

Unsurprisingly, each “chakra” in Kundalini yoga is associated with a different deity.

Why would someone who claims to love the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be okay with worshiping the sun or another deity? Why would they be okay with inviting spirits (including one that resembles a serpent) to move through or take up residence in his or her body? Kundalini is about as far from the Ruach haKodesh/Holy Spirit of the bible as you can get.

“Did God Really Say…?”

Don’t let the enemy use your ignorance of other languages, cultures, and religion (or scripture for that matter) to trick you into idolatry (i.e. worshiping false gods) or divination (i.e. summoning or speaking to spirits).

Stylishly dressed man in a dark suit, smoking a cigar and holding a glass of brandy while sitting in a leather char.

The enemy is clever. He’s updated his bag of tricks to appeal to the modern and the health-conscious. He’s found a way to market idolatry and divination so that they appeal to the masses while seeming harmless (e.g. yoga, avatars, horoscopes, fortune telling, mediums, talismans, magic, witchcraft, vampires, zombies, the occult, etc.).

Don’t be fooled. Watered-down idolatry is still idolatry. And modern forms of idolatry (e.g. positive energy/Buddhism) and divination (e.g. social media quizzes to predict your future) are still idolatry and divination. Not recognizing them is not an excuse. The Creator hates idolatry and divination as much today as He did thousands of years ago when people first began to practice them.

What’s a Yoke Between Friends?

The bible is full of warnings about not mixing things that don’t belong together–plowing with an ox and a donkey, sowing a field with two kinds of seed, wearing a garment with wool and linen, mixing the clean with the unclean, etc. These physical examples of separation are to drive home the idea that the children of the Most High must separate themselves from the practices of (and also intimate relationships with) people who practice idolatry and divination. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the word “yoga” means union or yoke?

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.“

2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Be Holy, for I Am Holy

Don’t be like flies who are just as happy with warm feces as they are with rancid butter. Go after (fresh) milk and honey and “the fountain of living waters.” You can’t be both a temple of the living G-d and a temple of chakras. Leviticus 11:44 says, “For I the LORD am your God: you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy.”

A large monarch butterfly on purple thistle
Monarch on Thistle. A large monarch butterfly on purple thistle

Final Thoughts

If you want to get your blood pumping, go for a vigorous walk in a hilly area. Or go biking or swimming. If you want to be more limber and flexible, try ballet. You can borrow a DVD at your local library or purchase a used one online for less than the cost of one yoga class. A personal trainer or physical therapist can teach you how to stretch different muscle groups without using yoga poses. There are many options to help you achieve your fitness goals that won’t necessitate an exorcism at a later date.

Couple supporting each other while stretching their hamstrings after a run (not a yoga pose)

I’m Not Buying What You’re Selling

How barbaric, disgusting, revolting and just plain weird would it be if people walked around with miniature guillotines on their necks and had replicas of them built on the tops of religious buildings? What if it was a noose or electric chair instead?

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It’s 2020 and we’ve reached the point where you can buy almost anything imaginable. For instance, I found the pendant below for sale online.

Guillotine pendant for sale online

And it’s not even the creepiest one. On Etsy you can buy a similar pendant that appears to be functional. I’m trying to imagine why someone would want to display a guillotine around their neck. But yet, people all over the world wear something similar around their necks proudly, as symbols of their faith.

I used to be one of those people. I thought wearing an execution stake or cross was a way to declare my belief sand silently share my faith. Instead I was party to a horrendous misunderstanding and a collective misuse of an object that has continued unquestioned for centuries.

Did you know that crosses were used for religious worship around the world long before Christianity existed?

Read more about the history of crosses

The Golden Calf Incident

Even if you can overlook its pagan origins and how it became a symbol of oppression and exploitation for thousands of years, you can’t deny that wearing an execution stake contradicts the word of G-d.

You remember what happened in the book of Shemot (Exodus) after the Lord delivered the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, right? They were hanging out at the base of Mt. Sinai waiting for Moshe to come down with the Torah. He’d been gone for over a month and they got impatient. So, they asked Aaron to make a tangible object for them to worship—a golden calf. Not unlike the one pictured below in New York City, but that’s another blog post.

Charging Bull, sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture that stands on Broadway just north of Bowling Green in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City.

Some people think the mixed multitude had completely forgotten about G-d and returned to their Egyptian-style of worship. I think they just wanted something close to them that they could touch and feel, something to remind them of G-d who seemed far off. They were trying to worship G-d indirectly via a tangible object. But then, of course, things got out of control and their worship devolved into pagan debauchery.

Well, the execution stake (a.k.a. cross) is nothing more than a miniature golden calf. Instead of praying to the Father in the name of the Yeshua as they’re instructed, followers of the Jewish Messiah pray to a graven image that they claim represents him. But they are really just bowing, praying, kissing, kneeling in front of, lauding and worshiping a graven image.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Exodus 20:4

And what is a cross anyway? It’s a weapon for state-sanctioned killing (a.k.a. an execution stake). How barbaric, disgusting, revolting and just plain weird would it be if people walked around with miniature guillotines on their necks and had replicas of them built on the tops of religious buildings? What if it was a noose or electric chair instead?

If the Messiah were here in person, would he be pleased? The idea of dying on an execution stake caused him to sweat literal drops of blood. And yet, people are worshiping the weapon used to kill him.

Everything Yeshua did was to bring honor and glory to his Father. Does wearing an execution stake honor Yeshua or his Father? Absolutely not. People are breaking the second commandment in an insanely backwards, illogical attempt to show their love for the Messiah and the Father.

Yeshua said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” I don’t think he’d be any happier about people breaking the second commandment to honor him than he would about people breaking the fourth commandment to celebrate his resurrection. But that, too, is a blog post for another day. 😊

13865290 – marble with ten commandments, jerusalem, israel

Final Thoughts

The ten commandments are still in effect (all of them). The Most High wrote them in stone (and later in our hearts) because they were meant to be permanent. They were not meant to be changed by us. As Bereans, we should examine all of our traditions under the light of G-d’s word.

In summary, don’t let your traditions lead you into a ditch. It’s time to ditch the golden calf hanging from your neck and decorating your houses of worship. They are not adding anything to your faith (See Romans 10:17). And they are probably hurting your efforts to be salt and light. The same thing goes for the little fish symbol, too. 

!חג שמח

Happy Pentecost!