JaniceM

Supreme authority is an attribute of God. You find that all over scripture.   You appear to have invented two god-persons, one of whom is supreme, and the other who is not, but is subject to the first.  This is confusion, and the passage does not support such a notion.    
The passage says nothing about whether the Son and the Father are equally God - it is about the inequality in authority between the Father and the Son which leads to the Father granting the Son authority in judgement and raising the dead - something he does not have of his own accord.   This refutes any notion that Jesus is claiming equality with God.
D 

Well Shiwiii, I have quoted what you said.  It is here:
http://forum.theworldnewsmedia.org/topic/5838-do-people-really-need-to-know-and-use-the-word-jehovah-or-other-language-equivalents-to-truly-know-god/?do=findComment&comment=8247
This is what you said and what I was addressing:
" I do not believe that the Father and the Son have equal authority. The Father is over the Son. "
If the Father is over the Son, they are not equal.
If you read the greater context (ie the gospel records) you will see that the Jews (which in the gospels generally means the leaders of the Jews) sought to kill Jesus, and they were prepared to bear false witness against him.   They were intimidated by him and were afraid he would cause an adverse reaction from the Romans.  Have you not read that?
The accusations made against Jesus were:
a) He broke the sabbath
b) He made himself equal with God.
If Jesus broke the sabbath, he would be a sinner - Jesus was born under the law.
So both these accusations were false.   The most likely explanation is that the leaders were attempting to turn the people against him.  They wanted Jesus dead.  That accords with the greater and nearer context.
What the text tells us is that we are to honour the Son as we honour the Father who is over the Son and grants him authority over the judgement and raising the dead..
We honour them for different reasons.   Therefore arguments about "equal honour" are meaningless.
D

Quite agree. Prostrating oneself involves more
Prostrate oneself
1. Lit. to lay oneself out in respect or obedience in front of someone or something.
Fall down
 
to drop or topple.

I WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE OF THIS FACT UNTIL IT WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION BY OUR CIRCUIT OVERSEER.  THE TITLES USED TO REFER TO JEHOVAH, TITLES LIKE GOD, LORD, ALMIGHTY, ETC. APPEAR SOME 2000 PLUS TIMES IN THE BIBLE. THE NAME JEHOVAH APPEARS 7216 TIMES. I THINK THAT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE            IMPORTANCE OF USING JEHOVAH'S NAME.
MY NAME IS DWIGHT, HOWEVER IF YOU CALLED ME "HEY GUY" IT WOULD NOT MEAN THE SAME IN TERMS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP. WHY? BECAUSE YOU FAIL TO REALLY GET TO KNOW ME ON A PERSONAL BASIS.
TO DRAW CLOSE TO JEHOVAH, YOU NEED TO KNOW HIM PERSONALLY AND CALL HIM BY THE NAME HE GAVE        HIMSELF.

But you just agreed with me when you said:
" I do not believe that the Father and the Son have equal authority. The Father is over the Son.  "
So your argument is that Jesus was claiming equality with God, even though you accept that Jesus was not equal in authority.  Am I the only one who finds your argument self-contradictory?
D

I usually watch the baptisms from my seat, but when I was baptized I clearly heard the brother(s)say before I was submerged, in the name of the Father, son, holy spirit.  I never heard anyone say you are baptized in the name of Jehovah's organization.
 
The society does believe they have the truth to show the path to the small cramped road to life to be protected by Jehovah through the time of Armageddon.  Being that all religions pretty much say the same or proudly proclaim they are the right way, I've found the only problem is they abhor when JW's say it, which is very hypocritical.   Actual deliverance or salvation is only by means of Christ. 
 
The society has also admitted to incorrect understandings, which they have never said they were perfect or infallible as other religions have done.  I can respect that even though I may not agree with everything.  I can agree more with their understanding of scriptures than the churches I attended, so it's not a big point of contention for me although I understand it is for others.  The churches I attended taught to defend the country by engaging in war, becoming slaves to pagan traditions and taught me God wanted to burn me forever if I didn't give freely when they passed the collection plate.
 
You also engage in a twisting of words which I find very deceitful.  I believe I mentioned any wrongs we've done (or injustice), may God correct us and refine us to do better in the future to try and make amends and continue to carry out the work Jesus gave us to do.  Please try to engage in an honest discussion.
 
Actual Quote:  " Whatever wrongs we have done or committed, we have to live with as we are not perfect even though people expect us to be, and pray that God corrects and refines us to continue the work Jesus gave us to do and try to correct those wrongs and repair broken trust."

1.  I'm not sure what the implication is other than what I stated below, but feel free to elaborate just for argument sake:
I did mention the majority of Bibles may have variant or spurious text.  That doesn't mean all Bibles contain the same variants or spurious text, even if they are in the minority.
 
2.  There is the public opinion among Christendom (including mainstream misinformed individuals who have failed to read their Bibles in its entirety or researched how Bibles are translated), that the KJB is the only correct translation or that the majority of translations are correct in their renditions of certain verses; that any translation that deviates from a common verse practice is heretical, even if those scholarly translators have just as much education and degrees, dismissing hundreds or thousands of hours of training, which is insulting to them and dishonest just for people to want to have their ears tickled.
 
 
12 hours ago, Shiwiii said:
But this is not what the scripture says now is it? It clearly states that one must honor the Son inasmuch as one honors the Father. From John chapter 5 verse 16 through to 28 is dealing with the equality and authority of Jesus. 
 
3.  The scripture also states why the son is to be honored as Judge or the one that renders judgement, which is being disregarded to support the idea of worship instead.
John 5:22-23 New American Standard 1977  - “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him"
 
12 hours ago, Shiwiii said:
Who said that Jesus was equal with God? was it Jesus? yes, but more so it was John recording what the Jewish leaders understood Jesus' words to mean.
 
4.  Jesus never said he was equal to God, which you'd rather believe the lies of wayward Jews instead; ones Jesus called children of the Devil and a Synagogue of Satan.
Lies go on for miles with more twists and turns; and the more crooked they get, the more confusing. 
Since I can't get a clear sense out of the remainder of your words, I don't see a need to respond to the rest of whatever that was. (smile)

It is very simple.   I honour my mother as I honour my father.  I honour my mother for different reasons than I honour my father.   In both cases, I honour them, but it is not the "same" honour as it is for different reasons.    Scripture tells us to honour those to whom honour is due - the reasons for that honour is different in each case.   Receiving honour is not a definition of deity.   In scripture we honour the Father for being God - we honour the Son for dying for us - something God could not do as He cannot die.
I do not see in scripture the concept of "equal worship".  The derivation of the word sometimes translated "worship" is simply "to bow the knee".  Sometimes it ids bowing to God, sometimes to humans beings.  The Israelites worshipped Jehovah (YHWH) and the king (I Chron 29:20) 
1Ch 29:20  And David said to all the assembly, Now bless Jehovah your God. And all the assembly blessed Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped Jehovah, and the king. (ASV)
- it is describing one act.  Do you consider this "equal worship"?  It clearly doesn't  mean that the human king is Jehovah.
 
D.
 
 
 

Hello  Shiwii,
 
I am glad that you can see that the passage gives us the reason why we honour the Son as we honour the Father.   But the passage is clearly saying that the Son and the Father God are not equal because the Son derives his authority from the Father.  We honour both the Father and the Son but for different reasons.   It is because the Son derives his authority from the Father, that we honour the Son,  not because they are intrinsically equal in authority which is what you appear to be claiming.   I don't see how you can read this passage in any other way.  The Father does not derive His authority from the Son.
D

It seems you are not reading the context of John 5:23.  The context gives the reason WHY we honour the Son as we would the Father:
 
Joh 5:19  So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
Joh 5:20  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
Joh 5:21  For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
Joh 5:22  The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
Joh 5:23  that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Joh 5:24  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Joh 5:25  "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Joh 5:26  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
Joh 5:27  And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
 
This passage is about honouring the Son because of the authority in judgement and raising the dead, which the Father has granted to the Son.  It is not about the equality of the Father and Son.
D

"Just" should be in place between "worshiped" and "as" in your statement, according to John 5:23

Today was my first time cart witnessing in Katwijk, the Netherlands! I really enjoyed it! Photo shared by @ramonhaye
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Today it was this beautiful Kingdom Hall’s Dedication
Hoy fué la dedicación en honor a Jehová de este hermoso salón del Reino.
Ciudad Bolivar-
Venezuela. @evelynderios thank you
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Friends enjoying a circuit assembly and volunteering today in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Photo shared by @jw_witnesses
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Shared by @miss_stagio
Service in the public areas of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
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A happy family visiting Tuxedo Bethel. Photo shared by @moni_luv_83
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Cart witnessing with my husband in High Point, NC - International Furniture Market @tomboy825 thank you
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Uganda, Africa. Thank you @patka728
#jw #jwonly #jwfriends #jwfamily #jwpreaching #jwservice #jwpioneer #jwministry #jworg #jwglobal #jehovah #jehovahswitnesses #jeova #testemunhasdejeova #jehova #testigosdejehova #publicwitnessing #testemunhopublico #predicacionpublica #cartwitnessing
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Shared by @everey_jw
My husband and I participating at the JW Stand in the International Book Fair held in our country. A week full of wonderful experiences thanks to Jehovah! -Venezuela ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comparte @everey_jw
Mi esposo y yo participando en el stand JW de la Feria Internacional del Libro en nuestro país. Una semana de maravillosas experiencias gracias a Jehová! -Venezuela
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What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

The Bible’s answer
The term “born again” refers to a new beginning in the relationship between God and the person who is born again. (John 3:3, 7) God adopts those born again as his children. (Romans 8:15, 16; Galatians 4:5; 1 John 3:1) Similar to those who are legally adopted, they experience a change of status, becoming part of God’s family.—2 Corinthians 6:18.
Why is a person born again?
Jesus said: “Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) So being born again prepares a person to rule with Christ in God’s Kingdom. This Kingdom rules from heaven, so the Bible describes the “new birth” as providing an inheritance that is “reserved in the heavens.” (1 Peter 1:3, 4) Those who are born again are given the conviction that they will “rule together as kings” with Christ.—2 Timothy 2:12; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22.
How is a person born again?
When Jesus discussed the subject, he said that those born again would be “born from water and spirit.” (John 3:5) This expression refers to baptism in water followed by baptism with holy spirit.—Acts 1:5; 2:1-4.
Jesus was the first person to be born again. He was baptized in the Jordan River, after which God anointed (or, baptized) him with holy spirit. Jesus was thus born again as a spiritual son of God with the hope of returning to life in heaven. (Mark 1:9-11) God fulfilled this hope by resurrecting Jesus as a spirit creature.—Acts 13:33.
Others who are born again are also baptized in water before they receive the holy spirit. * (Acts 2:38, 41) They then have the sure hope of life in heaven, which God will fulfill in the resurrection.—1 Corinthians 15:42-49.
Misconceptions about being born again
Misconception: A person must be born again to gain salvation or to be a Christian.
Fact: Christ’s sacrifice provides salvation not only for those who are born again as the ones who will rule with Christ in heaven but also for the earthly subjects of God’s Kingdom. (1 John 2:1, 2; Revelation 5:9, 10) That second group of Christians have the opportunity to live forever in Paradise on earth.—Psalm 37:29; Matthew 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:1-5.
Misconception: A person can choose to be born again.
Fact: The opportunity to have a relationship with God and gain salvation is open to all. (1 Timothy 2:3, 4; James 4:8) However, God chooses those who will be born again, or anointed with holy spirit. According to the Bible, being born again “depends, not on a person’s desire or on his effort, but on God.” (Romans 9:16) The expression “born again” can also be rendered “born from above,” confirming that the selection of those who are born again comes “from above,” or from God.—John 3:3, footnote.
 

Whatever type of vision or imagery Satan presented to Jesus, it certainly doesn't say the earth is flat.  That would be a personal interpretation and incorrect.  If for example, I watch a movie or slideshow of different countries or continents, just because the screen is flat, I can't conclude the rest of the world is flat.  It would have been senseless for Jesus to say wait a minute, the kingdoms you showed me are all on flat land. 
 
"In the Hebrew Scriptures the earliest mention of Satan is in the first two chapters of the book of Job, where he is shown holding a conversation with Jehovah God and admits having gone to and fro upon the earth and having observed God’s friend Job. Surely Jehovah was not here holding a conversation with an imaginary person, a mere principle, nor could a mere principle have afflicted Job the way the account shows that Satan did. Incidentally, that Job was a historical and not an allegorical figure is apparent from his being linked with Noah and Daniel, both of whom Jesus referred to as having existed. (Ezek. 14:14) Also James 5:11 points him out as an example of endurance. . ." 
 
"Regarding Satan Jesus said that he saw him “already fallen like lightning from heaven.” He saw falling an idea, or an evil principle? Plainly indicating the Devil’s personality are the remarks Jesus addressed to the clergy of his day: “You are from your father the Devil and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him.” Was the principle of error at one time the same as the principle of truth?—Luke 10:18; John 8:44, NW.

"Those religious leaders in Jesus’ day knew there was a Devil and so they accused Jesus of doing his work by the power of the prince of devils, to which Jesus replied, not by denying the existence of a Devil, but by showing he had personality: “If Satan expels Satan, he has become divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand?” (Matt. 12:26, NW) And further, regarding Jesus’ being tempted in the wilderness, is it reasonable to conclude that the perfect, loyal and ever-obedient Son of God would have been so tempted by thoughts originating in his own mind? And if the Devil were merely an evil principle or the personification of wickedness in ourselves, how could he have said to Jesus, “All these things [the kingdoms of the world and their glory] I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me”? Do an act of worship to a principle? No, it simply does not make sense to rob the Devil, Satan, of his personality.—Matt. 4:9, 10, NW."  Watchtower 1954/06/01
 
Lastly, we recognize many words in the Bible are personified including the holy spirit, but the holy spirit is not allegorical.  It is real and comes from the Father and Almighty God.  Also anyone can have an evil thought including Satan and his angels that rebelled against God and were removed from the heavens.  They also wage war with the remaining ones of the woman's seed on earth. 
Rev 12:7 And war broke out in heaven: Mi′cha·el and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled 8 but it did not prevail, neither was a place found for them any longer in heaven. 9 So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. (NWT)
 
These are real events that occurred behind the scenes with real persons or spirit beings.  They are not allegorical.  Jesus and the angelic hosts are not fighting with some allegorical evil within themselves.

WT 08/01/2002 - Yoga—Just an Exercise or Something More?
 
The Background of Yoga

The origin of the word “yoga” is related to that of the English word “yoke.” It can mean to join or yoke together or to bring under a yoke, to harness or control. To a Hindu, yoga is a technique or a discipline that leads to union with a great supernatural force or spirit. It has been described as “the yoking of all the powers of body, mind and soul to God.”

How far back in history can yoga be traced? Figures of people seated in various yoga positions appear on seals found in the Indus Valley, in present-day Pakistan. The Indus Valley civilization is dated by archaeologists to between the third and the second millenniums B.C.E., very close in time to the Mesopotamian culture. Artifacts from both areas portray a man, representing a deity, crowned with animal horns and surrounded by animals, reminiscent of Nimrod, the “mighty hunter.” (Genesis 10:8, 9) The Hindus claim that the figures sitting in yoga positions are images of the god Siva, lord of the animals and lord of yoga, who is often worshiped through the lingam, a phallic symbol. Thus, the book Hindu World calls yoga “a code of ascetic practices, mainly pre-Aryan in origin, containing relics of many primitive conceptions and observances.”

The methods of yoga were at first handed down orally. Then they were put into detailed, written form by the Indian yogic sage Patañjali as the Yoga Sutra, which remains the basic instruction book of yoga. According to Patañjali, yoga is “a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.” From its inception until the present time, yoga has been an integral part of Eastern religions, now particularly Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Some practicers of yoga believe that it will lead them to attain moksha, or liberation, through a merging with an all-pervading spirit.
So once again we ask: ‘Can yoga be practiced simply as a physical exercise to develop a healthy body and a relaxed mind, without any involvement with religion?’ In view of its background, the answer would have to be no.

Where Can Yoga Take You?

The objective of yoga as a discipline is to lead a person to the spiritual experience of being “yoked” to or merged with a superhuman spirit. But which spirit would that be?

In Hindu World, author Benjamin Walker says of yoga: “It may have been an early system of magical ritualism, and yoga still retains in its meaning an overtone of occultism and sorcery.” Hindu philosophers admit that the practice of yoga can give supernatural powers, even though they usually claim that this is not the ultimate goal of yoga. For example, in the book Indian Philosophy, former president of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, says of the yogi that “control of the body through postures results in an indifference to the extremes of heat and cold. . . . The yogin can see and hear at a distance . . . Transmission of thought from one individual to another without the intervention of the normal communicating mechanisms is quite possible. . . . The yogi can make his body invisible.”

The image of a yogi sleeping on a bed of nails or walking on hot coals may appear to be a hoax to some and a joke to others. But these are common occurrences in India, as is the practice of standing on one leg while staring directly at the sun for hours and breath control that allows a person to be buried in sand for long periods of time. In June 1995, The Times of India reported that a three-and-a-half-year-old girl lay in a trance as a car weighing more than 1,600 pounds [750 kg] was allowed to run over her abdomen. To the amazement of the crowd, when she awoke she was totally unharmed. The report added: “It was sheer yogic power.”

Without a doubt, no normal human is capable of performing any of these tasks. Hence, a Christian must ask: Of what are these feats an indication? Are they from Jehovah God, “the Most High over all the earth,” or are they from some other source? (Psalm 83:18) The Bible is clear on this point. When the Israelites were on the verge of entering the Promised Land, which was occupied by the Canaanites, Jehovah told the sons of Israel through Moses: “You must not learn to do according to the detestable things of those nations.” What “detestable things”? Moses warned against “anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer.” (Deuteronomy 18:9, 10) These things are detestable to God because they are works of the demons and of the fallen flesh.—Galatians 5:19-21.

Not a Choice for Christians

Whatever health instructors may say to the contrary, yoga does not stop with physical exercises. The book Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies relates the experiences of two yoga novitiates who were under the guidance of a guru. One is quoted as saying: “I made superhuman efforts to hold my breath as long as possible, and only breathed when I was on the point of fainting. . . . One day, at high noon, I thought I saw a bright moon, which seemed to move and sway from side to side. Another time I imagined myself enveloped in thick darkness at midday. My director . . . was greatly pleased when I mentioned these visions to him. . . . The time was not far distant, he assured me, when I should experience much more surprising results from my penance.” The second man relates: “He obliged me to stare at the sky every day without blinking my eyes or changing my position. . . . Sometimes I thought I saw sparks of fire in the air; at others I seemed to see fiery globes and other meteors. My teacher was much pleased with the success of my efforts.”

The strange sights were evidently what the gurus felt were proper results along the way to the true aim of yogic exercises. Yes, the ultimate goal of yoga is moksha, explained as the merging with some impersonal great spirit. It is described as “the (intentional) stopping of the spontaneous activity of the mind stuff.” This is clearly contrary to the goal set out for Christians, who are given the admonition: “Present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. And quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Romans 12:1, 2.

The choice of what physical exercise to pursue is a personal one. Christians, however, would not allow anything—be it bodily training, eating, drinking, clothing, entertainment, or something else—to mar their relationship with Jehovah God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) For those exercising simply for the sake of their health, there are many avenues available that do not involve exposure to the dangers of spiritism and occultism. By keeping clear of practices and beliefs that are rooted in false religion, we may look forward to God’s blessing of a righteous new system of things in which we can enjoy perfect health in body and mind for an eternity.—2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4.

I don't think eating a cookie is such a big deal.  However,  God does not approve of fortune-telling.  The question was a reasonable one to ask since many look to these things as a way of predicting their future.  The basic answer in the original response was according to one's conscience and God's word.
 
(1 Corinthians 8:13) Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat flesh at all, that I may not make my brother stumble.
 
(1 Corinthians 10:27-31) If anyone of the unbelievers invites YOU and YOU wish to go, proceed to eat everything that is set before YOU, making no inquiry on account of YOUR conscience. 28 But if anyone should say to YOU: “This is something offered in sacrifice,” do not eat on account of the one that disclosed it and on account of conscience. 29 “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other person. For why should it be that my freedom is judged by another person’s conscience? 30 If I am partaking with thanks, why am I to be spoken of abusively over that for which I give thanks? 31 Therefore, whether YOU are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.
 
(Colossians 2:8) Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry YOU off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ.
 
We are told to follow in Jesus' steps closely, but he was under the rules and regulations of the Mosaic law.  Since the law ended upon Jesus' death, we still follow him in many things and the traditions and practices of the apostles and perhaps early disciples.  On a wider scale, God has allowed husbands, men and/or superior authorities to make laws or guidelines for the benefit of society as a whole. 
 
Rom 7:2 For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is discharged from the law of her husband. 3 So, then, while her husband is living, she would be styled an adulteress if she became another man’s. But if her husband dies, she is free from his law, so that she is not an adulteress if she becomes another man’s. 

WT 08/01/2002 - Yoga—Just an Exercise or Something More?
 
The Background of Yoga

The origin of the word “yoga” is related to that of the English word “yoke.” It can mean to join or yoke together or to bring under a yoke, to harness or control. To a Hindu, yoga is a technique or a discipline that leads to union with a great supernatural force or spirit. It has been described as “the yoking of all the powers of body, mind and soul to God.”

How far back in history can yoga be traced? Figures of people seated in various yoga positions appear on seals found in the Indus Valley, in present-day Pakistan. The Indus Valley civilization is dated by archaeologists to between the third and the second millenniums B.C.E., very close in time to the Mesopotamian culture. Artifacts from both areas portray a man, representing a deity, crowned with animal horns and surrounded by animals, reminiscent of Nimrod, the “mighty hunter.” (Genesis 10:8, 9) The Hindus claim that the figures sitting in yoga positions are images of the god Siva, lord of the animals and lord of yoga, who is often worshiped through the lingam, a phallic symbol. Thus, the book Hindu World calls yoga “a code of ascetic practices, mainly pre-Aryan in origin, containing relics of many primitive conceptions and observances.”

The methods of yoga were at first handed down orally. Then they were put into detailed, written form by the Indian yogic sage Patañjali as the Yoga Sutra, which remains the basic instruction book of yoga. According to Patañjali, yoga is “a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.” From its inception until the present time, yoga has been an integral part of Eastern religions, now particularly Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Some practicers of yoga believe that it will lead them to attain moksha, or liberation, through a merging with an all-pervading spirit.
So once again we ask: ‘Can yoga be practiced simply as a physical exercise to develop a healthy body and a relaxed mind, without any involvement with religion?’ In view of its background, the answer would have to be no.

Where Can Yoga Take You?

The objective of yoga as a discipline is to lead a person to the spiritual experience of being “yoked” to or merged with a superhuman spirit. But which spirit would that be?

In Hindu World, author Benjamin Walker says of yoga: “It may have been an early system of magical ritualism, and yoga still retains in its meaning an overtone of occultism and sorcery.” Hindu philosophers admit that the practice of yoga can give supernatural powers, even though they usually claim that this is not the ultimate goal of yoga. For example, in the book Indian Philosophy, former president of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, says of the yogi that “control of the body through postures results in an indifference to the extremes of heat and cold. . . . The yogin can see and hear at a distance . . . Transmission of thought from one individual to another without the intervention of the normal communicating mechanisms is quite possible. . . . The yogi can make his body invisible.”

The image of a yogi sleeping on a bed of nails or walking on hot coals may appear to be a hoax to some and a joke to others. But these are common occurrences in India, as is the practice of standing on one leg while staring directly at the sun for hours and breath control that allows a person to be buried in sand for long periods of time. In June 1995, The Times of India reported that a three-and-a-half-year-old girl lay in a trance as a car weighing more than 1,600 pounds [750 kg] was allowed to run over her abdomen. To the amazement of the crowd, when she awoke she was totally unharmed. The report added: “It was sheer yogic power.”

Without a doubt, no normal human is capable of performing any of these tasks. Hence, a Christian must ask: Of what are these feats an indication? Are they from Jehovah God, “the Most High over all the earth,” or are they from some other source? (Psalm 83:18) The Bible is clear on this point. When the Israelites were on the verge of entering the Promised Land, which was occupied by the Canaanites, Jehovah told the sons of Israel through Moses: “You must not learn to do according to the detestable things of those nations.” What “detestable things”? Moses warned against “anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer.” (Deuteronomy 18:9, 10) These things are detestable to God because they are works of the demons and of the fallen flesh.—Galatians 5:19-21.

Not a Choice for Christians

Whatever health instructors may say to the contrary, yoga does not stop with physical exercises. The book Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies relates the experiences of two yoga novitiates who were under the guidance of a guru. One is quoted as saying: “I made superhuman efforts to hold my breath as long as possible, and only breathed when I was on the point of fainting. . . . One day, at high noon, I thought I saw a bright moon, which seemed to move and sway from side to side. Another time I imagined myself enveloped in thick darkness at midday. My director . . . was greatly pleased when I mentioned these visions to him. . . . The time was not far distant, he assured me, when I should experience much more surprising results from my penance.” The second man relates: “He obliged me to stare at the sky every day without blinking my eyes or changing my position. . . . Sometimes I thought I saw sparks of fire in the air; at others I seemed to see fiery globes and other meteors. My teacher was much pleased with the success of my efforts.”

The strange sights were evidently what the gurus felt were proper results along the way to the true aim of yogic exercises. Yes, the ultimate goal of yoga is moksha, explained as the merging with some impersonal great spirit. It is described as “the (intentional) stopping of the spontaneous activity of the mind stuff.” This is clearly contrary to the goal set out for Christians, who are given the admonition: “Present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. And quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Romans 12:1, 2.

The choice of what physical exercise to pursue is a personal one. Christians, however, would not allow anything—be it bodily training, eating, drinking, clothing, entertainment, or something else—to mar their relationship with Jehovah God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) For those exercising simply for the sake of their health, there are many avenues available that do not involve exposure to the dangers of spiritism and occultism. By keeping clear of practices and beliefs that are rooted in false religion, we may look forward to God’s blessing of a righteous new system of things in which we can enjoy perfect health in body and mind for an eternity.—2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:3, 4.

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