From Qigong to Religion

[chi 2012]

I think I sometimes scare Christians when I talk about Qigong - so I did some googling and I found this

http://www.lausanne.org/en/documents/all/nairobi-2000/203-chinese-case-study.html

 

I'm trying to figure out what this guy did to have such bad experiences - to end up trading Qigong for religion.

 

I'm not saying religion is all bad - Qigong can sometimes increase peoples faith. I'm now thinking the story might be made up or embellished.

Edited January 25, 2012 by chi 2012

[Protector]

These articles wouldn't exist if everyone did the horse stance

 

just saying

[Rainy_Day]

Well, you shouldn't assume that the article is entirely genuine. What is more likely to have happened is that the narrator used to study qigong, had some bad experiences with it (but not anywhere near the extent described in the article), and then, upon conversion to Christianity, put together "an account of his sinful past" - a combination of hearsay, fantasy, and personal drama.

 

The fact is - and I'm saying this out of a concern for truth rather than spite - A lot of Evangelical Christians have a mentality of the end justifying the mean, when it comes to religion.

 

For comparison - There are innumerable books and articles written by Evangelical Christians confessing to their Wiccan past - none of which is at all plausible to anyone with a passing familiarity with Wicca.

 

...

 

I do not deny, of course, that problems may arise with supervised or unsupervised qigong practices. Nevertheless, the website linked above is unlikely to be a reliable source of information.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Rainy_Day

[Jetsun]

If religion leads you to letting go and living through your heart then it is better than qigong imo, or even better do both.

[Chang]

The website concerned has been set up by Evangelical Christians and they tend to have grave concerns regarding activities such as Qigong and Yoga. They believe that it can lead to Demon Possession and is a practice of religions other than Christianity.

[Rainy_Day]

If religion leads you to letting go and living through your heart then it is better than qigong imo, or even better do both.

 

Yes, but the article linked is clearly in large part fabricated. It is quite obviously put together for discouraging Christians from pursuing qigong and related spiritual practices. This does not benefit anyone.

 

Moreover, Daoism is also a religion. While some Daoists may take the high road and not respond to this kind of thing, surely it's not incorrect to defend one's faith.

 

...

 

And to clarify, I have nothing against Jesus Christ per se. I'm sure he is a fine spiritual master in his own right, although perhaps not entirely fitting the description given by certain interpretations of the Bible...

Edited January 25, 2012 by Rainy_Day

[chi 2012]

If religion leads you to letting go and living through your heart then it is better than qigong imo, or even better do both.

 

Right - I agree. But sometimes Qigong can give people bad experiences. I've read about some on this site. When this happens people need to stay grounded - or else they are perfect prey for some people - and will get brainwashed and disregard Qigong in its entirety.

Edited January 25, 2012 by chi 2012

[Chang]

[Chen]

There are numerous of cases as the Forume you mentioned.

As another member previous said there is practice in Chi Kung and also there is Taoist Religion.

The fundamental difference is that in "Oriental " systems or believe, the person is able to become one with "God",with his own effort that is against the organized "western" religion believe that union can be achieved only with the grace of god.If the individual will try by itself to attain the union he/ she will be misguided by the evil forces and will find himself in Hell .For this reason regreted practioners are talking about the evil spirits that misguided them and e.t.c,that suits any church to be used as "there is no salvation outside the church".

One of the fundamental difference of "East" and "West" is that religion as the Christian one ,is a game over after the physical death.You can go Up or Down..

"east" believes,(mostly),in a more circular than linear way...you may have another chance.

This is a vast subject,but you have not to be surprised as such forums are everywhere in the net.

And by the way,the thread that you open must be corrected,in my understanding with the " From Qigong to Religion", you mean "From Qigong to the Christian Religon".

That means that for you there is only one religion,the Christian one, so you are in the wrong Forum....

[dwai]

The website concerned has been set up by Evangelical Christians and they tend to have grave concerns regarding activities such as Qigong and Yoga. They believe that it can lead to Demon Possession and is a practice of religions other than Christianity.

 

[dwai]

If religion leads you to letting go and living through your heart then it is better than qigong imo, or even better do both.

 

Or it could bind into blind faith with no bearing towards really letting go and living through...only thing binding you is the fear of divine retribution (as is the case with the specific sect of a religion being referred to here).

 

What freedom? From what? At what cost? There is no freedom in that! Only eternal incarceration in a prison of ignorance.

[dwai]

Yes you are quite right that some people can have bad experiences with Qigong. This is not the "Big Picture" though.

 

The problem with many Evangelical Christians is that they object to the practice of Qigong because they consider it to be anti-Christian. They would also object to persons pursuing Taoist or Buddhist Martial Arts for the same reason.

 

In the UK we have seen cases of Tai Chi classes being banned in some Church Halls. People can be very narrow minded and bigoted.

 

Er...like the Taliban?

[RyanO]

Fundamentalism scares me

[Jeramiah Zeitigeist]

The website concerned has been set up by Evangelical Christians and they tend to have grave concerns regarding activities such as Qigong and Yoga. They believe that it can lead to Demon Possession and is a practice of religions other than Christianity.

 

Surely the best part of Qigong is the demonic possession ?

 

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

These articles wouldn't exist if everyone did the horse stance

 

just saying

 

 

But horses cant sit on iron chairs.

[Eric23]

Having been in a Christian church before... The primary concern with qi gong, yoga and similar systems is that if one approaches them from a spiritual perspective; you tend to find the "divine" within you. The Christian stand is that there is only one Divine, God the father up in heaven. To claim otherwise is blasphemy. So the issue is that qigong and yoga lead you to find God within rather than without. The most heinous of sins is to declare oneself a God, and in their minds, qigong and yoga put you on that path.

 

For whatever it's worth, I do yoga and qigong every day and haven't been in a Christian church in many years.

[Birch]

Having been in a Christian church before... The primary concern with qi gong, yoga and similar systems is that if one approaches them from a spiritual perspective; you tend to find the "divine" within you. The Christian stand is that there is only one Divine, God the father up in heaven. To claim otherwise is blasphemy. So the issue is that qigong and yoga lead you to find God within rather than without. The most heinous of sins is to declare oneself a God, and in their minds, qigong and yoga put you on that path.

 

For whatever it's worth, I do yoga and qigong every day and haven't been in a Christian church in many years.

 

Badabing, badaboom. And then what will become of society and civilization ???

 

Can't have all those masses of people realizing their own divinity. However much they (didn't) think they (didn't) believe in 'God out there' in the 1st place.

[Aetherous]

[starhawk]

Most laypersons don't bother to dig up the theologies.

 

For example, If God or Holy Spirit is in me, then where does God reside? IN MY BODY.

 

The concept Grace can correspond to the Divine helping us to draw closer. In fact, we may not awake without Divine helping, or perhaps you see the Divine in yourself.

 

For example, without the Divine help at first, or a guru, per se, could someone reach enlightenment? How would we know to look? How would a child know to look?

[Eric23]

Most laypersons don't bother to dig up the theologies.

 

For example, If God or Holy Spirit is in me, then where does God reside? IN MY BODY.

 

The concept Grace can correspond to the Divine helping us to draw closer. In fact, we may not awake without Divine helping, or perhaps you see the Divine in yourself.

 

For example, without the Divine help at first, or a guru, per se, could someone reach enlightenment? How would we know to look? How would a child know to look?

 

Your point is well taken. However, when you compartmentalize your belief system into a box, semantics get taken to a whole new level. From my perspective there is a tremendous difference between seeking the divine within and claiming to be The Divine. However a Southern Baptist would more than likely take exception.

[Astral Monk]

Jesus was famously a healer through the laying on of hands, which is not unlike what modern medical qigong practitioners do today. He didn't pray to himself, for instance, to heal people, like modern Christians do. His was a direct approach, and his teaching suggested that his latter-day followers would do the same and greater. The gospels suggest everyone is a son or daughter of God, hence, on par with Jesus in that respect. if the modern "christian" got a look at a true believer from back in the day and saw how they lived, they'd be fair shocked and run away, I reckon.

 

Meanwhile, from the account linked in the OP, I never knew that five animal sports was so powerful as all that!! That guy had results right away. Parents must have been good teachers?

 

8)