Since our Rams and Shepherds (Ezekiel 34:17-24) oppose our participation in Yoga as “Unchristian”, perhaps the modality of Qigong will be more palatable to their traditions and dogmas:Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ… Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Colossians 2: 8-22). Our Rams and Shepherds at the Southern Baptist Convention do not seem to mind the Chinese Wisdom Traditions. According to one of our Shepherds: China, from its founding till the Chin Dynasty, practiced a pure monotheism that “paralleled precisely the monotheism of the Old Testament” and “His attributes are similar to Jehovah God of the Law of Moses” (Robertson, 84). And Western Science seems to be giving Chinese Philosophy a nod as well: “A review of scientific literature suggests that there is strong evidence of beneficial health effects of tai chi and qi gong” (NCCAM). Now, some of our Rams and Shepherds might object to the use of the term “Universal Life Force” as being outside our Christian Tradition. But why would they object to this term? It is clearly a term reflected in Scripture as revealed by the Holy Spirit. The term used in the Old Testament is nfs ( ???/ Hebrew/ Aramaic/ Arabic) – a term used to describe the vital life force that animates both man and beast (i.e.: Genesis 2:7). Babylon relates this term roughly to prana in Yoga, and prana is the life-force (Iyengar, 54) just as it is written: “it is the blood, which is the life (force - ???), that makes expiation” (Leviticus 17:11). But the parallels do not stop here: “Qi (or chi) is usually translated as life energy, life-force, or energy flow, and definitions often involve breath, air… or relationship between matter, energy, and spirit…Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts” (Qigong).So we see the Chinese concept of Qi corresponds to our Aramaic (aka: Biblical Hebrew) word “rooh” (?? ?) (??? / Arabic) that we find in Scripture. In the New Testament, our Greek equivalent is “pneuma” which leads us back to “prana” found in Yoga, and so these words and underlying philosophies correspond back to Scriptural terms and concepts. It is important to remember and keep in mind that the Gentile Church is but a grafted branch anchored to the roots of Pharisee Judaism, and all this translates to the fact that today’s Church is descended from an Eastern Religion. Not only are we rooted in an Eastern Religion rife with Eastern Concepts, but we have a God who is concerned with our whole being and not just a particular sphere or selected imaginary portions. The God we believe in has a holistic concern shared by our Church Parents. This holistic concern is an important concept within the New Testament Church and an important basis and foundation of Primitive Christianity: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Qigong • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong Tai Chi and Qi Gong Show Some Beneficial Health Effects • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) • http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/071910.htm The Ten Offenses • Pat Robertson • Integrity Publishing • Nashville, 2004
Related Articles -
Holistic Christian Living, Qigong,
|