The lunatics have taken over

[Joe Bagadonuts]

It wasn't far off either.

Anyways, I think I should exit this discussion. I don't like the left's approach of ensuring racism survives by supporting it in non-white cultures, nor the right's deception about the existence of racism. And deconstructing both positions doesn't take precedence over drinking whiskey and watching basketball.

Good move, and I'm going to do the same. I simply don't believe that focusing on race is going to lead to a productive destination. There are way better things to focus our attention and time on.

 

[Deleted member 848]

I don't think dal is saying it's that simple either. It's also not at simple as work hard and pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you'll totes succeed. There are a lot of factors that are in play and racism absolutely has a part to play.

yup.

In response to Siro, I'll ask you the exact same questions: why is it that Asians and Jews have been more financially successful than blacks? Is it because black people are more prone to entitlement? Genetically inferior? Lazier culturally?

The real answer lies within the legacy of slavery, black racism, and the structures set in place to differentially treat blacks in the United States. It's the same thing we see here in Canada with the indigenous. The lazy, cop-out answer is to suggest that they need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. Relying on that thought process will never solve any extant race problems in either country on this continent.

 

[Deleted member 848]

The actual quote:
"When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

And I thought Stephen Harper was inept. God bless Canada.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

I do not support that candidate but I think you are very selectively twisting his words. He did not say Mexican = Rapist.

The actual quote:
"When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Hmm. Apparently I was wrong. Yes, that's offensive.

 

[Stoked]

y'all have leading presidential candidates calling Mexicans rapists and you think racism is over? I love America.

I'm sorry but who here is saying racism is over? Not agreeing on how much racism exists or what individual acts are racist does not mean anyone thinks the problem is over.

Stop exaggerating because you are not getting complete agreement.

 

[jimmy eat jazz]

If they knew colonialism, they wouldn't move to a nation and proceed with attempts at destroying indigenous and African culture once arriving to America. Shortsighted on their parts.

If I recall things correctly, when freed slaves emigrated to and settled Liberia, they proceeded to oppress and dominate the local inhabitants. Apparently, their years under the yoke of slavery failed to teach them basic human compassion and empathy. Their experience does not appear to have increased their capacity to internalize the concept of 'do unto others . . ." But neither does it diminish the oppression they did experience under slavery.

I see this as simply human nature. That the Irish may have participated in their own share of oppressive acts (e.g., during the NYC draft riots during civil war, gangs of 'Irish' terrorized and even hung/klled blacks) doesn't take away the fact that they were horribly oppressed by the Brits.

I do agree with you other point that seems to have been lost--those who have never experienced cultural and political oppression are less likely to understand or empathize with the legitimate, if at times excessively over the top, reactions of those who have.

I am on board with the posters who find this type of PC excess to be ridiculous. I do think that some folks suffer from some kind of 'white savior complex,' in which they see themselves of righting all of the wrongs that their 'race' may have historically perpetrated on other races/groups. The lengths to which some of these self-righteous nimrods act on their savior complex can reach truly absurd proportions.

 

[jimmy eat jazz]

I disagree with your assessment that we live in an environment of prevalent racism. All around me I see people who chose to focus on success rather than victim-hood, and they are thriving. There is absolutely no upside to perceiving yourself as (or acting the part of) a victim.

Here is an important truth that is hard for many people to accept: Life is not fair. I have certain advantages, and I also have certain disadvantages. So does everybody. Each one of us must make the best of our situation given what that situation is. It's great if we have the energy and resources left over to help others, but that's not an obligation.

I think you would be seriously benefitted to experience life from the perspective of a person of color living in today's society. I am pretty confident that your perspective would undergo some serious changes.

There is plenty of liteature, studies, and personal experiences amply demonstrating the pervasiveness of racism in US society. That one denies its existence strikes me as likely one of two things: ignorance (this is not intended as value judgement--being white, middle class, for example, does not equip one to empathize with black and poor) and willfull ignorance (this IS intended as a value judgment).

 

[Red]

People suffering from stress, depression, and frustration have also turned to yoga for solace and solutions. Is yoga simply an exercise routine that will give the practitioner a healthy, slim body and some peace of mind? Can yoga be practiced without any religious overtones?

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 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 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.

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.”

Whatever health instructors may say to the contrary, yoga does not stop with physical exercises! The ultimate goal of yoga is "moksha", explained as the merging with some impersonal great spirit.

The choice of what physical exercise to pursue is a personal one. 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.

So there you have it! Not only is it "offensive" to many....it's down right dangerous!

I believe the only reason you find it dangerous is because it does not stem from a Christian tradition. Yet Christian mystics also practiced techniques, spiritual practices, the contemplative tradition, which also aimed to experience a "higher reality".

https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/christian-contemplative-tradition

There are dangers involved on such a path, but I believe you're dismissing yoga because it stems from a different spiritual tradition. I think you're biased to the hilt, and dogmatic to the core....

Here, try a little genuine understanding instead of labeling another spiritual tradition as "sorcery" by searching the web for the opinions of the woefully clueless...

https://frimmin.com/faith/lotuscross.php

God, I must be an apostate, a heathen. Woe unto me for finding a commonality between Christianity and Buddhism.

 

[Stoked]

Sorcery lol. That legit made me laugh.

 

[Red]

carolinajazz wrote:

"So there you have it! Not only is it "offensive" to many....it's down right dangerous"

There we have it? Muhahaha.....

You mean there YOU have it. In your own mind, after years of yoga practice, no doubt. The voice of unbiased experience. Must be nice to have all the answers. Have you ever piloted a jumbo jet liner? No? Well, that makes you just the right guy to tell us what it's like....

 

[Red]

carolina, I can disagree without being testy about it. I apologize for what has amounted to attack mode at times. I think I can do a better job in trying to achieve a certain context.

Both East and West practice meditation. We often forget that there is a rich tradition of Christian contemplative life and literature. In both East and West, people separate themselves from their greater society to lead contemplative lives. Utilizing spiritual practices to grow closer to what we call God. If you're an atheist, it might be seen as a fool's mission. Might as well be Don Quixote as seek that which doesn't exist. But, men and women of the Christian tradition are compelled into that life. Obviously, it's for the few. Few can do that.

But my point is, yes, yoga is used in spiritual practice. By sincere people being human. Seeking something larger then themselves. No need, no justification, in seeing that as bad. Both greater traditions practice meditation within their monastic schools. People speak of the "perennial wisdom", a commonality of understanding and practice underlying all the major religions. Who knows why some people seek that life? A fool's errand, the culmination of lifetimes of seeking if one believed such a thing, whatever. The point is both East and West utilize spiritual practices in service to their quest. Union with God? Read St. Theresa, or St. John of the Cross. For that matter, read the words of Sufi mystics. Love infuses all their words. St. John of the Cross is noted for coining the term, "the dark night of the soul", denoting a stage on the spiritual path. I think in any given lifetime, a relative very tiny % of humanity engages on such a journey.

Yoga is not dangerous. It has many layers. Of course it can be used strictly within a physical therapy context. One can even buy into the notion of prana, the life force, without becoming a Hindu or a Buddhist. Yoga poses are utilized during meditation. Meditation is not antithetical to Christianity. At all. Quite the contrary. The inner tradition of the faith has meditation and contemplation as the essential practices on the Christian spiritual path. Yoga has been a tool for optimizing the very same states within the Eastern tradition. You can't reduce it to sorcery. You can't demonize it. There really is no need of that.

 

[jimmy eat jazz]

carolina, I can disagree without being testy about it. I apologize for what has amounted to attack mode at times. I think I can do a better job in trying to achieve a certain context.

Both East and West practice meditation. We often forget that there is a rich tradition of Christian contemplative life and literature. In both East and West, people separate themselves from their greater society to lead contemplative lives. Utilizing spiritual practices to grow closer to what we call God. If you're an atheist, it might be seen as a fool's mission. Might as well be Don Quixote as seek that which doesn't exist. But, men and women of the Christian tradition are compelled into that life. Obviously, it's for the few. Few can do that.

But my point is, yes, yoga is used in spiritual practice. By sincere people being human. Seeking something larger then themselves. No need, no justification, in seeing that as bad. Both greater traditions practice meditation within their monastic schools. People speak of the "perennial wisdom", a commonality of understanding and practice underlying all the major religions. Who knows why some people seek that life? A fool's errand, the culmination of lifetimes of seeking if one believed such a thing, whatever. The point is both East and West utilize spiritual practices in service to their quest. Union with God? Read St. Theresa, or St. John of the Cross. For that matter, read the words of Sufi mystics. Love infuses all their words. St. John of the Cross is noted for coining the term, "the dark night of the soul", denoting a stage on the spiritual path. I think in any given lifetime, a relative very tiny % of humanity engages on such a journey.

Yoga is not dangerous. It has many layers. Of course it can be used strictly within a physical therapy context. One can even buy into the notion of prana, the life force, without becoming a Hindu or a Buddhist. Yoga poses are utilized during meditation. Meditation is not antithetical to Christianity. At all. Quite the contrary. The inner tradition of the faith has meditation and contemplation as the essential practices on the Christian spiritual path. Yoga has been a tool for optimizing the very same states within the Eastern tradition. You can't reduce it to sorcery. You can't demonize it. There really is no need of that.

There's no need to apologize to CJ. He's an unrepentant bigot and richly deserves whatever contempt we throw his way.

 

[Stoked]

There's no need to apologize to CJ. He's an unrepentant bigot and richly deserves whatever contempt we throw his way.

Some ideas and opinions are so outlandish and offensive that they do not deserve respect.

 

[carolinajazz]

I believe the only reason you find it dangerous is because it does not stem from a Christian tradition.

It's dangerous because it's not Biblically supported.....as are many so-called "Christian" traditions that have been adopted from "Pagan" teachings and beliefs! Biblical "truths" and so called "Christian" traditions are completely different and opposites! Consider this fact: real yoga is not merely a form of exercise. It is a Hindu religious practice. “The chief aim of the Yoga philosophy is to teach the means by which the human soul may be completely united with the Supreme Spirit,” according to Dr.B.S.Surti.....whether one wants to admit to it or not!

The unvarnished truth is that the practice of yoga....in any form.....is spiritism, which is condemned in the Bible. (Rev. 21:8) Chiefly behind such occult power is “the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Rev. 12:9) Because of that reason, Yoga in any form cannot benefit you. It can only do you harm.

 

[carolinajazz]

carolina, I can disagree without being testy about it. I apologize for what has amounted to attack mode at times. I think I can do a better job in trying to achieve a certain context.

Yoga is not dangerous. It has many layers. Of course it can be used strictly within a physical therapy context. One can even buy into the notion of prana, the life force, without becoming a Hindu or a Buddhist. Yoga poses are utilized during meditation. Meditation is not antithetical to Christianity. At all. Quite the contrary. The inner tradition of the faith has meditation and contemplation as the essential practices on the Christian spiritual path. Yoga has been a tool for optimizing the very same states within the Eastern tradition. You can't reduce it to sorcery. You can't demonize it. There really is no need of that.

...if you engage in or practice something on a regular basis that is founded on the Hindu or Buddhist beliefs, then what would that make you......a Mormon?.....a Catholic?....a Baptist? Some may point to the fact that the Bible, too, encourages meditation. However, Christian meditation is an active meditation, pondering on upbuilding and beneficial matters. (Psalm 63:6; Proverbs 15:28; Philippians 4:8) Yoga-style meditation is something else. “The soul’s essence, pure intelligence, is obscured by mental activities, whose suppression is the main purpose of Yoga. The mind is to be controlled by constant practice of meditation and non attachment to material objects. The ultimate result is the suppression of all mental tendencies, conscious or latent.”—The Encyclopedia Americana.

In addition, there is great danger in making the mind totally blank. A blank mind makes a person easy prey for the demons. But the Christian, through proper meditation on Bible truths, can resist these wicked spirit creatures.—Eph. 6:11-13.

 

[str8line]

...if you engage in or practice something on a regular basis that is founded on the Hindu or Buddhist beliefs, then what would that make you......a Mormon?.....a Catholic?....a Baptist? Some may point to the fact that the Bible, too, encourages meditation. However, Christian meditation is an active meditation, pondering on upbuilding and beneficial matters. (Psalm 63:6; Proverbs 15:28; Philippians 4:8) Yoga-style meditation is something else. “The soul’s essence, pure intelligence, is obscured by mental activities, whose suppression is the main purpose of Yoga. The mind is to be controlled by constant practice of meditation and non attachment to material objects. The ultimate result is the suppression of all mental tendencies, conscious or latent.”—The Encyclopedia Americana.

In addition, there is great danger in making the mind totally blank. A blank mind makes a person easy prey for the demons. But the Christian, through proper meditation on Bible truths, can resist these wicked spirit creatures.—Eph. 6:11-13.

The enlightened man knows the main purpose for yoga is to perv out.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

I think you would be seriously benefitted to experience life from the perspective of a person of color living in today's society. I am pretty confident that your perspective would undergo some serious changes.

There is plenty of liteature, studies, and personal experiences amply demonstrating the pervasiveness of racism in US society. That one denies its existence strikes me as likely one of two things: ignorance (this is not intended as value judgement--being white, middle class, for example, does not equip one to empathize with black and poor) and willfull ignorance (this IS intended as a value judgment).

Where did I deny that racism exists? I believe that focusing on racism is not the best choice. There are much better things to invest our attention on.

I read an excellent book on this general subject years ago. It is called Race and Culture by Thomas Sowell. He's a brilliant man. You should take a look at the things he has to say.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

It's dangerous because it's not Biblically supported.....as are many so-called "Christian" traditions that have been adopted from "Pagan" teachings and beliefs! Biblical "truths" and so called "Christian" traditions are completely different and opposites! Consider this fact: real yoga is not merely a form of exercise. It is a Hindu religious practice. “The chief aim of the Yoga philosophy is to teach the means by which the human soul may be completely united with the Supreme Spirit,” according to Dr.B.S.Surti.....whether one wants to admit to it or not!

The unvarnished truth is that the practice of yoga....in any form.....is spiritism, which is condemned in the Bible. (Rev. 21:8) Chiefly behind such occult power is “the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Rev. 12:9) Because of that reason, Yoga in any form cannot benefit you. It can only do you harm.

What utter idiocy.

 

[Stoked]

Hahahahaha, I am genuinely enjoying Carolina's posts for the first time ever.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

Hahahahaha, I am genuinely enjoying Carolina's posts for the first time ever.

I bet you would also enjoy a "Jihad Bloopers" video.