Vatican's Chief Exorcist Says Yoga Is The Work Of The Evil One

Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican's chief exorcist [and I agree!!!!]

Father Gabriel Amorth has carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms in his capacity as Chief Exorcist at the Vatican. [only an exorcist knows the tactics of the devil best, because he has defeated him more than 70,000 times]

The 85-year-old can boast 25 years in the post after being appointed by the late Pope John Paul II.

At a conference today, he surprised the delegates by revealing some of his greatest dislikes - yoga and Harry Potter <<-- [not a fan of him either]

Father Amorth, a colourful and often outspoken personality, said: 'Practising yoga [is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility, the goal of yoga takes the form of moksha, which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death (samsara), at which point there is a realization of identity with the Supreme Brahman or soul ] brings evil as does reading Harry Potter. They may both seem innocuous but they both deal with magic and that leads to evil.'

He added: 'Yoga is the Devil's work. You think you are doing it for stretching your mind and body but it leads to Hinduism. [that is very true it also leads to Jainism and Buddhism] All these oriental religions are based on the false belief of reincarnation.' [yep, reincarnated seven times till the soul attains 'moksha' which means 'to let loose', 'to let go']

Father Amorth, speaking on the subject of People And Religion at a fringe event at the Umbria Film Festival in Terni, spoke of his distaste for JK Rowling's young wizard.

He said: 'People think it is an innocuous book for children but it's about magic and that leads to evil. In Harry Potter the Devil is at work in a cunning and crafty way, he is using his extraordinary powers of magic [have you seen David Blaine bring a dead bird back to life, well I have, and he wasn't faking it]and evil.


'Satan is always hidden and the thing he desires more than anything is for people to believe he does not exist. He studies each and everyone of us and our tendencies towards good and evil and then he tempts us.

'My advice to young people would be to watch out for nightclubs because the path is always the same: alcohol, sex, drugs and Satanic sects.'

It is not the first time that Father Amorth has raised eyebrows with his forthright views - last year he said that the ongoing child sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church were evidence that 'the Devil was at work in the Vatican.'

'Satan studies each and everyone of us and our tendencies towards good and evil and then he tempts us'

While in 2006, Father Amorth, who was ordained a priest in 1954, gave an interview to Vatican Radio in which he said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Russian dictator Josef Stalin were both possessed by the Devil.

According to secret Vatican documents recently released the then wartime Pope Pius XII attempted a 'long distance exorcism' of Hitler but it failed to have any effect. [that's because the holy water was missing!!!]

It is also not the first time that Father Amorth, who is president of the International Association of Exorcists, has spoken out against Harry Potter saying in the past that it opens children's minds to dabbling with the occult and black magic. [ask me about ouija boards and I'll tell ya!]

Today Vanda Vanni, of the Italian Yoga Association, said: 'A Satanic practice? Pardon the pun but that is an accusation that is neither in Heaven or on earth. Father Amorth's accusation is completely without foundation. [well anything that is not from God is of the Evil one. Christianity clearly says, "Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them" Eph 5:11 (NLT) ]

'It is an outrageous thing to say - yoga is not a religion but a spiritual discipline [The Bhagavad Gita and the Mahabharata, clearly mentions 'yoga' so yes, religion, spiritual disciple or simple mythology..they are all the same]. It is about freedom [freedom from who...God???] and a search to find one's inner self. It does not touch religion and has nothing to do with Satanic sects nor does it encourage people to join them. [ha! you're kidding me, then why do you advertise??]

Giorgio Furlan, who runs the Yoga Academy in Rome, said`:'There are some paths of yoga which do lead towards Hinduism [Buddhism, Jainism, Sufism] but other paths are more philosophical [now you would be insulting Patañjali, if you call it philosophical] but their is no direct link with religion and certainly no link with Satanism.

'To say such things shows you have no idea of what you are talking about - yoga controls violent impulses of the nervous system and subconscious - to be honest with me it had the effect of bringing me closer to Christianity and in particular the Catholic Church which I had abandoned as a youngster' [Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you (Deut 6:14), Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not learn the way of the heathen (occult practices and the worship of false gods), and do not be terrified at the signs of the heavens (as in astrology and witchcraft); for the nations are terrified at them’ ” (Jer. 10:1-2)]



*The Roman Catholic Church, and some other Christian organizations have expressed concerns and disapproval with respect to some eastern and New Age practices that include yoga and meditation.

In 1989 and 2003, the Vatican issued two documents: Aspects of Christian meditation and "A Christian reflection on the New Age," that were mostly critical of eastern and New Age practices. The 2003 document was published as a 90 page handbook detailing the Vatican's position. The Vatican warned that concentration on the physical aspects of meditation "can degenerate into a cult of the body" and that equating bodily states with mysticism "could also lead to psychic disturbance and, at times, to moral deviations." Such has been compared to the early days of Christianity, when the church opposed the gnostics' belief that salvation came not through faith but through a mystical inner knowledge.

The letter also says, "one can see if and how [prayer] might be enriched by meditation methods developed in other religions and cultures" but maintains the idea that "there must be some fit between the nature of [other approaches to] prayer and Christian beliefs about ultimate reality."

Some fundamentalist Christian organizations consider yoga to be incompatible with their religious background, considering it a part of the New Age movement inconsistent with Christianity.


(my emphasis and comments in bold)

Published by Olivia
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