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I have seen it happen enough now that christians resent the fact that I meditate. In fact there is one case where a guy whoes religion is the center of his life actually got belligerent with me to the point of almost having physical contact. But I have experienced resentment over the years that christians have toward people who meditate. It is probably true of other religions also but I would like to know the psychology behind it.
With many religions, ANYTHING which goes against causing the organization to grow (add more people to the group including yourself, have babies, etc.) and prosper ($$ donated to group) is BIG no no.
And along with that is "thinking as a follower" and not being an independent thinker!
Meditation is along the lines of independent thinking, so I can see where they would see that as a threat. They can't brainwash you if you go around thinking on your own, so stop it this instant!
I have seen it happen enough now that christians resent the fact that I meditate. In fact there is one case where a guy whoes religion is the center of his life actually got belligerent with me to the point of almost having physical contact. But I have experienced resentment over the years that christians have toward people who meditate. It is probably true of other religions also but I would like to know the psychology behind it.
I think it's rather obvious: meditation is associated with Eastern religions for whom it is a key aspect of religious practice. That doesn't mean it's antithetical to Christianity, but many devout Christians are likely suspicious of it because to them it's associated with Paganism.
I have seen it happen enough now that christians resent the fact that I meditate. In fact there is one case where a guy whoes religion is the center of his life actually got belligerent with me to the point of almost having physical contact. But I have experienced resentment over the years that christians have toward people who meditate. It is probably true of other religions also but I would like to know the psychology behind it.
I suspect, though, it's not a matter of their being Christian as much as it is a matter of centrality to their identities. Take the guy who got belligerent with you. You said that religion is the center of his life. If that's true, it tells me that he needs to see his religion as the only right one; to allow other religions or practices to be valid questions the foundation for his life, and that's both scary and dangerous to him.
It's the same mindset that makes many Christians anti-yoga. I have heard theological "experts" denouncing yoga and anything to do with meditation, citing it is Satan inspired. Ridiculous.
I have found most christians need to practice their religion. It is hard to practice something they don't understand. They find it far easier to criticize other things they really don't understand.
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This should be in the religions forum. I think of meditation as being associated mostly with Buddhism and Hinduism, but there's Christian meditation too. Many Christians have forgotten this. I don't see most meditation as even going against any tenets of Christianity, it's about mindfulness and learning to clear your mind. Christians can practice a lot of Buddhist meditative techniques. I don't know anyone who gets violent over it but of course many are suspicious of anything to do with other religions.
I have seen it happen enough now that christians resent the fact that I meditate. In fact there is one case where a guy whoes religion is the center of his life actually got belligerent with me to the point of almost having physical contact. But I have experienced resentment over the years that christians have toward people who meditate. It is probably true of other religions also but I would like to know the psychology behind it.
I wonder about the individuals you debated with regarding your choice to meditate, and how that debate was initiated. Were you at a social gathering and the subject of meditating was brought up; or were you involved in one-on-one conversations with those folks and you discussed your opinion of meditating vs. their opinion?
Religion, along with politics, are subjects that generally create debates that can end up pretty heated.
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