Midnight Quills

_{In response to: Church bans tai chi classes}

Well done Reverend Vic Morse on giving the world more ammunition in the campaign against christian hypocrisy and idiocy.

My comment to the world today surrounds a small story, that probably wouldn’t make that much noise. A sleepy little town on the north-west coast of Tasmania does not get much attention at the best of times.

Reverend Vic Morse of Wynyard Baptist Church has decided that a group of elderly arthritis sufferers should no longer be able to practice tai-chi in the church hall because it is linked with Taoism and Zen Buddhism.

What a lot of rubbish!

Come on, are you serious?

In the book Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms by Dr Paul Lam and Nancy Kaye, the authors introduce the reader to Tai Chi by saying: “Tai chi, although a martial art, is practised primarily for its health benefits. And for good reasons. Scientific studies show that it helps chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease and diabetes and that it also improves balance, prevents falls and reduces stress.”

That, to me, sounds like something that would be fantastic for the elderly people of Wynyard and North-Western Tasmania. A low-impact health class that they can take regularly to help with some of the very conditions that are highly prevalent in our elderly community.

I find it hilarious, also, that Rev. Morse actually claims that “the objection goes beyond philosophy, Tai Chi involves eastern mysticism and links to transcendental meditation and astro travel.”

Umm, what travel?

Astro: star : heavens : outer space : astronomical

Quick! Someone tie a rope around the elderly arthritis patients! If they keep practicing tai chi they’re going to float away into outer-space!

What I think Rev. Morse would have liked to have said was “Astral Travel” Where astral is defined as: “of or consisting of a supersensible substance held in theosophy to be next above the tangible world in refinement”.

You might want to do a little more research on the things you cast off, Rev. Morse. “The Bible teaches us we are to be in control of our faculties.” Good for you, well, let me give you one piece of advice, look into things before you throw them to the dogs. Meditation in no way reduces an individual’s control of their ‘faculties’ in fact, it aids to maintain control of those faculties. You might, in your naive and biased opinion refer to it as, oh, I don’t know… Prayer?

And by the way, if you’d like to tell me where the bible commands you to remain in control of your faculties, I’d love to read that verse!

Thank you, Rev. Morse, for continuing to demonstrate how many christians are out of touch with reality, bigoted, naive and ignorant. You do your religion proud.