I like to read through the Yahoo news in the mornings. It keeps me in touch with the rest of the world and gives me some random bits of useless information to add to my cluttered brain. This morning I read a response to an article posted/published last month by a southern baptist minister on yoga. Really? With all that's wrong in the world, not to mention our country, you want to spout off on exercise?
read yahoo article here
The point that Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler was trying to make is that, in his opinion, yoga leads people away from the teachings of Christianity.
Mohler argued in his online essay last month that Christians who practice yoga "must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga."
He takes issue with yoga's roots (in India) and it's chanting. Mr Mohler said he objects to "the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine."
read Albert Mohler's article here
From my understanding of Christianity, the body is a temple. We are to respect it, cherish it, and invite the holy spirit to reside in our hearts. Meditation, which is what chanting in yoga is, is similar to prayer. Both acts are meant to calm and center us so we can focus on what's important. These practices are meant to bring us closer to God and our spirituality. Clearing the mind in yoga is just another way to let go of the outside world and all of its distractions.
So.... where is the contradiction?
All of his knowledge on yoga comes from 1 author with 1 point of view. Mr. Mohler did not speak with devote Christians who also practice yoga, nor did he speak with any yoga teachers or take a class himself. He just read a book. Oh, and the best part was the comment by Douglas R. Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and specialist on the New Age Movement, warns Christians that yoga is not merely about physical exercise or health. “All forms of yoga involve occult assumptions,” he warns, “even hatha yoga, which is often presented as a merely physical discipline.” While most adherents of yoga avoid the more exotic forms of ritualized sex that are associated with tantric yoga, virtually all forms of yoga involve an emphasis on channeling sexual energy throughout the body as a means of spiritual enlightenment.
Hmm, I've never heard talk about sex energy in my yoga classes. Maybe he means that your heart rate goes up and your core body temperature rises. So, does that mean running is all about sexual energy too?
Yoga is a very beneficial form of exercise that I firmly believe EVERY PERSON would benefit from. Yoga counteracts all of the negative crap we put our bodies through each and everyday. It can calm our minds down. It can stretch the tension out of our bodies from the day. It can stimulate our organs. It can strengthen our muscles.
Yoga makes me thankful for my healthy body and all it does for me. Yoga makes me slow down and focus on things that matter. Yoga makes me appreciate what God has given me and reminds me to take care of myself and not take my health for granted.
I just think that taking something positive and twisting it is a sad sign of our times. I understand holding strong to personal beliefs. I commend that and the dedication it takes to live a Christ like life. But one of the main teachings in Christianity is tolerance. Tolerance of people and beliefs. I believe that Southern Baptist Seminary President Mohler is not practicing what he is preaching by showing his INTOLERANCE of yoga and those who practice it.