YOGA BANNED

YOGA BANNED

http://www.skepticfiles.org/rumor/yoga-ban.htm

TOCCOA, Ga. (AP) September 7, 1990. The Associated Press. Yoga is a form of New Age mysticism that can lead to devil worship, says a man who led protests that forced officials to cancel a city-county sponsored yoga class.

"The people who are signed up for the class are just walking into it like cattle to a slaughter," said Philip Lawrence. "Half of yoga is a branch of Eastern mysticism, and it has strong occult influences." Lawrence said he is opposing the yoga class as a Christian. He said other people opposing the classes are from Baptist, Lutheran and Church of God congregations.

The class, sponsored by the Toccoa-Stephens County Recreation Department, was scheduled to begin Monday. It was canceled Aug. 31 after city and county commissioners received a number of complaints from church members in Toccoa.

"The different commissioners got together on the phone, and the majority decided the class should be canceled," Mayor Bill Harris said. "Some felt that they were under too much pressure."

Leonard Greenspoon, a Clemson University religion professor, said yoga has become a secularized form of exercise and relaxation. "There's certainly no necessary connection between yoga and devil worship," he said. "Anybody who's equating Eastern religion with devil worship has made a big mistake."

Roger Terrell, program director for the recreation department, said he met with yoga teacher Carolyn Davis to make sure the class would involve only simple stretching and relaxation techniques. "We can't be promoting religion or anything," he said. "It's strictly for health reasons."

Some of the 26 people who had signed up for the yoga class say they won't let the matter drop. "This is not the end," said Deborah Hartley. "This is just the beginning as far as I'm concerned." She and Katherine Hodges, another would-be yoga student, complained Tuesday to the county commissioners. She said she also plans to fight for the class at the next meetings of city-county commissioners and the recreation board.