YOGA THE WORK OF THE DEVIL?
Not everyone sees Yoga as a harmless mind-body workout.
Even though the event happened way back in the summer of 1990, copies of the news item still show up now and again at the occasional Yoga studio. Fundamentalist Christians in Georgia stopped the Toccoa-Stephens County Recreation Department from offering a Yoga class. Philip Lawrence, who headed the fight against the class, solicited help from a number of local church organizations. He claimed Yoga could lead to devil worship.
Fundamentalist Christians, Christian conservatives and other rigid and dogmatic religious sects have some serious issues with Yoga. But they do have a point - look at some of their arguments:
Yoga creates an altered state of consciousness, both passive and alert, which is the door to the occult!
Apparently this refers to the sense of relaxation, calmness and well-being brought about by Yoga practice. It's akin to the feeling one has after a good night's rest. And actually, yes, this is the same state of consciousness which can be used for creative visualization, meditation and even spell-casting - all of which Fundamental Christians term "occult."
Most people who practice Yoga, however, just walk away from class, carrying their good feelings with them and don't go any further. If they choose to practice witchcraft, imagine themselves wealthy or anything else mystical, it's really outside of Yoga's realm. But there's always that possibility... The practice of Yoga encourages Eastern belief systems!
It certainly can do that. The Yoga Sutras http://hrih.hypermart.net/patanjali/ offer a philosophy which includes the Yamas and Niyamas - suggestions for living. These suggestions encourage honesty, purity, devotion, chastity, non-violence and non-stealing. Many people who practice Yoga eventually find themselves embracing many of these ideals.
Of course, according to Fundamentalist Christianity, good works will not get you into Heaven - only accepting Jesus Christ as Lord will do that. While Yoga says nothing against accepting Christ, it doesn't say anything for it, either.
Yoga encourages man to see himself as God, a false belief which leaves him open to demonic possession!
The first part of this statement is illustrated quite succinctly by the term "Namaste," which means "The Divine inside of me bows to the Divine inside of you."
People who delve into Yoga beyond its physical practice will quickly discover the Hindu belief that a spark of the divine exists within every living being. Hindus also believe in an immortal soul. Fundamentalist Christians disagree completely with these ideas - according to their beliefs, seeing God in yourself creates a void which can be filled with very dangerous forces. In addition, there are many conservative interpretations of the Bible which assert that the soul is not immortal and can be destroyed.
To practice Yoga is to worship false idols!
Many Yoga practitioners look up to a guru such as Paramahansa Yogananda or Babaji [http://www.babaji.ca/english/babaji.html], for example, as a personification of the divine. That's something that would definitely put a Fundamentalist Christian on the road to Hell. Not all Yoga practitioners worship gurus, of course - the majority of them these days just take the class and go home - but there is always the risk of being tempted by one of those guru-worshippers or, worse yet, a Hindu who might start talking about Krishna.
If yoga’s so heathen, now what? http://www.allspiritfitness.com/library/features/aao41301b.shtml
Clearly Yoga is a very dangerous practice... at least, if you're a Fundamentalist or a conservative Christian. If you are a member of such a church, it's probably best for you to stay away from Yoga altogether.
Here is how the situation might be explained by Yogic philosophy:
If Yoga is causing spiritual turmoil in someone's mind, it is causing violence to his or her religious beliefs, and Ahisma proposes non-violence. It can lessen devotion (Ishvara-Pranidhana) and can turn it into something murky and undefined. Under these circumstances it is impossible for many conservative Christian believers to be pure (Shauca). See? If Yoga contradicts your religious beliefs, even Yoga itself advises against practice! Those who are seriously concerned about the religious implications behind Yoga should gain flexibility and ease stress through other physical practices - Pilates, maybe, or just plain old, athletic stretching. And pray.
But what about the rest of us who have no such conflicts and who enjoy Yoga unfettered by religious dogma? There's a lesson here for us, too. Yoga is not for everyone and we should suspend judgment. For those who have certain religious beliefs, Yoga can be very damaging to the psyche and we should respect that. These people don't want to hear that Jesus Christ was "a great Yogi" any more than we may want to hear that unless we accept Christ as our Lord we will go to Hell. Certainly you can be Christian - or any other religion - and practice Yoga. The practice of Yoga embraces all religions; not all religions, however, embrace Yoga. As a result there are bound to be conflicts now and again. Usually the way of tolerance will win, but sometimes it won't.
Truth is the only real religion, and that requires a higher level of consciousness than 99.9 percent of us have. The only answer is to use your heart as your starting point, and to forge your path from there.
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