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December 8, 2010

Can Yoga be Christian?

Mohler, Driscoll, and others weigh in on the controversy.

by Url Scaramanga

A few months ago, Al Mohler set off a firestorm when he pronounced yoga to be incompatible with Christian faith. The comments came in a review the Southern Baptist leader wrote about Stephanie Syman's book The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. Mohler said:

Yoga begins and ends with an understanding of the body that is, to say the very least, at odds with the Christian understanding. Christians are not called to empty the mind or to see the human body as a means of connecting to and coming to know the divine. Believers are called to meditate upon the Word of God -- an external Word that comes to us by divine revelation -- not to meditate by means of incomprehensible syllables.

To his surprise, Mohler received a significant backlash from Christians who use yoga as part of their exercise routine as well as those who believe the practice can mesh with Christian forms of reflection and meditation. But Mohler would have none of it. He wrote, “Most seem unaware that yoga cannot be neatly separated into physical and spiritual dimensions.” In other words, those who merely use yoga as a form of stretching and muscle strengthening are mistaken. He continued:

Christians who practice yoga are embracing, or at minimum flirting with, a spiritual practice that threatens to transform their own spiritual lives into a 'post-Christian, spiritually polyglot' reality. Should any Christian willingly risk that?

Not to be ignored amid a cultural controversy, Mark Driscoll added his $.02 into the discussion. In this video the pugnacious pastor calls yoga “absolute paganism” and says it opens the door to demonism. But he adds this caveat: “Is it possible for a Christian to do stretching and read scripture and pray and do so in a way that is exercise that is biblical? Yes, it is possible. But if you just sign up for a little yoga class you’re signing up for a little demon class.” (BTW, Driscoll also warns against watching Avatar…the “most demonic movie ever.”)

Of course not everyone agrees with Mohler and Driscoll. David Sapp, senior pastor at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta says the form of yoga taught at his church has "sort of been de-religionalized.”

"What we do is yoga as stretching, exercise and relaxation technique," he said. "We don't do yoga as Buddhist philosophy." Sapp also believes that when yoga stretches and breathing techniques are combined with Scripture meditation, it can be used as a way of communing with God."I believe that God can come to us in all experiences in life," Sapp said. "God has lots of ways of revealing himself to people, and if he chose to do it through yoga, he could sure do that."

Dayna Gelinas, a Christian yoga instructor, also sees a benefit in combining yoga with Christian themes. "It's very different from getting on a treadmill,” she says. Gelinas has replaced any association with Hinduism or Buddhism in her yoga instruction with signing or chanting Scripture.

"My yoga practice is just something I do to enhance my faith," Gelinas said. "I don't see how you can separate your body from your mind or spirit."

Many of the responses Al Mohler received to his original column were from people who do yoga stretches while forgoing any of yoga’s religious elements. Mohler took issue with this bifurcation. "My response to that would be simple and straightforward: You're just not doing yoga.”

Mohler received support for his view from a surprising souce—a Hindu. Rajiv Malhotra wrote a column for The Huffington Post on the question of “Christian yoga.” He said:

While yoga is not a "religion" in the sense that the Abrahamic religions are, it is a well-established spiritual path. Its physical postures are only the tip of an iceberg, beneath which is a distinct metaphysics with profound depth and breadth. Its spiritual benefits are undoubtedly available to anyone regardless of religion. However, the assumptions and consequences of yoga do run counter to much of Christianity as understood today. This is why, as a Hindu yoga practitioner and scholar, I agree with the Southern Baptist Seminary President, Albert Mohler, when he speaks of the incompatibility between Christianity and yoga, arguing that "the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine" is fundamentally at odds with Christian teaching.

With the popularity of yoga among all people, including Christians, getting a better understanding of the issue is important for pastors responsible for giving spiritual guidance. What Mohler, Driscoll, and even Malhotra agree on is that the philosophical/religious origins of yoga are incompatible with Christian belief, AND if those elements of yoga are stripped away what remains (the stretches and breathing practices) cannot be rightly called “yoga.”

So what are we to do? Christianity has a long tradition of adapted pagan symbols and practices and filling them with biblical meaning. Even Christmas and the celebration of Christ’s birth near the winter solstice is an extra-biblical tradition rooted in the pagan rituals of Scandinavian and Germanic tribes. The Puritans were so disturbed by the Christmas holiday that they refused to acknowledge it.

What do you think? Is it possible to take pieces of yoga and adapt them for non-religious or even Christian use? Or are Driscoll and Mohler right—are we flirting with the demonic?

Comments

Clearly, there is biblical basis for using pagan symbols is well established. Paul used a the "unknown God". There are uses of symbols of the Egyptian gods in the plagues that directly showed the weakness of Egypt's Gods. So I think that saying no culture or religious adaptation is inappropriate.

Church history has many other examples beside the Christmas tree.

I don't fundamentally disagree with Mohler and Driscoll. I just am not sure what they add to the conversation. If their point is that we should not be practicing other religion's worship practicies then I am not sure that there is much debate. The problem is that many that practice a form of yoga do not believe they are worshiping another God when doing it.

This seems similar to all the complaints in the 1970-80s from African missionaries that Rock beats were similar to African Animist worship and that we were opening ourselves up to satan by listening to Christian rock. That does not seem to be the case then and does not seem to be the case now.

Worship to God is worship to God.

Said it before and I'll say it again: it is what you make it to be. It does not have any intrinsic meaning in and of itself. YOU supply the meaning. Same with Christmas, Halloween, meditation, and mountain biking. You make it what it is. Yoga could be an intensely religious experience of worshiping pagan gods, an expression of love between you and Jesus, or just light exercise. It's up to you!

"Christianity has a long tradition of adapted pagan symbols and practices and filling them with biblical meaning."

That's how Voodoo came to be!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Voodoo

Bob, that is taking Christian practice and adapting it to pagan use. Something different. Same basic process. But it was being done by African Animists for use with animism, not by Christians.

That is essentially the same thing as Mormons adopting Christian concepts for a non-Christian use. But no one is saying we should stop using baptism because Mormons mis-appropriated it.

"Christians are not called to... see the human body as a means of connecting to and coming to know the divine." Does Mohler then believe that the Incarnation happened in a way that somehow bypassed Jesus' physical body? Is he a Docetist? (Not to mention that to say that God isn't allowed to use our bodies for his self-revelation invalidates the understanding of the Christian sacraments held by a very large number of believers throughout history.)

Are we still having this conversation? I find it humorous that Driscoll's message is to stay away from "demon things" right after the point in the service when they sing to rock 'n roll music. I vaguely remember the outrage with churches playing that "demon possessed" rock 'n roll.

Good point, Sven. What we may call "demonic" today may well be welcomed as "devotional" tomorrow.

The physical exercises in Yoga are designed to relax the body so that the mind can be opened up for the spiritual experiences. This enables an individual to make his own personal inquiries that are best suited for oneself. Not everybody can expect to achieve the very high level of spirituality that sages do. But then not every doctor is able to achieve the Nobel prize. That does not make other doctors incompetent.

On paganism. There is an implicit assumption made by Christian theologists that paganism is per se bad. This has to be established not on the basis of what the Bible is supposed to say, but on the basis of what the pagans have to say about themselves, and also on the basis of the actions of the pagans. For example, an idol worshiper does not go about saying that his idol has told him to go out and make other people worship only this idol.

Ashok Chowgule,
Goa, India

Can prominent Christian spokespersons please stop defining Christianity in terms what some Christians are apparently against and start defining it as the things it is historically for. Maybe then the public would actually hear about Jesus instead of being told what a few alarmists think they should fear and loathe. Wouldn't that be both nice and better for the furtherance of the gospel?

I get the point about not calling it "yoga" if you've emptied the spirituality out of it...

but it seems like a very particularized sort of academic point that will never get traction in the popularized deployment of the physical exercises.

Then again, I would think most low-church American evangelicals would get on board with anything that democratizes or christianizes just about anything...

Mohler may have a very technical point, but insofar as he diminishes the importance of the human body as a cooperative or uncooperative agent in our spiritual growth he actually finds himself decidedly "un-christian" in his spiritual-theological anthropology.

If people like Mohler laid aside their enthusiasm for making all the Church Fathers and the early church writers into proto-reformed-evangelicals, they would see that historical theology boasts a robust physicalism in relation to the human bodies role in our spiritual discipline as well as the physical body (along with the creation) being the very object of salvation itself.

Ah, another sacred cow comes to light. While you are all arguing over whether this can be compatible in today's American Church landscape - read Acts and try and fit Yoga in... Yeah right. Maybe it fits in the compromised church in America but it sure does not fit into Acts. This is seeker sensitive and relevance gone awry.

A friend, who is an expert in Kung Fu that he learned from the greatest American teacher, once told me that “to instruct and to learn any of this you cannot separate any of the “religious realities” from the “physical realities”.” Just as the quote in the article claims.

Just finished reading Os Guinness’ books, The Last Christian on Earth” and “Dining with the Devil” which I highly recommend to anyone seriously considering what is appropriate and not appropriate in the church. So now what? Read Acts! Do that!

Can we take pagan practices and Christianize them? Hmmm... Well, how good have we done in the past?

Christmas: A holiday about materialism, consumerism, and buy-me-gimme-I-want. Yet a few still remember the real meaning.
Grade: C

Easter: A holiday about bunnies and colored eggs and candy. The name is even from the pagan side. Some countries actually re-enact crucifixions with nails and all. Ah..missing the point a bit.
Grade: C-

Halloween: Yes, the church did try to take this one over.
Grade: F

So, from my perspective, the attempt to take over pagan rituals has moderate success at best.

Who are you to think because you can separate the two and 'christianize' it, that those who watch you are strong enough and won't stumble and fall away from their faith on account of your actions?

No, 'Christian Yoga' is simply another lie of the devil and too many well meaning people are falling for it.

yes. the Church is responsible for the consumer capitalist bastardization of the Church year.

I am concerned about the xenophobia that is latent behind a lot of these comments. The comment by Driscoll against "Easternism" strikes me as particularly xenophobic, but the overall idea that if it is a set of relaxation and stretching exercises that originates from an non-Western European culture then it must be "demonic" is the root attitude behind these comments. It is also behind the comments of those who say that certain forms of music or exercise (eg martial arts) are evil or demonic.

Yes, many Yoga schools and practitioners are Hindu in their instruction and practices. However, in most people's minds a form of yoga where these religious elements have been removed is still "yoga" despite what Al Mohler and others might say. Even if they are technically right, they are fighting a losing communication battle by railing against yoga. Wouldn't it be better to instruct people who are interested in yoga or martial arts to check first to see what spiritual elements the school or instructors include and to use their wisdom as to whether to participate on the basis of that information.

There's a natural tension between "purity" and "accomodation."

I'm reading the book "Bonhoeffer," which is an excellent example of a man standing for purity and against the ever-so-gradual accomodation of the "German Christian Church" to Hitler's agenda.

And this is in contrast with the accomodation of Yule logs and Christmas trees as part of celebrating Christ's birth, which is fairly well accepted "baptising" of paganism into Christian observance.

I'm not sure blanket condemnations of either puritanism or baptised paganism are appropriate. Just as Jesus upheld the law and yet redefined it, so we too must uphold the purity of our faith and belief while incarnating it in different cultures, including our current syncretistic culture.

Kyria (Christianity Today's digizine for women) published this article warning others of the pitfalls of Yoga:
"The Truth About Yoga"

http://www.kyria.com/topics/spiritualformation/theologyspiritualissues/14.40.html

Jan,

Thanks for the link. I appreciated this quote, "The goal of all yoga, Laurette explains, is to obtain oneness with the universe. That's also known as the process of enlightenment, or union with Brahman (Hinduism's highest god). The word "yoga" means "union" or "to yoke.""

Thank you for this interesting article. I think we should listen to the Hindu yoga practitioner. Yoga is a spiritual path. Why would Christ followers want to wander onto another path?

Amazing Love, Christians want what everyone else wants; an easy life that doesn't require them to give up their sinful self. The real Christian life is not easy, "I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." John 16:33. Many 'Christian' leaders take a very light view of Scripture choosing instead to follow the dictates of their own minds. Because they don't view the bible as 'inerrant', they are then able to decide for themselves what seems right or wring to them. Rather than engage in serious Bible study and willing obedience to the mandates of Scripture, they prefer to rationalize their own desires into their own brand of spirituality.

Elegance, I always wonder if you are striving for one with the One doesn't that mean you are striving toward non-existence? One is one, not one plus you. However, not only is the goal for union with Brahman (becoming one with the One), but the meditative practices strive for out of body experience. God created our souls and our body to be united not severed, the only time of separation is at death, something God vows to undo at the Resurrection.

Jan, you really lost me as I tried to follow your comment. Can you clarify?

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