More on "Christian" Yoga

I am finally seeing a few (although very,very few) Christian leaders talk about the dangers of so-called "Christian" yoga. But pastors need to clue in fast on this topic. Most churches that are doing this, from what I see, get this from women leaders in their churches. Where we used to have Biblical-oriented inspirational speakers at women's conferences, we now have quasi-new age speakers bringing in every kind of eastern religious pracitice. Here are excerpts from a great article from the president of the Southern Baptist Thelogical Seminary, Albert Mohler, who weighs in on this subject.


...a significant number of American Christians either experiment with yoga or become adherents of some yoga discipline. Most seem unaware that yoga cannot be neatly separated into physical and spiritual dimensions. The physical is the spiritual in yoga, and the exercises and disciplines of yoga are meant to connect with the divine.

Douglas R. Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and a respected 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.


The head of the Hindu Association in America basically says the same thing as Mohler does. Liten to the next thing Mohler says.


Many Americans attempt to deny or minimize the spiritual aspects of yoga — to the great consternation of many in India.

Please do read this entire article here.


Years ago there was a fascinating book by a young American woman who grew up in Mexico and saw first hand the psychic stuff going on (especially within the Catholic Church). When she moved to the United States she became involved in the New Age movement. She later became a Christian and wrote her book, which was entitled The Beautiful Side of Evil. Her name is Johanna Michaelson and she has popped up again in a video. She talks about how the occult is now getting into churches (and yes, she mentions yoga too). Oh, did I mention she is Hal Lindsey's sister-in-law? If you listen to those who have come out of Hinduism, Buddhism, satanism, witchcraft, new age, and so forth, they all say the same thing. And what they say is yoga and the "Contemplative Spirituality" business is occultic? Perhaps we should listen to these folks. Johanna Michaelson's video is here.