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Mohler and Yoga: Your Take

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annsni

Well-Known Member
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Study Yoga and see what it truly is. It's not just stretches. Have you seen a yoga studio? Our local one has "Mediation at 7" each night.
 
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dwmoeller1

New Member
jaigner said:
I think it's pretty strange. Yoga is exercise.
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I don't have a strong opinion on this one way or the other, so I am just asking...

Is yoga merely exercise? Clearly when I exercise I am not necessarily doing yoga. When one does yoga is exercise all its about? IOW, if one is doing the forms w/o the thinking behind it, are they really doing yoga or just something that has some surface similarities to yoga?
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

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jaigner said:
http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/09/20/the-subtle-body-should-christians-practice-yoga/

Check out what Al Mohler has to say about yoga.

I think it's pretty strange. Yoga is exercise.
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Mohler is right on target. To a Hindu (a wicked religion), yoga is part and parcel of their religious practice. The spiritual goal of yoga is monism, or mind-body oneness. For more information on the difference between monism and Christian doctrine (trichotomy or dichotomy), see my book on my website, Strength in the Inner Man. My approach there is connected with the Asian martial arts (which I practice), but should be helpful in understanding the doctrinal part of yoga.

It's true that many Americans are now practicing yoga as simple exercise (but ineffective except for stretching; where's the cardio?), but for a Christian it's not that simple. To an Indian Christian yoga is an idolatrous practice. So should not American Christians stand against it along with our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ?
 
preachinjesus

preachinjesus

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I don't agree with Dr. Mohler.

You can practice the stretching and breathing control aspects of yoga, the exercise related parts, without engaging in the eastern mysticism that is attached to the practices.

Mediation isn't a bad thing btw, we are commanded in Scripture to mediate on the precepts of the Bible.

I do wonder why he picks the battles he does. This isn't a big deal in actuality. You want to talk about a big deal in the SBC let's get him to talk about the ridiculous attachment with unsustainable, exponential growth our denom advocates, how about the ecclesiologically challenging multi-site church issue...why this? why now?
 
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dwmoeller1

New Member
preachinjesus said:
I don't agree with Dr. Mohler.

You can practice the stretching and breathing control aspects of yoga, the exercise related parts, without engaging in the eastern mysticism that is attached to the practices.
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Mohler would say that that is not yoga then - its just stretching and breath-control. From what little I know, I would tend to agree. If you disagree, why?

Mediation isn't a bad thing btw, we are commanded in Scripture to mediate on the precepts of the Bible.
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Having worked with Transcendentalists before, I know that their meaning of meditation is very different than what Scripture means.
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

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preachinjesus said:
Mediation isn't a bad thing btw, we are commanded in Scripture to mediate on the precepts of the Bible.
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There is Bible meditation, then there is Asian meditation. Bible meditation is resting your mind on the Word of God and letting the Holy Spirit take control and teach.

Asian meditation (Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist all have similar approaches), on the other hand, strives for oneness of mind and body. In order to accomplish this, the usual practice is to empty the mind, not fill it with the writings of Lao Tzu (Taoism) or Daruma (Japanese Zen Buddhism) or the Hindu Upanishads. Emptying the mind is a spiritually dangerous practice, opening the meditator to demon influence.

(I have to admit that we do see some empty Baptist minds on the BB here.... :smilewinkgrin:)
 
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Jerome

Jerome

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Michael McKinley, pastor of Guilford Baptist Church, Sterling, Virginia, says don't freak out, Hatha yoga is non-religious, I do it.

9Marks blog
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

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Jerome said:
Michael McKinley, pastor of Guilford Baptist Church, Sterling, Virginia, says don't freak out, Hatha yoga is non-religious, I do it.

9Marks blog
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It may be non-religious to you, but it certainly isn't to an Indian; it's idolatry. I hope there are no Indians you are trying to minister to, or your testimony with them may be harmed. Or excuse me, when you say "I do it" does that refer to Jerome or to McKinley?
 
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jaigner

Active Member
annsni said:
Study Yoga and see what it truly is. It's not just stretches. Have you seen a yoga studio? Our local one has "Mediation at 7" each night.
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I've observed a couple of times.

Yoga is good for the body and can be soothing and relaxing, which I'm pretty sure isn't a problem. All truth is God's truth, so can the physical benefit really be a problem?
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

Well-Known Member
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jaigner said:
I've observed a couple of times.

Yoga is good for the body and can be soothing and relaxing, which I'm pretty sure isn't a problem. All truth is God's truth, so can the physical benefit really be a problem?
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Your signature has a wonderful quote against idolatry. I assume that truly does portray your heart--or do you just take the word "idolatry" in the quote to be something in a Christian's heart that he puts ahead of God?

Living in Asia, I've seen real idolatry with real idols many, many times. It's wicked, it's an insult against the true God, it's commanded against over and over in the Bible. In view of yoga's close connection with a wicked, idolatrous religion called Hindu, shouldn't we be against it?
 
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dwmoeller1

New Member
jaigner said:
I've observed a couple of times.

Yoga is good for the body and can be soothing and relaxing, which I'm pretty sure isn't a problem. All truth is God's truth, so can the physical benefit really be a problem?
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Not the physical benefit, no. But if exercise aspect can't be kept distinct from the philosophical aspect, then the question of the physical benefit is beside the point. All truth is God's truth, but physical benefit does not equate to truth, esp. if particular patterns of false thinking accompanies it.

I don't know if that is the case. I merely point out that unless one can negate Mohler's claim that the philosophical is integral to the physical in yoga - such that the physical exercise by itself it no longer really yoga - then Mohler would seem to have a valid point. At least one that goes well beyond any physical benefits that might occur.

So that is really the first question that must be addressed. Is Mohler accurate when he says that the purely physical exercise separated from the philosophical aspect of yoga is no longer yoga?
 
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