‘Un-Christian’ Yoga Comes Under Fire
Two church halls have rejected a children’s exercise class because it teaches yoga, saying that it is “un-Christian”.
by Daniel Blake
Posted: Saturday, September 1, 2007, 8:43 (BST)
Two church halls have rejected a children’s exercise class because it teaches yoga, saying that it is “un-Christian”.
Silver Street Baptist Church and St James’s Anglican Church in Taunton, Somerset have turned away Louise Woodcock’s Yum Yum Yoga class for toddlers.
Woodcock defended her classes, saying that they had no religious content at all, and only involved music and movement.
She said: “I explained to the church that my yoga is a completely nonreligious activity. Some types of adult yoga are based on Hindu and Buddhist meditation but it’s not a part of the religion and there is no dogma involved.
“This is a class for mums and children, which has yoga-inspired moves – but as soon as I mentioned the word yoga the church staff completely changed their attitude. They have completely misunderstood and are being narrow minded.”
Originally the Baptist Church did grant Yum Yum Yoga use of its hall for a children’s group activity, The Times has reported, however, Rev Simon Farrar withdrew his consent after discovering it was for yoga.
Woodcock then went to St James’s Church but was rejected for the same reason.
Rev Farrar explained the decision: “We are a Christian organisation and when we let rooms to people we want them to understand that they must be fully in line with our Christian ethos.
“Clearly, yoga impinges on the spiritual life of people in a way which we as Christians don’t believe is the same as our ethos.
“If it was just a group of children singing nursery rhymes, there wouldn’t be a problem but she’s called it yoga and therefore there is a dividing line we’re not prepared to cross.”
The Rev Tim Jones, vicar of St James’s, supported the decision, saying: “Any alternative philosophies or beliefs are offering a sham - and at St James’s Church we want people to have the real thing. Yoga has its roots in Hinduism, and attempts to use exercises and relaxation techniques to put a person into a calm frame of mind - in touch with some kind of impersonal spiritual reality.
“The philosophy of yoga cannot be separated from the practice of it, and any teacher of yoga, even to toddlers, must subscribe to the philosophy.
“Yoga may appear harmless or even beneficial, but it is encouraging people to think that there is a way to wholeness of body and mind through human techniques - whereas the only true way to wholeness is by faith in God through Jesus Christ.”
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Have your say on this article
The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Monday, September 24, 2007, 15:15 (BST)
I am a born-again Christian who teaches yoga. I believe all truth is God's truth. The physical practice of yoga has proven benefits to the human body. There are many different ways to teach yoga. I teach a gentle, relaxing style, free of mysticism.
If Christians cannot do yoga moves, then they cannot do a lunge, they cannot do a push-up, they cannot sit cross-legged. They will have to leave the stretch portion at the end of a group exercise class, because many of the stretches came out of yoga. They should not take a deep breath in and a deep breath out, because they might be doing yoga.
And, perhaps this is apropos of nothing, but if I were taking a Philosophy 101 class, and I mentioned to my bible study class that we were studying Plato, I doubt they would cry out, "No, no, no!!!!! He's a pagan!!!! You can't study him!!!!!!!" If we can't do yoga because it comes out of a pagan philosophy, then we certainly must get a religious exemption from taking Philosophy at the university.
Laura, cedar park USA
Added: Friday, September 7, 2007, 9:34 (BST)
Those ministers took the right decision.
There are 'secular halls' available for non-Christian (or anti-Christian) activities.
A A, UK
Added: Thursday, September 6, 2007, 21:46 (BST)
Perhaps the church officials may wish to persecute others for using Arabic numerals.
They may also wish to rebuke the mathematics of Thermodynamics.
They may wish to make us say that the Earth is fixed in space.
They may wish to have us say the earth is flat.
All these things have been done by people who profess to be Christian, in the name of Biblical teachings.
Christians have also killed people who persisted in suggesting otherwise.
I have seldom heard such evil in what professes to be a Christian country.
It may be your church, but I want no part of it.
I believe in God.
I believe He is supreme.
But I also believe that there are many who can find peace and fulfilment in other ways.
Just because they don't use names like Christian, Yaweh, הוה
or Jehovah doesn't mean that the morals are wrong.
To those who would refuse any route to a better life: Please, re-examine your own Christianity.
Are you Christian or a "My God is better than your God" bigot?
Are you a believer or are you on a power trip: "Do it, but do it as **I** say.
No: Go and live in peace. Harm no-one. Help others. Respect their beliefs.
Someone once suggested that.
He got nailed to a tree for his trouble.
There is another dimension to this: I bet the hall was paid for, at least in part, by the local community. I bet it also enjoyed tax breaks, which would have been funded by taxpayers amongst us. Both these would have involved be they Christian, Jew, Hindu, followers of Islam, or whatever.
If the Church would return all funding of non-Christian origin, then, and only then, do they have thr right to be picky over the beliefs of those who use the hall.
If you are Hindu I apologise for the actions of these people. They do not represent me.
JohnK, Luton Bedfordshire
Added: Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 8:58 (BST)
That last paragraph which quotes the vicar is exactly why this World is constantly at war. How arrogant, how misguided and how truely worrying that this person is supposed to be a spiritual leader.
Mrs J Keen, Tiverton, UK
