Perilous Times, False Religions, False gods
An American pastor has provoked a religious row with Hindu leaders
after denouncing yoga as a 'pagan' and 'demonic' practice.
By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 7:00AM BST 19 Oct 2010
Woman performing Hindu yoga exercise outdoors
Pastor Mark says that yoga is 'pagan' in its roots Photo: ALAMY
Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, is waging a campaign
against the increasing popularity of yoga in sports and church halls
throughout the United States, warning that it is 'pagan' in its roots.
"Should Christians stay away from yoga because of its demonic roots?
"Totally. Yoga is demonic. If you just sign up for a little yoga class,
you're signing up for a little demon class," he said, according to The
Seattle Times.
His comments appeared to reflect a growing concern among Christian
preachers in the United States as the number of people practicing yoga
has soared beyond 15 million.
Last month Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert
Mohler warned his followers of the dangers of chanting 'Om' – the
droning sound used by Hindus to praise the divine – and inward
meditation.
"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," he wrote.
Their campaign provoked an Indian backlash, and ridicule from Hindu and
Christian leaders.
"Yoga kills stress, violence and hatred. How can it be called demonic?"
asked Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of India's leading Hindu spiritual
leaders, while a Catholic spokesman said his American colleagues had
misunderstood yoga.
Father Emmanuel, of Delhi's Catholic Archdiocese, told a television
channel that "many in western countries do not understand what yoga is
or how it helps."
"There is a view in some churches that yoga is anti-Christianity. While
it is a Hindu practice, it is certainly not anti-Christianity or
demonic. One can be a practising Christian and still do yoga," he said.