Mohler concluded the
column this way: "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?"
If you agree with Mohler, why? If you don't, do you
see anything objectionable about how a Hindu spiritual practice has morphed
into something quite commercial and secular in this country - including
"power yoga" and "hot yoga"? Are there cautions you would
give to Westerners who want to borrow from non-Western religious traditions? Or
should everyone, including Al Mohler, just limber up and chill out?
After the jump, you'll find the panelists'
responses:
MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation
for Pluralism, Dallas:
Mohler seems to be threatened by the popularity of
yoga, a beautiful practice to bring composure to oneself. He is obsessed with
the idea that yoga is a bait to lure his congregation away into "a
spiritual practice that threatens to transform their own spiritual lives into a
`post-Christian, spiritually polyglot' reality", and then he asks,
"Should any Christian willingly risk that?" How mistaken can one be?
Yoga is not a mutually exclusive practice, nor is it a religion; it is indeed a
catalyst in achieving the union of mind and body that is central to all
spirituality.
A similar call was made in Malaysia a year ago. The
Muslim clerics said yoga was Hinduizing their faith and wanted to ban the
practice. Likewise, the radicals among Hindus routinely vandalize stores that
sell Valentine cards, claiming that is an invasion of their culture.
The insecurity of self-proclaimed guardians of
faith is exhibited by their desire to keep a tighter leash on their followers
without realizing that humans are born to be free.
When you are scattered with too many things in a
given moment, you take a break, have a cup of coffee, go for a walk, meditate
or make a list. This act of refreshing oneself is called yoga, getting your act
together, bringing your body and mind together to function well.
Yoga is neither Christian nor Hindu; it is a
beautiful gift that originated in India for the benefit of mankind.
Please visit Dallas Morning News to read all the
responses: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-should-non-hindus.html
MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.
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