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March 2015

There is much talk of Yoga in the Christian

community because the Government of India
has been taking Yoga to schools all over India.
Soon it will be a compulsory part of school
education and the way everyone has to
participate in singing National Anthem,
everyone will also have to participate in Yoga.
This has created confusion among some
Christians. While nominal churches were quick
to welcome Yoga, the way many of them earlier
welcomed various pagan practices, there is
much question within the evangelical Christian
community about Yoga and Christians. Since
Yoga is generally connected with Hinduism,
and even with Tantra and Tantric cults, it is
good to discuss the subject and have a clear
understanding of the issues involved.
The Scriptures commands believers: But
examine everything carefully; hold fast to that
which is good 1 Thessalonians 5:21
This book will give an introduction to the
subject in the spirit of what is commanded
above. This is not an academic paper, but is
rather an accurate analysis for common
believers.
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Meaning of the Word Yoga

The word Yoga has multiple meanings, but

people often use the word without realizing
these differences. Here are the ways in this
world is used:

Certain schools of thought in Hinduism,

Jainism, and Buddhism
Certain Trantric practices in Hinduism,
Jainism, and Buddhism
Exercises performed before indulging in
the Tantric practices mentioned above
Non-religious and non Tantric exercises
for maintaining health and flexibility of
body

Of the above, what the schools in India plan to

launch is the last item: Non-religious and non
Tantric exercises for maintaining health and
flexibility of body
Some might claim that students are supposed
to chant some Sanskrit language Slokas
(hymns or verses). In the initial plan for Yoga in
Indian schools they did plan to teach some
verses that students were expected to chant,
but when non Hindus pointed out that they
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cannot do so in good conscience, the

government was quick to exempt non Hindus
from reciting these verses. Thus the Yoga that
all schools in India are going to enforce are only
physical exercises that will lead to flexibility
and better health for bodies of school-children.

What Is The Purpose?

Some evangelical Christians claim that the
purpose of introducing the (now) non-religious
version of Yoga is to Hinduize Christian and
Muslim children at an early stage of life. Thus
they feel that Christians should oppose the
introduction of Yoga in schools.
We need to realize that just as Christian
schools teach Bible verses and Christian songs
to non Christian children, a Hindu-majority
government is likely to introduce things of their
choice. Freedom is a two-way street. If
Christians have the freedom to teach Christian
ways to non Christian children, then non
Christians have an equal freedom, when they
are in power, to teach their ways to Christian
children.
If a non Christian wants the privilege of his/her
children studying in a Christian school, he has
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to tolerate whatever the Christians teach his

children (Bible verses, Christian songs). In the
same way, since we have the privilege of living
in a democracy where the majority are Hindus,
we will have to accept the developments that we
see today.
You might argue that India is a democracy and
Hindus ought not to do this. That is a totally
false argument. Democracy does not mean that
the majority should remain silent.
A good example of the above is the Nagaland
state of India where there is a Christian
majority. Thus they often start the meetings of
Legislative Assembly and numerous other
government activities with Christian prayers. In
a democracy the majority does not lose its
religious freedom.
The problem with Indian Christians is that they
have enjoyed too much freedom at the expense
of Hindus. They preach endlessly to Hindus,
convert them, and get many other legal
privileges. However, they wish to deny the same
freedom to Hindus. This will not do. Freedom is
a two-way street, and Christians cannot refuse
to Hindus the freedom and privileges that they
themselves have been enjoying for almost six
decades of Indias independence.

What Will Happen To Our Children

While the introduction of Yogic exercises seems
to be a part of the ongoing Hinduization of
Indian education system, the answer is not to
fight against such developments. The majority
have always imposed their views on minorities
whether it be India, USA, or Europe. There is
no way, or need, to fight against it. It is useless
to do so.
The Biblical solution is seen in the story of
Daniel. The King decreed special food and
special training to them as part of changing the
Jewish boys into the new culture. The steward
over them changed their Jewish names and
gave them pagan names as part of the same
process. Daniel or his friends did not fight back
against this system. Rather, he tried to find a
solution to the problem.
We need to remember that he tried to find a
solution because he was well-trained by his
parents to discern between what is good and
what is bad for him. They had also trained him
to be wise so that he did not get into petty
arguments with the non-Jewish people under
whom he was going to spend the rest of his life.
Christian children in India are going to
experience a similar situation in the coming
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days. They are going to be part of a nation

which is not Christian in nature or essence.
Many things here are ok for dedicated
Christians, many are not. They need great
discernment to know the difference. They need
greate discernment to know how to handle the
situation wisely so that they shine as bacons
for the Lord without compromising on
essentials while they simply ignore nonessentials.
Thus if you are worried about what would
happen to your children, the solution lies not
in fighting against the government. You cannot
do that. India is going to be increasingly
Hinduized in coming days, irrespective of who
rules the country. The solution lies in teaching
discernment to your children so that they
behave wisely in every situation that they will
have to face.
The government has already responded well to
the concerns of people from non Hindu
backgrounds and has made it clear that people
of non Hindu backgrounds do not need to chant
verses of Hindu origin. Rather, they are free to
recite verses related to their own religion. This
is a good development. What is left of the
original is just physical exercises, termed Yoga.

Can You Throw Some Light on The

Kinds Of Yoga?

What is termed as the practice of Yoga can be

divided into two major categories: Hatha-yoga
and Yogic-exercises. They are not one and the
same though the word Yoga is common to both.
We need to understand what each one of them
is, and how they differ from each other.

The Tantric Hinduism concept of energycenters in the body called Chakras

Hatha-yoga is a Tantric (occultic) concept. In it

they assume that the body has certain centers
of energy and that the Hatha-yogi (Hatha-yoga
practitioner) moves energies from the lowest
center to the highest with the help of chants,
meditations,
concentration,
and
certain
specific physical activities.
Once the energy from the lowest centers are
moved to the highest center, he is ready for
union (yoga) with para-brahmam the Supreme
One. The Supreme One in Hinduism is a nonpersonal entity totally unlike the personal God
concept of the Christian faith.
This union with the Ultimate is also equal to
Nirvana, Moksha, Escape from cycles of
Rebirth, or the Hindu concept of Salvation.
Hatha-yoga is not some simple ten-minute
exercise for a day or two. It is a practice that
requires long years of practice under a guru of
great attainment. The disciple gradually
progresses from the lowest level to the highest
level during many years of practice. Since
Hatha Yoga is an occult practice, it is not
suitable for Christians.
What is seen in Indian schools is not Hatayoga, and the use of the word Yoga in school
practices is accidental.
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Plain Yoga or Yogic Exercises are what we see

implemented in Indian schools. The correct
name should be Yogic-exercises, but due to a
historical accident today it is called Yoga,
confusing it with the totally different Hatha
Yoga.

Some Yogic exercises

(Commonso.Mediawiki.org)

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Yogic Exercises as they are being implemented

in schools are just Indian form of exercises, and
differ in their form and approach from Western
exercises. Indians have a totally different
outlook about health compared to their
Western counterparts. This difference does not
mean that Yogic Exercises are bad. They only
different. We need to remember that not
everything from the West is holy and not
everything from the East is unholy. Each entity
needs to be evaluated individually.

So What Should Christians Do?

What is being implemented in Indian schools is
Yogic Exercises. This is not Hatha Yoga. Even
chanting of Sanskrit verses with these exercises
do not make them Hatha Yoga. Chanting is
something radically different in Hatha Yoga.
Since everyone has the freedom to chant or not
to chant prayers of his/her religion with these
exercises,
there
is
nothing
inherently
problematic for Christians with what is being
implemented in Indian schools.

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Let them do these exercises. There is no need

to chant anything. Let them pray to God if they
wish to. That is all.

Will They Teach Hata-yoga To My

Children
Hatha-yoga is not some simple ten-minute
exercise. It takes 10 to 20 or more years of
renouncing the family, asceticism, devotion,
study, meditation, and intense practice under
the supervision of an expert Hata-yogi. Thus
there is no way in which Christian children
might be inducted into the practice of Hatayoga.

Many Western Writers Have Warned of

Serious Consequences!
You need to understand two things: their
mindset and their confusion. For many
Western writers, anything and everything that
originates in East is pagan, sinful, and
erroneous. It is this mindset which induces
many of them to quickly label anything from
India as sinful or Satanic.

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Second, most Western writers just search for

the word Yoga and start writing against it.
Many of them do not realize that this word has
acquired two totally distinct meanings in
modern India. Thus what they are writing
about is Hatha-yoga and not Yogic-exercises,
but most readers are not able to understand
this.

Will My Children Become Hindus

Christian children do not leave the Christian
fold because of such external things. Rather,
they leave the Christian fold when they are
exposed to Christians who are unfaithful, who
violate all ethical and moral norms while they
profess to be faithful Christians, and who are
an evil influence upon our children from inside
the Christian fold.
Thus if we are really concerned about our
children, the solution is not to insulate them
from Yogic Exercises in schools. The solution is
to train them from infancy in the way they
ought to go, the way Moses mother trained
him. This also demands that parents spend a
liberal amount of time with them to talk with
them, to answer their doubts, to help them
analyze issues from biblical perspective so that
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they are not swayed in future by every wind of

doctrine or philosophy.
This also demands that each one of us parents
live more faithfully. We need to understand that
in the 21st century most Christian parents have
abdicated their responsibility in these matters.
Their children, in most cases, are brought up
by the TV, by the internet, and by their peers
not really by their parents. A good number of
parents just do not have the commitment to
bring up their children. They simply delegate
this responsibility to the church or to the
society. This is the greatest factor that drives
children away from the Christian faith, not
some exercise in their schools.

Summary
Hatha-yoga is not for Christians. It is an occult
activity. What is being implemented in Indian
schools is Yogic-exercises, which is an Indian
form of exercise for health and agility. It is not
Hatha-yoga and it is spiritually neutral.
Some teachers ask students to chant some
Sanskrit verses. However, students have the
option of not chanting them.

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Yogic-exercises in Indian schools is definitely a

part of Indianizing and Hinduizing the
education system in India. Just as Christianmajority institutions and governments try to
Christianize students, a Hindu-majority
government will try to Hinduize India. One
cannot stop it. One does not have resist it. We
have not been called to un-paganize the world
but rather to hold fast to our faith and declare
it. Neither Lord Jesus nor the Apostles tried to
un-paganize the world.
All this call by some misinformed Christians to
fight against Yogic-exercise in Indian schools is
born out of empty emotionalism. It is also the
result of their improper grasp of biblical truth.
Let the school Yogic-exercises go on, let our
children do them. Let them opt out of Hindu
verses (slokas) as per the freedom given to them
by the government.
Let us spend more time with our children to
train them the way Moses mother did. That is
where we have failed. Let us not be alarmist by
labelling a rope as a snake.

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Picture Credits:

Page
9:
"Chakraserpent"
by
Siddhasana.jpg:
http://www.yogaartandscience.com/abo
ut/about.htmlderivative work: Mirzolot2
(talk) - Siddhasana.jpg. Licensed under
CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F
ile:Chakraserpent.svg#/media/File:Cha
kraserpent.svg

Cover: Public Domain Picture

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