Tolerance swings both ways

0
357

I am not familiar with Albert Mohler nor do I know if he explained his reasoning for his urging Christians not to practice yoga. But if he had, he might have said what I’m about to say.

As Christians, words are of utmost importance. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God,” should be a familiar passage to all Christians. The word “yoga” means “In union with the spirit.” Yoga that is not spiritual might be called Pilates. What spirit are we in union with when we do yoga? Any spirit other than the Holy Spirit, for us who believe what the Bible says, is very dangerous territory, indeed. This we might be able to get around if we tread carefully. The word “Namaste” means, “I bow to the spirit in you.” That’s where we really have to be careful. It’s been said that “Doing yoga doesn’t make one a Hindu just as sitting in a pew doesn’t make one a Christian.” Nor is everything we do sanctioned by God just because it’s practiced in the basement of the Methodist church. As for me, I’m not taking any chances with the spiritual. I believe in it and I respect it.

As a teacher of the Bible, Mohler seems to have been doing his job to urge Christians to not practice yoga. Many Biblical Christian beliefs are not popular in the world today, but we are told to “Not conform to the world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.” Therefore, if a preacher is speaking what he believes is the truth and is losing church members because of it; it doesn’t necessarily mean that he ought to “Get over it,” as Ms. Linn so intolerantly put it.

Susan Cochrane