DON’T ADD YOGA TO CHRISTIAN PRAYERS
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
If yoga were a part of Christian prayer life, the Bible would have instructed Christians in yoga. But the Bible does not do that. Therefore, taking yoga into a so-called Christian prayer is nonsense and may be worse. It could open the spirit to demonic spirits. Yoga is not of Judeo-Christian origin. It is of other religions origin. Not good.
If that sounds too way out, consider this: In the Bible, the Lord has provided every bit of information necessary regarding communicating with Him. There is absolutely no mention of yoga. There is mention of meditation, intercession, agonizing in prayer as Jesus did in all-night prayer, praise in prayer, practical praying such as mentioning specific needs and expectations, and so forth.
If God had meant for yoga to be a divinely recognized prayer exercise, He would have included that mode in His revealed truth. However, God has not done that. Because of that, biblical Christians call the matter over and out. Done with. No more discussion necessary.
That’s the position that I have always taken. I immediately become suspicious when believers start compromising the divine revelation. It smacks of adding unto the divine Word, such prohibited in the Word itself. What God has spoken, He has spoken. There is no hint in the Bible of ongoing revelation on the par of the biblical revelation. None.
Every time the Christian church has tried to champion so-called ongoing revelation, the church has branched out into heresy or outright sin. Consider the present-tense acceptance of the practicing homosexual lifestyle as divinely blessed; adherents say that this is provided them via ongoing revelation, even though it directly contradicts biblical data.
The Early Church was directed by the Holy Spirit in what books to regard as divine revelation and what books to negate as bogus or not worthy of that status.
Believers by faith accept the canon of Scripture as closed because the Holy Spirit closed it. Because Christianity is all based on faith, there is no quibbling with others who do not accept the Christian base by faith. But for that believer who has made that faith decision concerning the Bible, then the matter is settled.
Therefore, when I read in the Florida Catholic web site of a yoga Christian prayer group, one more time the suspicions started to loom. And for good reason.
There is no need for this yoga dimension. There is no reason why any Christian congregation should advertise such. There is in fact all logic why a Christian gathering should prohibit yoga or any other adaptation from other world religions.
Christ has stated that He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Him. Christ Himself singled out His incarnation as special, unique and the only means of salvation. That’s particularizing salvation’s entry; nevertheless, though some call it scandalous, real Christians call it praiseworthy and wonderful.
Christ is our all in all. No need to borrow anything from other religions. Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the all-sufficient, the all-consuming, the all-complete.
It is blasphemous then to add on to an already complete Christ. He needs no add-ons, including yoga when a Christian comes to Him in prayer.
If yoga were a part of Christian prayer life, the Bible would have instructed Christians in yoga. But the Bible does not do that. Therefore, taking yoga into a so-called Christian prayer is nonsense and may be worse. It could open the spirit to demonic spirits. Yoga is not of Judeo-Christian origin. It is of other religions origin. Not good.
If that sounds too way out, consider this: In the Bible, the Lord has provided every bit of information necessary regarding communicating with Him. There is absolutely no mention of yoga. There is mention of meditation, intercession, agonizing in prayer as Jesus did in all-night prayer, praise in prayer, practical praying such as mentioning specific needs and expectations, and so forth.
If God had meant for yoga to be a divinely recognized prayer exercise, He would have included that mode in His revealed truth. However, God has not done that. Because of that, biblical Christians call the matter over and out. Done with. No more discussion necessary.
That’s the position that I have always taken. I immediately become suspicious when believers start compromising the divine revelation. It smacks of adding unto the divine Word, such prohibited in the Word itself. What God has spoken, He has spoken. There is no hint in the Bible of ongoing revelation on the par of the biblical revelation. None.
Every time the Christian church has tried to champion so-called ongoing revelation, the church has branched out into heresy or outright sin. Consider the present-tense acceptance of the practicing homosexual lifestyle as divinely blessed; adherents say that this is provided them via ongoing revelation, even though it directly contradicts biblical data.
The Early Church was directed by the Holy Spirit in what books to regard as divine revelation and what books to negate as bogus or not worthy of that status.
Believers by faith accept the canon of Scripture as closed because the Holy Spirit closed it. Because Christianity is all based on faith, there is no quibbling with others who do not accept the Christian base by faith. But for that believer who has made that faith decision concerning the Bible, then the matter is settled.
Therefore, when I read in the Florida Catholic web site of a yoga Christian prayer group, one more time the suspicions started to loom. And for good reason.
There is no need for this yoga dimension. There is no reason why any Christian congregation should advertise such. There is in fact all logic why a Christian gathering should prohibit yoga or any other adaptation from other world religions.
Christ has stated that He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Him. Christ Himself singled out His incarnation as special, unique and the only means of salvation. That’s particularizing salvation’s entry; nevertheless, though some call it scandalous, real Christians call it praiseworthy and wonderful.
Christ is our all in all. No need to borrow anything from other religions. Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the all-sufficient, the all-consuming, the all-complete.
It is blasphemous then to add on to an already complete Christ. He needs no add-ons, including yoga when a Christian comes to Him in prayer.
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