Is yoga anti-Christian?

An evangelical leader ignites debate by warning his flock to stay off the yoga mat for fear of worshiping false idols

Though one evangelical leader is attacking yoga, some Christians say the meditative practice has actually revived their faith.
(Image credit: CC BY: lululemon athletica)

Is yoga really incompatible with Christianity? That's the belief of evangelical leader Albert Mohler, who claims that yoga's spiritual underpinnings violate the tenets of the Christian faith. The Southern Baptist Seminary president last month wrote an essay warning Christians not to practice the meditative discipline because it derives from Eastern traditions. "That is just not Christianity," he wrote. Mohler's warning prompted a flood of protest from people crediting yoga with reviving their spirituality, even their Christian faith. Is it too much of a stretch to call yoga anti-Christian? (Watch an AP report about the controversy)

Christians can practice yoga without blaspheming: Granted, "Christian yoga" is an "oxymoron," says Tiffani Burnett-Velez at Yahoo! News. But there is nothing anti-Christian about doing stretching and breathing exercises if you are not actively "praying to Hindu gods." Simply carrying out an exercise program doesn't make you into an unbeliever.

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