Have You Done Your 'Yoga Devotions?'

Tom:Thanks, Gary.You’re listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a program in which we encourage everyone who desires to know God’s truth to look to God’s Word for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to Him.If you’re new to our program, we’ve begun a series on yoga and the popularity it’s having among those who profess to be Christians.Dave Hunt’s book, Yoga and the Body of Christ, has been the resource for most of the information we will be presenting, and Gary will give you the information later on how you can order it from The Berean Call, that is, for those of you who would like a hard copy of the content we will be covering.And for those of you who are not into, or particularly care about yoga, but are concerned about the state of the evangelical church, you will get a rather shocking eye opener as to how basically Hindu religion has entered into evangelical churches, at least, in their basements.So Dave, last week we gave some quotes from those who profess to be Christians and have started yoga programs that they claim benefit one’s Christian spirituality.And they have programs such as yoga devotion, which combines “Yoga poses with Christian music, and thought provoking devotions” and that its “a way to experience the presence of God through these physical expressions of yoga.”This is one of the dozens of programs out there now that attempt to Christianize yoga.Additionally, we’re told by these promoters that yoga fits all faiths, not just Christianity.Well, what about yoga as a physical technique for benefiting one’s growth as a Christian?

Dave:

Well, Tom, we’re talking about two different things, physical and spiritual, and God does not respond to physical approaches.In other words, if I bow, if I light candles, whatever.Physical things, if I have a wonderful cathedral, oh, that would impress God, the more beautiful the better, all the robes that the priests wear, and so forth.No, physical is not spiritual. And the Bible gives no physical techniques for getting in touch with God.We talked about that last week, that’s called divination.A divination device is some physical object which serves as a focus for God or calls God, like a magician’s wand.

Tom:

But Dave, there’s some people out there who think, oh wait a minute here.In the Old Testament God designed so many things and sets up a way that they are to approach Him.How is that different?

Dave:

Well, God did not set up yoga.

Tom:

Well, we know that.We’re going to show explain that—

Dave:

The Old Testament tabernacle and priesthood were specifically given by God to represent heaven, to represent Christ in His sacrifice, and so forth.

Tom:

Right, Christ in the Hebrew means, “the anointed One,”it’s the Messiah.

Dave:

Right, and God said to Moses, “See that you make it according to what I reveal to you on the mount.So everything, right down to the priest’s robes, the instruments, the altars, everything had to be exactly as God gave the pattern.Now, He didn’t give a pattern for yoga, He did not instruct anything about yoga, and in fact the writer of the Hebrews says, This was symbolic, and it was for that time, we’re looking forward to heaven, it’s a picture, Hebrews chapter 9.

Tom:

So Dave, even those things that supposedly, are Christianity, whether it be rituals, which many claim, well, this is just what they did in the Old Testament we’re doing now.For example, we mentioned this time and time again, I grew up in the Roman Catholic church, talk about rituals, candles, incense, all of these imageries, even the priesthood was supposed to reflect Old Testament priesthood, but it doesn’t.As you said, it was for then, not for now, it’s an imitation but it’s a false imitation of what God did then.

Dave:

Well, the Old Testament priesthood is not a New Testament priesthood.Now, it will be carried on by unbelieving Jews, right into the millennium.There will be a millennial temple, but this is for Jews only, and it was looking forward to Christ, it was looking forward to what God would do through Christ.The Jews, I believe, in the millennium will continue to participate in these ceremonies in the millennial temple.

Tom:

As a memorial.

Dave:

Right, but it is not Christian, of course, and Christians are not told to practice the Law, and the Law included all of these forms and ceremonies.But of course, Tom, yoga would not fit in there.We never read of any priest doing yoga, never read that Christ did yoga, never read that there are any physical exercises that would benefit us spiritually.Paul contrasted to, in fact, he says, bodily exercise profits for a little time, (that’s now) but godliness is profitable in all things.So, there’s a difference between godliness and bodily exercises.You couldn’t say that, well, that’s a very godly practice.No, it doesn’t work that way, Tom.

Tom:

Well, sometimes we fall into these ideas that maybe there is some value.How many times have you heard, well, cleanliness is next to godliness?So keeping yourself physically clean.

Dave:

I’ve heard that but it’s not in the Bible.

Tom:

No, but people think it is because they don’t check it out, or they are not thinking critically about such things.

Dave:

But yoga doesn’t fit in there at all.

Tom:

Dave, we have yoga instructors, many who are really trying to be true to what yoga is about, historically and practically.

Dave:

Well, these are not Christian, you know.

Tom:

No, well, you would hope not, as they would professed because obviously, they don’t understand yoga if they are trying to integrate it within Christianity.But anyway, these people honestly acknowledge, in Hinduism and yoga, that there are deities involved, but the problem is they claim it’s no different than the angels.

Dave:

Angels are not deities.

Tom:

No, but—

Dave:

And they are not worshipped as gods.

Tom:

No.

Dave:

And the angel in Revelation— remember? —John fell down at his feet—said:Don’t worship me, worship God.So now we’ve got false gods in Hinduism, and the Hindus worship them, and this is what yoga is about, it comes out of Hinduism.So now Tom, you’re saying that some Christian yoga instructors, they call themselves Christians, they acknowledge they are deities, but they are like the angels.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

Well then, they are not deities.

Tom:

Well, in a sense, Paul said that, behind these idols are demons.

Dave:

Right, every one of them.

Tom:

Right, so, you know, I would concur but only in this way, that the deities, the angels are fallen angels, and they are demons.

Dave:

Absolutely, and of course the yoga masters writing in their books 3,000 years ago, warned that the repetition of the mantra was a call to these entities, these beings who are demonic, to come into them.And Tom, you remember, The Cult Explosion, and we interviewed ex-TM’ers, they have been using Transcendental Meditation, and they were the followers of Mahareshi Mahesh Yogi.TM isform of yoga, it’s taught by a yogi and he had his yogi, Yoga Dev, he was called, who senthim here to teach this.

Tom:

And of course, originally it wasn’t TM, it was called “the spiritual regeneration.”

Dave:

Right.

Tom:

But that was too religious to get into the places that—

Dave:

Well, he wanted it in the public schools, they wouldn’t accept it so he dishonestly changed the name.But I will never forget the testimony of one former TM’er, he said, When I was initiated by Maharishi, he gave me my individual personal mantra, ieng, it was, and I thought that was great chosen just for me.And then, I was reading a book in Hinduism, they all eventually get into Hinduism—I was reading a book in Hinduism later and there’s my secret mantra just for me, ieng, and there’s my secret mantra and it’s the name of a Hindu deity.But this was not supposed to be religious.So, he says, next time I was initiated—or whatever, he had several levels—I ask Maharishi about this.I said, “You told me this was just for me, and that it was just a sound that would help me to relax, and develop my full potential, and I’m reading a book in Hinduism and there’s my name, and furthermore it’s the name of a Hindu deity.But I thought this had nothing to do with religion and spirituality.”Maharishi said, We’ll talk about that later.He never did find out, but Tom, you remember some of the people who were interviewed, suddenly here’s someone in TM—this is yoga, and they are trying to relax, they are repeating their mantra over and over to develop this full potential, this power, there’s a whole lot more to it than that—but anyway, suddenly there’s a demon on each side trying to get into them.Another one says, suddenly, he was up on the ceiling looking down on his body.They were never warned of anything like this.And you remember, Tom, the horrible experiences, some of these people went insane.This is an intensive over in Spain, as I recall, one of them, and you’ve got a whole bunch of them together, several hundred, Maharishi is instructing them, and some of them went berserk, they start throwing furniture around.And then they are seeing—it’s a puja, this is a worship ceremony, worshipping the deities.And when you get initiated into Transcendental Meditation you bring some white cloth and you bring a flower and it goes up there, and then he repeats in Sanskrit, worship for the Hindu deities.Some of them testified and they never expected this, they saw demons over the puja table.So Tom, it’s a very spiritual thing but it is not the truth of God’s Word, and it opposes the truth of God’s Word, and it can get you into demonic possession, and we talked to a number of them who had experienced that.

Tom:

Dave, this is contrary to the Word of God, but in a sense it’s also what we have been saying, is supported by the Word of God.For example, people are saying, oh well they’re talking about demons involved, and all of this stuff.Well, we’ve documented that and certainly mentioned, The Cult Explosion, this is a book you did a number of years ago and I worked on the movie back then, because they didn’t have video.But Dave, we can explain simply, or support simply what we are talking about. Demons are involved, and we mentioned in previous programs that the goal of yoga is the same as the goal of Hinduism, that is, to realize that you are God.Now, where do we find that in the Word of God?Well, first of all we can go to Isaiah, I think it’s Isaiah 14, we have Lucifer in heaven, and angel, one of the highest of God’s creations, rebelling, he will be as the most high, he will be of God.And then we go to Genesis 3, and we find that the serpent, really Satan, is having a dialogue with Eve.And in that dialogue he says, You will be as God.So, that’s self-realization, right?

Dave:

Right. If we look at it very carefully, you see, Satan was not so stupid—well, he is stupid to rebel but not that stupid.

Tom:

Not that foolish because of what he gave up, unbelievable.

Dave:

But not so stupid as to say, I will be God, he said, I will be LIKE the MostHigh.So, in one stroke he did away with monotheism, one God, he initiated polytheism.Well, and then he tells Eve, You can be—he didn’t say, You can be God, and he doesn’t even say, You can be like God, now he’s going to be a little bit higher than the rest of them.

Tom:

This is Genesis, if you want to check us out in this, and we encourage people.You know, the program is, Search the Scriptures Daily, and that’s our encouragement to all our viewers, listeners, to search the scriptures.So, Dave is going to go to Genesis Chapter 3.

Dave:

First of all, the serpent says, Has God said?Now, are you sure this was God really talking, and are you sure you understood?

Tom:

That’s the way all dialogues begin.

Dave:

Right, that’s how every cult begins:Has God said?Well, let me tell you.The woman said,“We can eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God has said, Ye shall not eat of it— (then she adds, neither shall you touch it, well, God didn’t say that)—lest ye die.”The serpent said unto the woman, “You shall not surely die”— (See, he’s got another word in there, well, it’s not actually going to be physical death at the moment—Yeah, but you’re on your way to physical death, you will die spiritually).Verse 5, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”So, you could be one of the gods, too.And. Tom, this was he lie of the serpent, and so how many yoga practitioners or instructors are there, they are all going to realize self.Well, we’ve got a lot of gods!It’s like the Mormons, Mormonism is based on the goal of becoming a god, another god.So every time you’ve got a thousand Mormons that die and head up there, you’ve got a thousand more gods, so the Mormons literally have more gods than the Hindus.But anyway, Tom, we’re talking about yoga, and this opens the door—the purpose of it was to open the door to a spiritual dimension that is based upon the lies of the serpent in the garden.

Tom:

Dave, it’s going back to these techniques.Many people probably are aware that they may not be initiated with regard to a Hindu deity, receiving a Hindu deity, yet there’s the mantra that most yoga instructors present, and that’s the mantra or the chanting of “ohm.” What about that?

Dave:

Well, this “ohm” is supposedly the universal vibration, and that will bring you into union with God, that’s part of it.And again, Tom, there’s no way you can Christianize this— Christians to say, this is Christian, and to call it Christian yoga, and even to say Jesus practiced it.Tom, we mentioned it often, this program is called, Search the Scriptures Daily.Why do we search the scriptures?Because this is the authoritative Word of God, inerrant, sufficient, the Bible claims to be, it proves itself by prophecies fulfilled, hundreds of prophecies, none in any other religious book.There are no prophecies for Hindus, or Buddhists, or Muslims, and so forth.All right, so we know this is God’s Word.Well then we’re going to stick with the Bible.We’re going to study the Word of God, we want to know, What did God say?Remember? When I was on the radio show and the talk show host says:Well, we’ve got a group of experts here in the studio to talk about God.And I said—I’m coming in by phone—Well, how do you get to be an expert on God?But anyway, wouldn’t it make more sense if instead of sitting around talking about God, why don’t we find out what God said about us?Well, this is the Bible, so let’s go to God’s Word and find out what He says about us.This is our authority, Tom.It doesn’t come out of the Hindu vedas, which are contrary to the Word of God.

Tom:

Dave, you quote in your book, the book is,Yoga and the Body of Christ, you quote a typical message on a chat line from somebody who claims to be a Christian.This person says:“Jesus Christ himself taught a form of yoga.But usually ‘Christians’ just don’t get it.I’m a Christian myself and practice yoga the way Jesus taught it…it’s sad that usually my fellow Christians don’t understand this stuff and I’m accused of blasphemy.When you mention yoga and Jesus in the same sentence you’re going to get quite a lecture.”Well, we don’t have to give them a lecture. All we have to do is just what you said, Dave, show us in the scriptures.If you claim to be a Christian, then go to the authority of the Christian faith, which is the Word of God, the Bible, and give us this information.But he can’t, Dave, so how does he come up with these ideas?

Dave:

To make the statement that Jesus practiced yoga, he doesn’t give us chapter and verse of course, it’s not in the Bible, Tom, and I’m only guesstimating but probably it comes from this belief that Jesus, between the ages of 12 and 30, he spent that time in India studying under the Hindu masters, and he would say, well that’s where Jesus practiced yoga.But there is not one scintilla of evidence, nothing in history, nothing in the Bible certainly, in fact the Bible contradicts it.Jesus didn’t say it was his yoga master, as Maharishi says it was Guru Dev who sent me, Jesus didn’t refer to the great yoga instructors. Jesus said it was his Father in heaven who sent him, and He came to die for the sins of the world, altogether different!And to say that Jesus taught and practiced yoga, that is blasphemy!