Is Yoga A Religion?

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.In this first segment of our program we’re beginning a series on yoga and its influence upon those who profess to be Christians.We touched upon that subject in the past, but given the current popularity of yoga, especially within the church, we thought we’d do a more in-depth evaluation of the topic.Of course, in the process of explaining yoga we will be referring to the major beliefs and practices of the East, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Eastern Mysticism and the New Age movement, which is the westernized version of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Eastern Mysticism.And for those who would like to have an additional help in understanding the subject, we’ll be using Dave Hunt’s book, Yoga and the Body of Christ.Gary will tell you how to order Dave Hunt’s book, Yoga and the Body of Christ later in the program.Dave, when I talk to those who profess to be Christians and are practicing yoga, I’m really astounded at how resistant they are to except information that clearly shows yoga to be a religion that is diametrically opposed to their Christian beliefs.Has that surprised you as you’ve discussed your book with people?

Dave:

Well, Tom, I guess nothing surprises me anymore.I might have been surprised years ago.I don’t want to sound too negative, as they would say, but very few people want to believe the truth.You remember the little sign we used to have, I used to see it in the business world on somebody’s desk, “Don’t confuse me with facts, my mind is made up.” And, it’s pretty much that way.Tom, you know, we’ve tried to get people to awaken to the fact that Catholicism is the same today as it was in the Middle Ages at the time of the Reformation.That the Catholic gospel is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.That they, well, we won’t go into those details of what it is, but Tom, you know you can’t get people to consider the facts.

Tom:

And, Dave, what we’re encouraging here again, the name of the program is “Search the Scriptures Daily.”In other words, don’t even buy what we say.We want some critical thinking here.Give it some thought.Dave, I remember when we, 25 years ago, when we did the Seduction of Christianity trying to convince people that Mormons actually believe that they would become gods.They were astounded by that.And, of course, we’ve moved so far away from discernment, critical thinking, that it’s, and we just want to encourage people to do that very thing.

Dave:

Yeah, so Tom, you put your finger on another problem.Why wouldn’t they believe that Mormons actually believe that they can become gods?In fact, that’s the whole goal of Mormonism, is to become a god, that’s why they have a temple and the temple ceremonies, etc.Because people have in their minds an idea about something and it’s not based upon the facts, it’s just based upon hearsay or the way they want to look at it.Now, so you can’t tell me that Mormons believe that, why I have Mormon neighbors.Or that Catholics believe this.Yoga?There are so many millions of Americans practicing yoga, they’re not becoming Hindus, are they?So, what are you talking about?So, Tom, if I’m going to find out what Catholicism is, for example, I need to go to the authoritative documents of the Catholic church.Now, they claim to go by the Bible, but they also go by tradition.Tradition is on the same level as the Bible.What do they really believe?Oh, they believe Jesus died for our sins on the cross and resurrected.Oh, that sounds good.But you can only get to Jesus through Mary.Jesus is still dying.The Catholic priests are still offering Him.Now, that’s a little bit of a problem, isn’t it?But,

Tom:

You have to be baptized, Dave.The door to heaven only opens through baptism.

Dave:

Absolutely.So, what we want to talk about, Tom, what is yoga?Not what the YMCA instructor will tell you about it because they won’t tell you anything.What is it?Where does it come from?What is the purpose of yoga?I often say to people, why, I’m just trying, you know I’m in to this for physical fitness.Well, I say, look, if you’re interested in physical fitness, why don’t you adopt exercises that were designed for physical fitness?I guarantee you, yoga was never designed or practiced for physical fitness.

Tom:

And, Dave, you’re saying that but you’re speaking from the view of those who began yoga and those who practice it as close to the original way it was developed as possible.So, this is not your view.It’s just the view of the experts.

Dave:

Right.Well, it’s the view of the Hindus.It comes from Hinduism.Shiva, he’s one of the trimerty of gods, you know, the three.

Tom:

The Destroyer.

Dave:

Right.The Destroyer is the most feared god in Hinduism.He is called Yogeshwara, the master of yoga.And the books on yoga in India identify Shiva as the first instructor of yoga.It’s introduced in the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna and this is pure Hinduism and the purpose is self-realization.But, anyway, Tom, I’m getting ahead of you and you want

Tom:

No, but that’s a good general overview, Dave, and we are going to, as we progress through this series of programs, we’re going to explain many of these things in detail.You opened the book, I don’t know if it’s for shock value or whatever, but as you said, you just wonder what shocks people anymore.But you opened the book with a congressional resolution honoring Yogi Bhajan.Now don't’ get him confused with Yogi Berra, okay, this is not the former catcher of the New York Yankees, Yogi Bhajan, now what’s that all about?

Dave:

Well, Yogi Bhajan is a guru, he’sdead now, the founder of a, well, some Ashrams, which is where you go to study this and to practice it.His followers would claim, and he would claim that he introduced kundalini yoga into the United States.Now, actually kundalini yoga, well, kundalini refers to the coiling of the serpent force, the serpent in the base of the spine.

Tom:

Yeah, a spiritual energy that’s within us all, supposedly.

Dave:

Yeah, and yoga is designed to release this through the “chakras” the four centers, and so forth.Kundalini is demonic, this is the serpent, and they call it serpent power openly, we get to that later on another program, but he brought this to the United States.Now, we don’t say it at the beginning, but later on we show you that all of these gurus, the famous ones, they were sex perverts, they were into all kinds, you couldn’t even believe what they were involved in.

Tom:

Drugs.Supposedly, they said when they had ill effects from all of these things they were taking on the karma of the world, Dave.

Dave:

Right.Yogananda, that’s why he died, he was taking on.But he himself initiated more than 100,000 into what he called, Kriya Yoga which is also Hatha Yoga, same thing as physical yoga.Well, it’s just physical, what could be wrong with that?So, Yogi Bhajan, he brought Kundalini Yoga.Wow!Now that is bad stuff!But let me just say how we opened this.On April 5^th and 6^th 2005 respectively, the U. S. House and Senate unanimously passed a joint resolution praising this deceased Sikh leader Yogi Bhajan, for his “teachings about Sikhism and yoga.”Now Tom, supposing we wanted—well, why don’t you have a resolution in Congress praising Jesus Christ for His teachings?After all, He rose from the dead.Yogi Bhajan is not going to be able to do that.He will resurrected for the judgment day.No, you couldn’t possibly have that.You can’t have Christianity.May 11, there was a special reception, U.S. Capitol commemorating this Congressional Resolution.It was attended by U. S. Senators, representatives, member of the U. S. Department of State, representatives from the government of India, dignitaries, officials, members of the Sikh faith, because he’s a Sikh, this is a Hindu sect.

Tom:

Right, sure, it’s denominational within it.

Dave:

Right, and the news release declared that Yogi Bhajan improved the lives of thousands “through his teachings on yoga and Sikh Dharma.”Now, Dharma is what I must do to be saved, actually.

Tom:

It’s works.

Dave:

Right, my Dharma is different from your Dharma, you know but it’s what we must do in order to attain paradise, moksha, nirvana, whatever you want to call it.So, this is his salvation.

Tom:

And Dave, through his organization, which he founded, 3HO.Now why wouldn’t this be attractive to people?What do the H’s stand for?Healthy, Happy, Holy, now what could be wrong with that?

Dave:

Is that purely physical?

Tom:

Yeah, the Holy part.

Dave:

I wouldn’t think so.But anyway, Tom, I started out that way because I wanted them to see the honor that is given.See, Young Men’s Christian Association, YMCA, or Young Women’s, YWCA, started out as Christian.Today you’ve got yoga in every one of them.Anything but Christian, and yet we have, as you mentioned, we have Christian yoga instructors.And they are in Baptist churches, they are in evangelical churches, and I thing they say, “Well, this is wonderful, you know, relaxation.”I don’t want to get ahead of you, Tom, but we’ll come back and talk about that.What is this relaxation of yoga all about?

Tom:

Well, let’s go back to the spiritual side of this.Again, Congress honoring this man for spirituality.Now, I’m quoting from your book, you talk about Bhajan Yogi technique, Sa-Ta-Na-Ma mantra, and what’s that all about?Well, “Using this technique said Yogi Bhajan, you can know the Unknown and see the Unseen.If you spend two hours per day in meditation, God will meditate on you the rest of the day.”But see, Dave, but it has nothing to do with spirituality.I mean, come on!

Dave:

But Tom, they are argued that in the House and Senate.But it couldn’t be a religion, I mean, because separation of church and state, we don’t do that sort of thing, but here it is, they won’t do it with Christianity, Christianity is outlawed practically.So, he says, You project this Sa-Ta-Na-Ma mantra, you project it mentally from the back top of thehead down, and then straight out the third eye.Third eye, that’s the occult center between the eyebrows, and bridge of the nose.And this is what they honor—Congressional Resolution honors him for teaching this to thousands, probably millions of Americans, and he has benefited societythrough this.Tom, we wrote, The Seduction of Christianity, how much greater seduction could you ask from this, with people honoring Hindu deities in the name of Jesus Christ in Christian churches?Well, I think we need to wake up, so that is why I wrote the book.

Tom:

Right.Dave, one of the frustrations we deal with continually is really, as we mentioned earlier, lack of discernment among Christians who buy into anything that, and particularly that seems to acknowledge Jesus.Now what I want our audience to understand is, we’re not against anybody who has a religious view.In other words, we think everybody should be free to promote whatever they want.But what, I think, our audience will find as we go through this is there is a deceit involved.You mentioned, we talked about earlier, a anti-Christian prejudice that’s pervasive in this country, which I think you could say reasonably, that itbegan as a Christian nation.Well now, it’s not only post Christian, it’s really anti-Christian.But Dave, I’m going to give you a quote from your book, give our audience a quote from the book.Again, this acknowledgement of Jesus, it seems like most Christians, well, you see something friendly or something positive about Jesus, well wow, the excited about this!But listen to this:“The heart of the true Hindu goes out to the Man on the cross, who exclaimed even at that hour, Father! Forgive them; for they know not what they do!The true Hindu is all admiration for the great Prophet of Arabia (Muhammad) who literally transformed a barbaric people into a well-knit moral society.But he can never tolerate (talking about the true Hindu) the small-minded fanatics who try to pooh-pooh every other faith.”In other words, Come on, they love Jesus, we all love Jesus. But this is not the biblical Jesus, and people go for it.It’s hard to fathom this.

Dave:

Well, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.Everyone listening, I think, knows that.If they don’t, they don’t know anything about the Bible or about Christianity whatsoever.Now, how can you meld that or blend that in with Hinduism?Well, they are many ways.You’ve got your way, you know, they’ve got 330 million gods, but the Bible says there is one God.The God of the Bible says, I am God, there is none else!He even asked the question in Isaiah 44:“Is there a God besides me?I don’t know of any.”But Hindus have 330 million, take your pick.Well, but that’s okay.Now Tom, why do we even bother with this?Because there is one way to heaven.Jesus said, “I am the way.”Now, this Hindu you are quoting says, “We can’t regard these small-minded people who criticize other religions.”Well, listen to Jesus, “He that believeth on the Son, (that’s Himself) has life.He that believeth not the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”Now, to believe in the Son of God, what does that mean?Well, I believe there was some guy named Jesus Christ back there, I think he was historic.I even believe that He died on the cross.That’snot enough!You have to believe on Him, you believe in Him, what He said.He said He’s the only way.He said that He is God Himself come as a Man.Well, you don’t believe that?He said—well, the Bible says if you don’t believe that Jesus is God, you’re lost! You don’t believe that He resurrected, He rose from the dead, you’re lost!You don’t believe that he bore your sins, that He paid the penalty for your sins, you’re lost!Oh, I believe in Jesus, wonderful man, yes, great example.Sorry, you are not a Christian, and you do not believe in the Jesus Christ who saves sinners, who died for our sins and rose from the dead.So don’t say you believe in Jesus, and you admire Him.In fact, you are calling Him a liar, because you are denying what He himself said about himself, and what the Bible teaches.

Tom:

Well, in effect, they have made up their own Jesus, and we see that in many religious movements, religious organizations that claim to be Christian, whether it be Unity School of Christianity, another Jesus, or the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, another Jesus.It’s not the biblical Jesus.And Dave, the things that you said, these aren’t your ideas, this is what the scripture teaches, and that’s all we’re doing, we’re pointing to the scriptures.

Dave:

Well Tom, instead of talking about Yoga so much it’s getting to be a general apologetics, but I think it’s needed as an introduction.

Tom:

Without a doubt.

Dave:

If for example, we have Christians today who say, “Well, I just can’thandle the first 11 chapters of Genesis.”You don’t believe in the origin of man as the Bible declares it--why should you believe in what the Bible says about the destiny of man? Well, the Bible says that sin entered into the world, I mean, that silly idea, Eve ate that fruit.Well, it was rebellion against God in disobedience.Yeah, but I don’t see how that could be so bad, that couldn’t be that serious, and I just don’t believe the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden.Okay, you don’t accept the biblical account of how sin came into this world, how it separated man from God for all eternity unless something was done about it, then why would you believe what the Bible says about God’s solution to sin?The Bible is one book, you can’t just pick and choose.So a person says, yeah, oh, I believe in Jesus.But you don’t believe in the Jesus of the Bible, you believe, as you said, Tom, you’ve made up your own Jesus, or you are following some Jesus that someone else has made up.But you can’t do that. You have rejected Jesus Christ.Now yoga, Tom, is actually a false way of salvation.It’s a false promise of heaven, it’s a different heaven, it’s sometimes called, nirvana.The Hindu calls it, moksha.It’s escape from time, sense and the elements.In other words yoga came to the West, it’s being promoted here by yoga instructors all over.Look it up in the yellow pages.It’s promoted as a way of improving your health.In India, and I guarantee you, this is where it came from, it’s a technique for dying.So moksha is an escape from my physical body.It’s an escape from this world, which is Maya, it’s just a figment of our imagination, we’ve all made it up, and this is the Hindu heaven.Okay.Now that is not the biblical heaven!Do you want to go to that heaven, okay, practice yoga.You’re going to do it for your physical fitness?No, this was never designed for physical fitness, it was designed to attain unity with Brahman, Brahman the universal god, Brahma the individual soul, Brahma and Brahman become one; there’s a saying in Hinduism, That thou art.That’s who you are, it’s the same thing the serpent told Eve and the Mormons teach, you are God.Well, some people teach that, Mormons say you can become God through our temple practices, and so forth.So Tom, in fact it’s taking people away from the truth, taking people away from God and Jesus Christ, giving them a substitute way of salvation.

Tom:

Again Dave, the things that you are saying, they are backed up by the experts.Maybe the most popular name in this country, at least as I remember it, among yoga teachers would be Richard Hittleman.He was on PBS, and he had programs all over the place on it.Anyway, this is what he says:He says, “As yoga students practice the physical positions they would eventually be ready to investigate the spiritual component which is the entire essence of the subject.”It’s all about spirituality, and as we get on with the series of programs we’re going to explain that in more detail for our audience.