Question: In both your books and the newsletter you have spoken against Christians practicing ...

Question: In both your books and the newsletter you have spoken against Christians practicing yoga. The 5/19/05 Christianity Today online has an article in which the author testifies that yoga has never had any negative effect on her because she considers it merely to be stretching exercises and her focus is on the Lord, not on some Hindu deity. She notes that Paul says that a believer may have perfect liberty to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Why wouldn’t this passage apply to yoga as well? Aren’t you keeping many from a helpful and healthy exercise by warning against yoga?

Answer: We could give far more testimonies of those who have been demonized or driven to suicide or suicidal thoughts through yoga. Tragically, increasing numbers of evangelical churches are sponsoring classes in yoga. Having dealt with this in the past (see TBC Aug ’98), and because we have a book on this subject coming out in a few months, I won’t go into details. In simple terms, if one desires to be physically fit, one should adopt exercises specifically designed to fulfill that end. If one desires to realize one’s innate godhood (self-realization) and achieve union with Brahman (the universal soul), then practice yoga, which is specifically designed to accomplish that end. Of course, there is no such “realization,” but Satan and his demons are capable of leading the gullible into this delusional state.