The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Yoga: Stretching Into The Occult

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One of the signs that we are in the last days before Jesus returns is a proliferation of false teachers promoting false doctrines (Matt. 24:24; Mk. 13:22). In these references Jesus brings forward the idea that these deceptions could even deceive those who are saved, “if that were possible.” While some have contended that Jesus is saying the elect cannot be deceived, a quick look around shows that one of today’s leading deceptions has deeply infiltrated the Christian community. It is what is mistakenly being accepted as a simple exercise program, and yet, it is anything but harmless. The elect have naively embraced the eastern occultic practice of Yoga.

I have felt burdened as of late about the detrimental spiritual affects yoga has had on Christianity, seeing church calendars filled with yoga classes and even witnessing people close to me participating in what is considered a harmless “Christianized” version of yoga stretches. If they only knew how occultic — how demonic — the purposes of yoga truly are. Even the “harmless” exercise portion is in reality various ritual genuflects to Hindu idols.

J.R. HallJeremy (J.R.) Hall, formerly the Executive Director of Berean Watchmen Ministries located way up there in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada, has felt the same burden as I have. Jeremy is actively involved in the international ministry through lectures, contributing articles and commentaries relating to Bible prophecy and Christian living in these later days. He has written an excellent article titled “A Stretch into the Occult: A Christian’s Response to Yoga” that delves deep into the occultic practices and demonic purposes of yoga. Jeremy has kindly allowed me to repurpose his article in the hopes that we can warn Christians away from this satanic deception.

Due to the length of the article, I’ve divided it into three parts: this part on the satanic deception behind yoga, the second on how yoga and Hinduism are one and the same, and finally the reasons why yoga is definitely not for Christians.

The Satanic Deception Behind Yoga

Now I know what some of you might be thinking. “Occult? Oh come on now. Aren’t we over reacting just a little bit? Yoga is just exercise.”

Really?

Who told you that?

A yoga instructor?

Have you ever looked into it?

It has become a disturbing trend as of late for me to witness just how many proclaiming Christians are unaware of the true nature of yoga and what it really means and represents.

Think back to a sunny Saturday afternoon. You’re sitting in your living room when you notice out the window, two young men wearing black ties and white shirts, and going door to door with a black book in their hand.

Yep, you guessed it, Mormons.

You silently watch from your window as they pause for a moment at each of your neighbor’s homes and then your heart beat quickens as you see them now turn up your own driveway. The two young men are clean cut, nice looking and appear quite respectable.

The door bell rings.

You open the door hesitantly and greet them with a smile. You listen to their best evangelistic efforts, but express to them that you yourself are a Christian, and that our belief system and theirs do not mix. You might converse back and forth with the young men, but in the end they go their way, and you stay in your Christian way. (Hopefully)

So how did you do in the face of a false religion? Even if you had a chance to share the gospel with them, it was clear to you that what they believed was different then what Christianity teaches. Perhaps you were prepared and you knew that Mormons believe in a different Jesus, a different salvation and that they are a cult. In any case you just experienced an evangelistic effort of the enemy. You just met two apostles of perdition — two missionaries of that old serpent the devil. And he’s up to his old tricks again, when through these two young men you heard the echoes of the words, “Did God really say?” (Gen 3:1)

Relieved that you got through your ordeal with the Mormons, and perhaps even satisfied that you countered their arguments and planted the seeds of truth in their lives, you now pat yourself on the back for not being caught up in some false religion and that you have the discernment to recognize false evangelists when you see them.

Or can you?

Over the past few decades a missionary arm of another false religion has been allowed to waltz into our society unchecked by the Church; unchecked by those who should know better, and those who should be warning others of the dangers and definitely not partaking in this idolatry with their fellow man.

If one takes the time to study Yoga, it becomes apparent that it is, in fact, the major missionary arm of Hinduism and the New Age movement in North America. There are a surprising number of Hindu influences in our North American culture. Many of these go unchecked or even unnoticed by the Christian Church. For instance:

  • The concept of reincarnation (Hollywood loves this one)
  • Centering and contemplative prayer (Well supported by proponents of the Emerging Church)
  • Karma (has worked its way into our daily conversation)
  • Being ‘One with God’ (Oprah loves this one)
  • Avatar (a common reference on the Internet for a representation of an Internet user either through icon or name)
  • The fame and reverence of the Dalai Lama in modern times.

Hinduism encompasses a wide variety of religious beliefs, and has been influential in the foundations of other religions, such as Buddhism and the New Age Movement and spin-off religions.

In the next part we will look at the teachings of Hinduism and how yoga and Hinduism are one and the same.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

22 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • could it be that another reason for all this deception in and out of the church it the rebellion (they called it freedom) that began in the 60s and 70s has brainwashed a whole generation? and that these people who ran around naked and high are in high levels of position in politics, universities (secular and christian) and even the church? and are the parents of todays children. could that be a major part of the problem?

  • remember, yoga, the new age and "having an open mind" (open to deception that is) really took off in the 60s which is why i wonder if yoga in the "church" and new age thinking that eric and this guy was talking about is so prevelant. i could be mistaken tho

  • if you figure it out sal, let me know. these people (the naked druggies)may not be naked or high anymore (not naked anyway) but their new age yoga mindset or worldview has not changed a bit.

  • Hardawg, ha ha ha ha ha…I have to laugh at your comment cuz of the images it conjured up, thanks brother now I won't be able to sleep tonight with those naked, drugged up leaders of the free world frolicking in my field of dreams. (OBTW hey to Janet Napolitano and her band of merry men – you are now in my dreams, pretty cool huh? ) But I think you be right on the money about how it is not surprising how the church has accepted such junk theology since the leaders accepted junk theology in the 50's, 60's and on and on. And it is something that many pastors and leaders have warned us over for years and decades. We just refused to hear the wisdom of true Godly men and women who saw it coming and tried to keep us focused on God on the Bible.

    Rob from Alabama

  • Uhhhhhhh guys, I was in a hurry to get back to the kids school work when I wrote in on this topic. Was looking again at the posts and realized one of my comments could be taken in a wrong and suggestive way (too emabarrassed to point out the brain freeze, but it might be noticable). The way the comment came out IS NOT what I really meant, it was just a bad attempt at humor gone awry. Please, please excuse my stupidity.
    Embarrased, open mouth insert foot,
    Red faced Rob from Alabama

  • I would like to with Nathan on tyhis one and I would never as a Christian be involved with pagan practices. But stretching and breathing excercises alone are not yoga! They are just stretching and breathing.
    I would also point out that in my opinion participating in Haloween
    dressing up in costumes is still a watered down version of all hollows eve. But don't all secular holidays have some kind of pagan roots?
    Maybe so but I think the key part of staying on the straight path in Christ is to do the research and find out if what you are practicing has complete disconnect
    with the pagan origins.
    Christmas is a perfect example, when the puritans cleaned up the celebration and changes it to a day of worship of Christ it ceased to be the old holiday.
    In short just make sure there is complete disconnect with your stretching and breathing exercise from the pagan Hindu origins.
    Dave

  • I can only be thankful as I find out the things that God has saved me from. Approx. 10 yrs ago, I tried to sign up for a Kundalini Yoga class at my local health club. They had several classes and this one seemed attractive for the stretching of the body that was described. But everytime I tried to join the class, it was full. Eventually I gave up and did stretching on my own. Yours is the 2nd testimony I've heard or read of warnings against Yoga for Christians. Because I didn't take the class, I don't have full awareness of what God saved me from, but my thankfulness to Him grows as I read articles like yours. Thank you.

  • If you noticed, most of these established churches of most protestant denominations that once were very doctrinal has let these eastern mind sets and activities in their church and has been taken over through this emergent movement where they let it all hang out (new age thinking) and when "they" allowed this to get a foot in the door and done nothing then their goes the church! That is why we need to be like the Bereans and test all things. We (the Church) are in very dangerous times and ba'al will do anything to come as a light and to get his foot in that door! We have to learn to test the spirits and call then out, the Lord will honor this and will expose them, but we have to act!

  • I am a former witch, pagan, shaman in training, saved by the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As one who has been there I can tell you that there is something to the positions. Particularly when doing trance work. It is gone into in great depth by the French anthropologist Mircea Eliade who wrote the seminal work for modern shamanism. There is even a foundation for modern shamanism that goes about the country giving lessons on being a shaman. They consider it as something that does not require any particular belief system. There are trance positions that were on the walls of caves- so the old devil has been here doing his dirty work well. And of course folks think it is old and pure and natural and so how can it be tainted. All of these folks deny the existance of the devil. Part of the thing that alsways got me into trouble was my firm belief that evil existed and so many deny its existance. If you think that nothing is evil- you can try anything. And back to the positions- I tried a few as yoga is recommended for fibromyalgia after my return to Christianity and the feeling was not right-now I get this itchy feeling and there is this almost feeling of seduction–because it is. I find any of the new agey stuff is trying to see how far you can go without going to far. Do not lead yourself into temptation….it is hardly worth the risk involved. Myself, the beginning of my turn from Christianity was from an interest in Native American ways.

  • If Christmas is the perfect example of pagan holidays that have been "cleaned up" I would submit that it is also a perfect example of why Christians should not attempt to "clean up", play on the peripheral of, or otherwise dabble with pagan practices, holidays or idols.

  • Thank You so much for this informative article. With the new emphasis on preventative medicine, many will be tempted to practice forms of exercise that are not beneficial to the soul. How did they exercise in Bible times? They danced. (Fully clothed of course, except for one exception by King David.) Dance exercises all muscles and gets the heart rate rate up. ( Always check with your Dr. before an exercise program.) Use your discernment to choose the type that is Praise to the Almighty and not the other kind which pervades our society. I tried Yoga once and it didn't seem right to contort the body in such a way. Thanks for pointing out why it "didn't seem right." Linda Joy Adams

  • Paganism is the exact reason I gave up celebrating Christmas and Easter. I still have people over and we exchange presents (more out of tradition than anything else, I suppose). But when I learned Christmas is actually celebrating the birth of Tammuz…WOW! Talk about a ton of bricks!

    Then I found out Easter is the Babylonian holiday Ishtar (it's not just a terrible movie). WOW! again!

    I now question all Catholic instituted holidays (which includes Hallowe'en, which is a "Christian" form of Samhain).

  • I was in a Christian bookstore the other day and saw a video on the shelf–Christian Yoga. It's like walking through a city and seeing a sign for a Christian brothel. I'm continually confronted with laments about how Christianity in America is losing its impact and how the churches are unable to reach this generation. One doesn't have to contemplate the situation very long to understand why. The boundaries (the healthy ones, not the legalistic malarkey) are disappearing as believers meld into the culture. The distinguishing trademarks of Christianity are being lost amidst a culture of tolerance, acceptance, and a desire not to offend–at any cost.

    This trend in the Western church emphasizes the need for widespread repentance and revival. We cannot afford compromise or conciliation with the Prince of the Power of the Air. Now is the time to draw a line in the sand and say, "No more!"

  • Okay, don't mean to gross anyone out here…LOL, but, "Church in the Air" I agree with your statement about "dance". It works everytime things don't go as I had hoped….in the bathroom. If you know what I mean. LOL Whenever I have this problem, I go turn on some contemporary christian music and just dance. It works every single time! LOLOLOLOL

    Buggg 🙂

  • Yoga is a way of life, a conscious act, not a set or series of learning principles. The dexterity, grace, and poise you cultivate, as a matter of course, is the natural outcome of regular practice. You require no major effort. In fact trying hard will turn your practices into a humdrum, painful, even injurious routine and will eventually slow down your progress. Subsequently, and interestingly, the therapeutic effect of Yoga is the direct result of involving the mind totally in inspiring (breathing) the body to awaken. Yoga is probably the only form of physical activity that massages each and every one of the body’s glands and organs. This includes the prostate, a gland that seldom, if ever, gets externally stimulated in one’s whole life.
    http://www.coomararunodaya.com

  • If we take it your way Nathan, does it look any harm to you if we just join our hands before a Hindu God or Goddess, respecting other religion is a harm? I don't think so,I personally think that will not effect the fact that I'm a Christian. We should stop being so much narrow mind.
    _____________________________
    gabrial24

    stretching exercises

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