ChurchWatch: Chuches Ban Child Yoga

[major_clanger]

[My new byline for posts highlighting particularly hypocritical, antisocial or just plain daft behaviour emerging from the Church.]

A yoga group for toddlers has been banned from two church halls by ministers who branded it a "sham" and "un-Christian"

Rev Tim Jones, the vicar of St James's, said: "Any alternative philosophies or beliefs are offering a sham - and at St James's church we want people to have the real thing.

"Yoga has its roots in Hinduism, and attempts to use exercises and relaxation techniques to put a person into a calm frame of mind - in touch with some kind of impersonal spiritual reality.

"The philosophy of yoga cannot be separated from the practice of it, and any teacher of yoga (even to toddlers) must subscribe to the philosophy.

"As Christians we believe that this philosophy is false and not something we wish to encourage. Yoga is encouraging people to think that there is a way to wholeness of body and mind through human techniques - whereas the only true way to wholeness is by faith in God through Jesus Christ."

Comments

[annafdd.livejournal.com]

Jesus Christ! Please tell me this doesn't happen in England?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Astonishing.

[annafdd.livejournal.com]

I should not have followed that link. I have read the comments. Good Gracious.

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

This is by no means the first time that a Yoga class has been banned from church premises, but I think it is the first time that it is a mother-and-toddler group.

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

I guess this means they won't be inviting Dawkins round any time soon...

Or the rest of us for that matter!

[maviscruet.livejournal.com]

May I present a disenting view?

This is a tricky subject. I've done Tai Chi in a church hall and it has occured to me that the philosphical and religous underpinnings of that simply did not match with the teachings of hte christian church. So why was I there?

Lets be honest - nobody would expect a jewish temple to host an Alpha class? Nor would we expect a church hall to host an Islamic prayer meeting.

And yoga does stem from hindoisum. So what's the problem with there decision?

Personally I think part of the problem is that the 'church hall' is actually more 'the community hall' but it's linked to the church at least in part because the chruch and state in this country are mixed.

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

Well, we all know what priests think of when one mentions "child yoga"...

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

Its their building, and they can do as they want. BUT this publicity does not show them in a good light, and rejecting community outreach does not do much for ideas of religious tolerance.