Malaysia continues to be embroiled in controversies even as its embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is preparing to step down from office soon. The current uproar is over the latest fatwa (Islamic edict) prohibiting Muslims from taking up yoga, which it considers ‘haram’ (unclean). If anything at all, this points to a fatwa fatigue. Especially coming so soon after another fatwa admonishing Muslim girls from behaving like tomboys.
Compounding this problem is that the issuance of the fatwa by religious authorities needs the consent of the Malay rulers who are constitutionally the guardians of the religion. In this case, their consent was not sought.
This matter concerns not only Muslims but non-Muslims as well simply because religion is not a private matter but acts itself out in the public square. This is more so as Islam is the official religion of Malaysia. Thus it affects everyone in a variety of ways and in varying magnitude.
Although it differs in form, the substance of the matter may be of equal concern among non-Muslims.
For instance, some Christians and churches in Malaysia, are equally wary of their followers taking up yoga on precisely the same ground as that taken by the National Fatwa Council; that it is rooted in Hinduism.
Undoubtedly yoga is of Hindu origin. So are many things else we find in the country since Hinduism predates Islam in Malaysia. If we want to split hairs, even the etymology of the word ‘Putrajaya’ (Malaysia’s spanking new Federal administrative capital city), is Sanskrit, the language of Hinduism. So do we throw out the baby with the bath water?
Yoga has come a long way from it anciet roots but still the challenge is, how do we practise yoga without embracing Hinduism?
Some churches also warn their flocks to shun martial arts since they originated from temples in China. Tai chi, qi gong, and acupuncture are similarly frowned upon for the same reasons. However, it must be remembered temples in ancient China served as places of worship as well as centres of learning of the arts, science and medicine and much else.
Many Chinese Christians in Malaysia tread an ardous journey in their faith trying to keep what is cultural and what is not consonant with their belief system. Some are easy choices like ancestral worship. We do not worship our ancestors but we honour and respect them as mandated by one of the Ten Commandments. Similarly for Confucius, we can keep the philisophy but we reject his ‘diety’. Others seemingly pose some problems like the ubiquitous Chinese dragon. How do Christians keep out the religious elements and retain the cultural form of this auspicious mythical animal that is deeply etched in the Chinese psyche since the Bible has made it plainly demomic?
We do not live in a black and white world and when the two begin to blur into grey, we are confronted with the challenge of contextualisation. Most times it’s not easy to achieve a middle ground. Indeed, our spiritual baggage is that the sacred and the profane must not mix. Some feel incumbent upon themselves to ensure that the two worlds indeed do not merge, hence the need for fatwas or ecclesiastical edicts.
Even till this day, the Church of England, or the Anglican Church, subscribes to ecclesiastical insurance for its 17,000 churches nationwide. Fortunately, churches in Malaysia need not have to come under such encumbrances. This is because ecclesiastical insurance is not available in Malaysia. Churches may even take up takaful or Islamic insurance without having to worry that they might just be hedging on the wrong side of heaven.
In all this, what is important as the Bible points out in 1 Corinthians 7:19,
“Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” (NKJV).
Clean or unclean, haram or halal, form or substance, the moot point of ecclesiastical edicts is simply that only a ‘circumcised heart’ is required.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
yes, it’s all about the heart, but some churches are adamant that one should avoid all “external influence” totally. prevention is better than cure they say. strange enough, most christians will follow the rule of such churches wholeheartedly… unlike so many Muslims who openly come out and voice out against the fatwas. speaks a lot about Christians really.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I agree with Bob. A guest preacher at a church i used to go to said we couldn’t play role-playing games or computer games because in these, we’d be ‘creating’ characters, and God is the only creator. Pff… Needless to say, I have stopped going to that church.
The problem is that (1) leaders think people can’t think for themselves and (2) some people don’t bother to think for themselves and let their leaders do it for them.
God is amazing, he’s so creative and imaginative. On the basis of this, we might as well not read any book but the Bible, participate in any performances, write or draw or make anything creative.
Yoga is fine. I do yoga once or twice a week. God still loves me. If a Christian feels that they’d be ‘unsaved’ by practising yoga, maybe they should read the Bible from cover to cover, then read it again.
December 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Daniel, what comes to your mind when you read this from http://necf.org.my/newsmaster.cfm?&menuid=12&action=view&retrieveid=1036
“Dr Ng urges Christians, who are practising yoga or who are thinking of taking it up, to seriously consider their motive for doing so. If it is merely for physical exercises, there are other alternatives; if it is for meditation, we need to seriously consider the basis of yoga meditation as it is traditionally practised.
“Why would I hitch my Christian faith to a process which might render myself vulnerable to influence from deceptive spiritual forces?” he asks.”
What would be your response?
December 6th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Hi Bob. Interesting commentary though I am inclined to go along with Sivin Kit’s quoting of Dr Ng. Glad to have met you and Kim. Blessings!
December 8th, 2008 at 12:25 am
I don’t think yoga is for *everyone*, but I’d also think we Christians have got to – how should I say it? – ‘lighten up’ a little?
I recall Dr. Richard Jenson saying that the church has got a lot more important enemies than Harry Potter, and I’d like to add that practising yoga is another ant-hill which can easily be built into a mountain.
Sure there are Hinduistic elements, but isn’t the Christmas tree ‘pagan’ too? Sure we can be spiritually influenced in a negative way via yoga, but this goes for nearly all the movies we’ve watched and will watch (and more than half of the Christian books on the market). Sure the mind risks being ‘disassociated from its normal function’ but in today’s world, c’mon, who’s to say what’ absolutely/categorically ‘normal’ and ‘non-normal’? (Spending more than 5 minutes on Facebook is thoroughly abnormal, IMO!)
Maybe the ‘weak’/strong factor of Romans 14 need to come into view here. If yoga is going to stumble you (or your community), then cool it and take up jogging. If yoga *helps* you gain control of your psychological and physical states (and the class is a great friend-maker), then do it in secret but make sure your life is characterized more and fully by love for God and neighbour. don’t let Yoga define your faith-practice (and don’t let other define you with it).
Kinda like eating serious red meat: if you’re unsure, skip it. and if you do gulp it down, don’t forget the greens. lots of them.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Sivin: thanks for pointing out that out. I agree with Alwyn except I would not do it in secret. Personally, I think if someone is afraid of doing something without having even tried it, then I think that salvation by faith through grace should be taught to that person.
This is why I believe strongly that Christians should not sit pretty and not read the Bible. My goodness, why did Jesus die on the cross? Why was he resurrected? Do Christians honestly believe that God loves us so much that he died for us to save us, but if we do some yoga, he’ll stop loving us? We do a warrior one pose and our salvation is lost? Do a downward dog, and we’re headed downward to hell? Pff!
What’s the point of Jesus’ death and resurrection?
I’m not saying that yoga is for all. I mean, i hate jogging, i’d prefer to swim or cycle (plus jogging is bad for your spine).
Also, sometimes God doesn’t want someone to do something, for whatever reasons he has. And he’ll let that person know. And if you disobey and continue doing it, that person will also know. How? The Holy Spirit.
I think Christians should:
(1) Read the Bible from cover to cover, including different versions, if possible. Even better, read the original text (i haven’t done that though). Maybe even go to Israel. See how the Christians there live and worship, what kind of reverence is held there. If there’s one place in the world which is holy, I believe it must be where Jesus once walked.
(2) Use their brains while reading the Bible. I think the brain, one of God’s greatest gifts to Christians, is sometimes under utilized. This also means attending to questions which pop up in the brain while listening to preachers’ sermons.
(3) Allow God to speak to them as well along their journey. Ask for discernment and if there is fear, pray for courage.
(4) Live life. God didn’t give us life here if he wanted us to live in fear. Fear is a yoke from the devil. Fear of this and that, fear of people different from us, fear of doing yoga, fear of having statues of Jesus and Mary in the church, fear of worshiping God through meditation, fear of speaking up, fear of playing a game, fear of single people, propagated to create paranoia in the church, the devil is laughing itself silly.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Daniel, thanks for you reply. On item (3) I believe discernment is done in community and conversation with others. This will be an important to test our ideas and resonates with the scientific communities practice of testing their theories too
But I think you have raised a very important point on Salvation by grace alone through Jesus Christ. The challenge of Christians as well as other religious people is what they can or cannot integrate with their faith.
Alwyn, BTW, it’s Dr. Richard A Jensen, and I agree with him we need to reset the priorities of what are more pressing battles we should fight with a strong dose of self examination. My take of Dr. Ng’s comments is he did not sufficiently highlight what you have in relation to the discussion and therefore from the perspective of a non-Christians or Hindu specifically and even a friendly to yoga practice Christian, comes across one sided. And the logical conclusion if applied to ourselves as Christians we need to throw out quite a lot of “Christian” practices today, e.g. festivals like Christmas, or some meditative practices (which might come across as mystical)to those who are unexposed to them.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Sivin: true, discernment can be ‘tested’ in the community, much like scientific research. But not necessarily always.
Discernment also can be a gift from God. Some people are aware immediately if a place or thing or person is/has something ‘unclean’ about it/them.
Discernment also can arise from consistent communion with God in prayer or meditation. Prayer is really important, and not just petitions. Just allowing God to wash over you, that’s important. A prayer of pure praise, or gratitude, those are important too.
I mean, if i were to go to the Bible belt in the USA and say what i just wrote here, how would testing this discernment fare with the Christian community there?
Discernment isn’t entirely objective, neither is it entirely subjective.
How do we put smileys on?
December 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
You know, I’m not sure why I wrote ‘in secret’ – and I’d like to take that back (until the reason pops up again).
Thanks for the correction, Sivin.
December 8th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Daniel, I think there will always be a tension between discernment as an individual and as a Christian community as alluded in your final line – “Discernment isn’t entirely objective, neither is it entirely subjective.”
(There’s your smiley! type colon minus close bracket) What is key for me is the need to mention both in the discussion.
There will be times where we might stick out like a sore thumb amongst “Bible belt” kinds of community in the same way we would look strange to a “everything goes” club.
I hear your emphasis on thinking and working through the issues with personal maturity, but in the light of much over-individualism these days where in reaction to institutional religion (especially when it’s abusive and rigid), and then suddenly the individual becomes the new institution, I wonder whether we are in fact missing the point.
I think you’d agree that the personal dimensions and communal emphasis is not an either/or proposition but a both/and. And healthy faith would include both. Coming back to what Bob Teoh originally was highlighting, what we agree on is I believe to avoid legislating morality or in this case lifestyle practices with or without religious origins.
December 13th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Christianity Today website had two interesting pieces on Yoga which might be interesting to deepen the conversation before one makes up their mind.
Go here for opposite views
Yes to Yoga
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=34603
The Truth About Yoga
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/article_print.html?id=44628
like the former controversies on “speaking in tongues” etc, is the question of Yoga going to move into the category of “Adiaphora” (matters of indifference – where it’s not central to the identity of being a Christian)?