World religions: Christian Approaches and Reflections
Contributed by Rev. Cannon Kevin Flynn
Christians who practice yoga will sooner or later be approached by a friend or concerned pastor who brings dire warnings that such practice is a step onto a slippery slope leading to apostasy— falling away from the faith— or worse. Such warnings often betray an ignorance or misunderstanding of yoga, not to mention, all too often serious misunderstandings of Christianity.
Rather than get into the details of either side of this debate – the arguments are well-rehearsed in many books, articles, blogs, etc. – I think Christians would do well to examine their own preconceived attitudes to non-Christian religions, spiritualities, and philosophies. Such presuppositions inevitably influence how we interpret the evidence and claims for or against a Christian yoga practice.
Two Approaches to Understanding “Religion”
What do we even mean by “religion”? One general approach has understood religion as the human search for God and salvation. The emphasis lies here on the human quest. When we look at the religions of the world, we see the various ways that this quest has found expression in different places and cultures. Many Christians hold to this understanding but contend that Christianity is of a different order. Rather than being an account of the human search for God, Christianity is based on God’s self-disclosure in seeking humankind in history.
A second approach holds that God has witnesses everywhere. That is, God’s self-revelation has always and everywhere been entering human consciousness (see e.g. Psalm 19; Romans 1:19-20). Responses to that self-revelation are inevitably culturally and historically conditioned. The result is expressed in moral codes, teaching, patterns of worship, institutional structures, and so on. Religion is undoubtedly human, but it is the human response to the self-revealing God. Christianity, in this view, is like other religions of the world.
From these two fundamental understandings of religion, Christians go on to two further ways of evaluating other religions, each of which includes two further subsections.
Typical Methods for Christians to Evaluate
EXCLUSIVIST VIEW
We can call the first approach “exclusivist.” In this view “religion” and “revelation” are antithetical. Merely human, religion is the futile human attempt to grasp the ungraspable. The only way people can know God is through God’s gracious self-revelation in calling the people of Israel and then finally and completely in Jesus Christ. Because Christianity is based on nothing less than God’s self-revelation especially in Christ, it is the only true religion. Christians suspicious of or hostile to yoga probably hold to this view.
A variant of this view sees value in the human search for God but holds that God’s self-revelation in Christ fulfils and perfects these aspirations. This approach often speaks of non-Christian religions as “natural religions” and Christianity as “revealed religion.” While this variant ascribes real value to the natural religions, Christianity remains nevertheless inherently superior.
INCLUSIVIST VIEW
The second major approach to understanding the religions of the world might be called the “inclusivist.” It contends that the religions of the world are all responses to God’s initiative. Christian inclusivists tend to embrace one of two variations of this basic understanding.
The first would be to see all religions, especially the major ones, as genuine human responses to revelation. It sees Christianity still as inherently superior because it is based on the definitive self-revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
The second is a pluralistic approach that holds all the major religions of the world as equally valid responses to God. Knowledge of God is inevitably culturally and historically conditioned. This accounts both for the variety of religions and their equality. No culturally conditioned response is better than others.
MY OWN VIEW
Christians are just like people everywhere in that we are inherently social beings. God may address us individually but does so also in the social structures and cultures we create. Indeed, Christians encounter God primarily in the experience of the Christian community. The Scriptures, the rituals of worship, the witness of Christian living all give us our foundational and formational experiences of God.
Christians believe that God is a God of love. This God desires the salvation of all. Any encounter with the living God is, at least to some extent, saving and transformative.
I find that the essentially social nature of human beings makes it impossible for me to hold to the exclusivist view of other religions. Christians believe that God is a God of love. This God desires the salvation of all. Any encounter with the living God is, at least to some extent, saving and transformative. An exclusivist view that denies any encounter of God whatsoever outside of Christianity betrays a monstrous image of God.
What’s more, it is hard to deny that there are genuinely holy people of other faiths. Christian yogis in particular may be able to identify their own experiences of meeting such saintly people. We do not need to magnify Christianity by denigrating or denying that these people have been touched by God.
The “wonderings” you read on this website are the witness of Christians who speak confidently from their Christian commitment of their encounter with God. When I read these reflections, I believe I am listening in on a dialogue between Christians and another ancient tradition which too speaks of meeting the divine presence with all its healing power.
For further reflection:
How do I as a Christian regard other religions and spiritual traditions?
How did I come by this view?
If you are a version of “exclusivist,” can you see any wisdom in the “inclusivist” view?
If you are a version of “inclusivist,” can you see any wisdom in the “exclusivist” view?
Do any fears or other strong emotions arise when I consider these questions? What might those emotions signify?
For further reading:
Take a deeper dive into the intricacies and existential mine fields involved in introducing world religions to today’s college students, by John Mahn, associate professor and chair of religion at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL