Leaders of a 13 major churches of Mizoram have appealed to the church members to refrain from practicing yoga.
Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC) leader and senior executive secretary of Mizoram Synod of Presbyterian Church Rev Lalramliana Pachuau said the churches regarded yoga as something that can "dilute" the doctrine of Christianity and asked the constituent churches of MKHC to issue messages cautioning their members.
"MKHC looks at yoga as being against the teachings and beliefs of Christianity," he said.
Pachuau, however, did not have any objection to the government propagating yoga on the official level as the government is a secular institution.
He said the issue was raised during the meeting of MKHC at the Synod office on June 2.
It was decided in the meeting that yoga is based on Hindu philosophy and cannot be accepted as something that can be blended with Christianity, Pachuau said.
"Yoga exercises may be able to heal some illness, but Christians cannot use it to replace the eternal healing of Christ," he said, adding yoga might be used to "assimilate or convert Christians".
