One of the ironic twists about Liberalism is that they celebrate a panoply of different cultures, religions and practices, without giving serious thought to the meaning of each of those things.
As a result, they have a simplistic view of these beliefs and practices and are prone to the very sort of “colonialism” (to borrow a word from their lexicon) of which they accuse others.
For example, they might find the idea of “Karma” or “reincarnation” charming, and so add that to the list of things that they “sorta believe”, without giving real thought as to how that would integrate into their values, priorities, worldview or conduct. At the same time, they might argue that they will exist forever as a conscious being in something vaguely called Paradise. If they thought seriously about their beliefs, they would notice that to try to believe both is — to borrow a phrase from the late Dr. R. Nash — “self-referentially absurd.”
Any number of Christian leaders have voiced their disapproval of Christians adopting the practice of Yoga, because they take seriously its original intent and purpose, and think it at odds with the Christian perspective of Redemption. Such objections are predictably dismissed by many who suspect such warnings are a silly overreaction.
Here is a news article by a Hindu who views Yoga from the perspective of a traditional practitioner of the technique. He has reservations of his own; they are interesting and helpful. Aside from his misunderstanding about Paul’s text in Romans (traditionally, the problem is not the body, but the will to sin) he gives an interesting and educated comparison of both traditions, and why they are worlds apart.
