The Modern-Day Crusade Against Mindfulness
Clifford Jones
Founder and Managing Partner, Clarity Strategic Coaching, LLC - Ask me about coaching, workshops, and speaking engagements addressing executive, leadership, and workplace stress.
Why Some Individuals See Mindfulness As a Religious Threat
Mindfulness, meditation, contemplation, and an insatiable curiosity about how God and the Heavenly realms work have made all the difference in my quality of life. Instead of being a first-born, Type-A, selfish control freak, I’m better now. Just ask my wife of almost forty years. She knows the truth. I am a work in progress, just like the rest of us.
Becoming more mindful is a fundamental goal for humans. Other animals do not need mindfulness because they don’t have the same level of consciousness we share. Dogs, cats, and turtles just are. On the other hand, because we tend to think terrible and nasty thoughts about ourselves and others, we need mindfulness more than ever now.
Who would argue that becoming more mindful is a bad thing, especially for school-age children who are facing an epidemic mental health crisis? I donate money to a local mindfulness organization in Arizona, where I live. They are doing fantastic work helping children discover the power of mindfulness in schools.
One of the benefits of helping teachers and students learn mindfulness was that the kids changed so profoundly that their parents would call the schools asking how they could get mindfulness help at home.
The Lawsuits
I don’t want to dwell on the negative. One of my goals is to help people of any faith better understand that mindfulness, meditation, and contemplation are fundamental to raising our consciousness out of the gutter.
One of the most prominent legal cases occurred in Encinitas, California. In 2013, parents sued the school district for including yoga classes in public schools. They argued that yoga promotes Hinduism and violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits government institutions from endorsing any religion.
The parents claimed that practices such as chanting and specific poses had religious undertones that contradicted their Christian beliefs. However, the court ruled in favor of the school district, finding that the program had been sufficiently secularized. Bravo!
A similar controversy occurred in Georgia when parents objected to mindfulness and yoga programs that included meditation, prayer-like gestures, and mandalas. You can read more about it in the School Sued for Banning Yoga article .
Despite the school’s efforts to remove explicitly religious symbols, tensions escalated, and the program was eventually altered. This case illustrates the ongoing resistance to incorporating practices that many still perceive as inherently religious despite scientific evidence showing their psychological benefits.
Root Causes of the Legal?Battles
The legal challenges against mindfulness and yoga often stem from fears of “religious encroachment.” Conservative Christian groups are among the most vocal opponents. They argue that even secular versions of these practices contain spiritual elements.
Jay Sekulow, a legal advocate for Christian causes, has claimed that mindfulness and yoga are forms of “stealth Buddhism,” smuggling Eastern religious ideas into secular institutions. While it is true that some try to secularize mindfulness practices found in Buddhism, mindfulness is fundamentally not religious. There are plenty of references to mindfulness in Christianity. The entire purpose of the Bible is to help us lift our consciousness toward the Creator. In doing so, we become more mindful of our ways through our Creator.
“Are Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools Religious?” discusses the controversy surrounding the introduction of yoga and mindfulness in public schools. Proponents argue that these practices provide mental health benefits, helping students manage stress and improve focus.
Yet, these fears are rooted in cultural misunderstanding rather than mindfulness’s effects. Research shows that when offered in a secular context, these practices focus on physical and mental health?—?such as stress reduction and emotional regulation?—?rather than promoting any particular spiritual or religious worldview.
For example, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer of mindfulness in Western medicine, explicitly designed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to avoid religious connotations, describing it as simply “paying attention on purpose. ”
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What the Bible Says About Becoming?Mindful
From my humble perspective, as one who has studied all the world religions, I follow Jesus, what he said, and what he did to the Red Letter as best I can. I train myself to seek the similarities in the world religions more than the differences I might judge.
Again, there are more similarities between mindfulness, contemplation, meditation, and prayer than differences if one is willing to seek them. Let’s review several verses in the Bible that reference mindfulness.
It’s pretty clear what ageless wisdom is guiding us to achieve: become more mindful of how we show up while here in the school of life. More verses illustrate key aspects of mindfulness, such as present-moment awareness, inner peace, and releasing anxiety. They also emphasize the importance of a still mind and heart to connect with something higher.
Making Mindful?Progress
Over the past decade, mindfulness, yoga, and similar healing practices have become common in schools, hospitals, and wellness programs. Advocates argue these practices promote mental and physical health, focus, and emotional resilience.
My direct experience with mindfulness, yoga, and self-healing practices is profoundly transformative. I’ve never seen these practices in a religious sense, and I identify as a follower of Jesus. As a student of the Bible and all world religions, I’ve found similarities to mindfulness but not yoga itself.
Fear lives at the heart of the opposition to mindfulness. It’s a classic case of fear of the unknown, fear of losing cultural dominance, and fear of spiritual experiences that challenge traditional religious frameworks. It’s contempt prior to investigation.
From a psychological standpoint, this resistance can be understood as a cognitive bias known as the “status quo bias,” where people resist changes that disrupt their current worldview.
Overcoming Bias and Ignorance
Mindfulness is a principle in ancient spiritual traditions. Modern, secular versions are designed to be inclusive and accessible to all, regardless of religious belief. For people who feel threatened by these practices, it makes more sense not to sue people but to seek to understand and find common ground.
By learning more about the scientific benefits of mindfulness and yoga and recognizing their ability to complement rather than compete with religious beliefs, people can overcome their fears and embrace these powerful tools for healing and growth.
On a metaphysical level, mindfulness, meditation, contemplation, and prayer encourage a sense of interconnectedness, compassion, and inner peace. Rather than threatening religious beliefs, they bring a shared understanding that most of us seek the same inner peace in many different ways and places.
In closing, Psalm 1:2 emphasizes this reflective practice, suggesting that meditating on God’s law day and night brings joy and delight.
“But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”?—?Psalm 1:2 (NIV)
Let’s become more mindful by meditating on how we’re supposed to transcend our human limitations. It’s about getting closer to a power that lives through those who are self-aware and committed to learning universal truths.
I write about the art of human transformation, transcending suffering, and overcoming challenges in the School of Life with unconditional love and forgiveness. I also serve company leaders as an executive coach, strategic advisor, and communications consultant. Learn more at www.CliffordJones.com .
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1 个月Incredible read, as always!