Liturgy in general (also called ritual or ceremony) ought to supply mystical experiences on a regular basis, and our Comic Masses invariably do that. But regular Sunday services often fall far short. Transcendent experiences are rare and not the norm.
I was raised a strict, born-again Christian in the 80s, and left the church at 19. Fell in love with yoga, which I still practice! I went to a modern church a few months ago, which brought out so much former church trauma. I am working to deconstruct this.
There are absolutely no churches in my area that are progressive. Should I start my own home study?
And, why do Christians say yoga is evil? I know the origin and philosophy; there’s so much value in love and God, which similarly is the essence of Jesus.
Dear Nancy, you are in my thoughts as you work on your deconstruction. I wish you all possible healing.
You absolutely can study Christianity on your own, drawing on progressive Christian books, podcasts, videos, and other resources. I did that for years before becoming involved in a congregation. However, there are many congregations that offer hybrid services (both in person and online) if you have good internet access, as well as some congregations that record online services that you can watch at any time. For an example of the latter, look up The Fountains UMC Studio Worship, posted weekly on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@FountainsUMC); I watch their services weekly after attending my own church service.
To find a progressive Christian church with online or hybrid services, check out https://onlinefaithcollective.org/ and look for terms such as “Progressive Christian” in the congregation descriptions. This resource is broken out by denomination, and the denominations that are most likely to have progressive Christian churches listed include Community of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian (some; look for “More Light” language), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church (some; look for the term “Reconciling”). If you are looking for a Christian denomination built specifically around the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people, look at Metropolitan Community Church congregations. If you are looking for a tradition that draws on but is not restricted to Christianity, try Unitarian Universalist congregations.
You could also just Google “progressive Christian churches online.” I did so and found some interesting congregations, such as the Harbor Online Community (www.onlineharbor.org). Finally, my own congregation, Vista Grande Community Church UCC, has hybrid services at 10 am (Colorado time) every Sunday, and you would be welcome to join us; our website is vgcc.org.
Conservative Christians think yoga is evil because they have a very narrow view about religion and believe that only the practices, beliefs, and values of their own version of Christianity are legitimate. They think any insight, wisdom, or ritual from any other tradition is unacceptable. Please know that many progressive Christians (and even many mainline Christians) find this small-mindedness highly unfortunate, as it is based on a scarcity mentality and driven by fear. I have found tremendous wisdom in a number of religious traditions myself, and I use Buddhist meditation as part of my own spiritual path almost daily. While I have no experience of yoga, if you find it valuable, you should certainly keep practicing it. God is bigger than any religion, doctrine, dogma, or particular set of practices, and whatever we do out of love and to create more love in the world is holy.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly at amanda@amandaudiskessler.com if you want to talk further about any of these ideas or want help finding a church.
~ Dr. Amanda Udis-Kessler
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