
Morning Roundup 07/02/13
Morning Roundup 07/02/13

I've been fascinated by the dustups over yoga that make the Christian (and sometimes secular) news from time to time. Well, a judge says yoga is not religious. Of course, that won't settle it, but I thought it was interesting anyway. And, in the meanwhile, you can take yoga classes at several evangelical megachurches in the Nashville area.
Yoga poses no risk to church-state separation, says judge -- NBC News
A San Diego judge ruled Monday that yoga poses like downward dog and "criss-cross applesauce" are not religious, allowing a yoga program to continue in a Southern California school district.
Parents of two children in the Encinitas Union School district in San Diego County sued the district because they claim the Ashtanga yoga classes being offered in place of more traditional physical education instruction indoctrinate the children. But on Monday afternoon, Judge John S. Meyer ruled in favor of the school district.
The couple's lawyer, Attorney Dean Broyles, told NBC News 7 in San Diego that the practice is inherently religious and is a violation of church and state.
All nine schools in the district participate in the yoga program, which launched last fall, during gym class. The program is funded completely by a $500,000 grant from the K.P. Jois Foundation.
The foundation's website says it is looking to promote wellness, health and achievement for youth, especially those in under-served communities.
"We want them to feel that they don't need sugar and video games to fill some kind of vacancy that they might feel," said Russell Case, who helped recruit yoga instructors for the program and works for the Jois Foundation. "We want them to feel that they can get that from exercise."
The ever-vigilant Mollie takes a look at the news coverage and, finds good and bad-- but more bad.
Journalism highs and lows: Christianity and gays edition -- Mollie Hemingway
I'm elated to be able to highlight a wonderful article headlined "Christians' views vary on gay marriage." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette news piece shared just that — how Christians view marriage and why.
I wish I could excerpt the whole thing. It's full of descriptions that are nuanced and balanced and really dig down into the doctrinal views of the various parties. We hear from many sides and we get to hear them explain themselves in their own words. How sad that this is so rare in reporting on the matter. But what a great contribution to civil discourse.
For the absolute opposite end of the spectrum, I offer a video from ABC "News." A reporter sent it to us with a note saying that the program should be called "To Catch A Christian" (a riff on "To Catch A Predator"). The piece is so appalling I almost don't know what to say about it.
It uses child actors posing as Boy Scouts to loudly discuss the one young boy's professed homosexuality. Another boy, directed by ABC "News" tells the boy posing as gay to "pray it away." See, tmatt! You're always saying you never heard a real person say that line. But you're wrong! Reporters say it all the time when caricaturing Christians!
I literally couldn't bear to watch more than three minutes of the ABC "News" piece. It was just too much vile propaganda. I did find it fascinating the way that ABC was fine with using hidden cameras and actors to sting "Christians" under the pose of news gathering. (And, believe it or not, this really is ABC News that puts on this program.See here.)
Remind me again how ABC News has reported the stings done on abortion clinics, including those of the massively federally funded Planned Parenthood, that use live actors and show abortion clinic employees talking about how they'd kill babies born alive, cover up child sex trafficking, violate laws regarding reporting of rape, approve abortions done solely because the child is female, and take money from racists, and so on and so forth?
Heck, come to think of it, why is a media so cool with "undercover" reporting not actually doing undercover reporting at, say, late-term abortion clinics? Why just on Christians in Texas? Or why not do one of these gay children stings in ABC News' back yard of New York City, which actually has a serious problem with violence against gays?
Recently on The Exchange, David Platt & Matt Carter joined me to talk about the importance of discipling your family. Don't forget to join me every Tuesday at 3:00 PM Eastern for The Exchange.
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