orthodoxrights.org

June 2, 2015. The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church sent a letter to the Bulgarian Minister of Education and Sciences Mr. Todor Tanev, asking him to prevent the propaganda of Yoga in the public schools of Bulgaria as reports the Bulgarian Patriarchate. The Holy Synod considers as unacceptable and unsatisfactory this practice in the Bulgarian system of education.

The Church reminds that the obligation of the authorities and of the educational system is to assure the spiritual and psychological health of teenagers. The efforts to diffuse the practice of Yoga as a mean to fight against stress are an unwelcome way of propaganda. The Holy Synod is referring also to the danger for little children because Yoga is taught even in nursery schools. Children and teenagers have a lack of religious education and it is difficult for them the distinction between lies and truth.

The Holy Synod asked also explanations from the deputies and the Minister of Education about the texts during the exams in Bulgarian schools where the students were obliged to deal with texts, which promoted Yoga. Those texts, according to the Holy Synod, do not give the exact information about Yoga and they have as purpose to convert children, who participate in practical courses without their own will. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church asked once again the teaching of religious course at schools. The Bulgarian system of Education allows Yoga, which is a religious practice but does not allow the teaching of the Orthodox Christian course.

Except for the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, many Bulgarian parents protested for the same issue, by sending also a letter to the Minister of Education and Science. They say that the course of Yoga is propaganda of an apocryphal movement, which is dangerous for the spiritual health of their children and absolutely far from the educational tradition and the Bulgarian culture.