On January 25, Gospel for Asia missionaries and other Christians in Madhya Pradesh, India, kept their children home from school the day the government conducted a mass yoga program.

GFA leaders in the state sent a memo to all staff members in the area telling them not to send their children to school, because they would have to participate in the program that included Surya Namaskar, a Hindu form of sun god worship.

About 600,000 children took part in the state-wide yoga program, led by the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan. While the program was held in all state schools, many private schools, organizations and individuals also participated. Teachers were trained to lead the yoga classes in every school district in the state.

“Yoga will be made a part of the physical education course in school curriculum,” the chief minister announced.

Several Christian and Muslim groups have expressed concern that the yoga classes violate the Indian Constitution because they are a Hindu form of exercise and worship. Some group representatives say that booklets that contain Shlokas, Hindu prayers and verses, have been given out in schools. Muslim groups have even filed a case against the Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the state’s government.

GFA leaders ask for prayer that the yoga programs will not continue in Madhya Pradesh and that children will not have to participate in Hindu practices. Also, pray for more religious freedom in the state.

God is doing incredible things in Madhya Pradesh through GFA native missionaries: