Why in the world would E.W. Jackson, a candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia, be talking about yoga and Satanism in press conferences? Well, because he had some pretty interesting things to say about the two in a 2008 book (specifically, he linked the practice of yoga to demonic possession), and those points needed some clarification.
At a press conference yesterday, Jackson took it back, kind of. From the Raw Story:
"I do not believe that yoga leads to Satanism. One of my ministers is a yoga instructor," he said to reporters. "What I said was that Christian meditation does not involve emptying oneself but filling oneself … with the spirit of God. That is classic biblical Christianity."
He was referring to a passage in his book Ten Commandments for an Extraordinary Life: Making Your Dreams Come True, a book that appeared on store shelves with a typo on its front cover. In it, Jackson wrote, "When one hears the word meditation, it conjures an image of Maharishi Yoga talking about finding a mantra and striving for nirvana. The purpose of such meditation is to empty oneself. [Satan] is happy to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it. Beware of systems of spirituality which tell you to empty yourself. You will end up filled with something you probably do not want."
Well, we know where the GOP can go if it ever runs out of issues on which to take controversial positions.
Read more at the Raw Story.