Is it ok for christians to do martial arts.....why/why not?

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Mooky

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Hi all,
Just wondering if its ok for christians to do martial arts.Pleaes back up your answers with good reasons.
Thanks.
 
It depends, things like capoeira are fine, it is derived from slaves to hide a fighting form in a dance form...

But things that use Chi and energy as such, I have to say that is pagan, and I would caution against it...

Also spiritually unhealthy meditation is also highly cautioned against (in my opinion).
 
I love Karate! I think Karate is wonderful for kids and Adults alike to participate in. I am a huge Jean Claude Van Damme fan and Jason David Frank fan. God would probably love the exercise :)
 
I'm not too familiar with the topic.
Why would someone have an objection?
 
The problem with asking this question is that it brings forth all sorts of other mildly associated topics to do with Chinese systems in the "Christian mind" which are unrelated, like chi and chakra and control of energies which can be loosely linked with pagan traditions. I've tried all of that and it simply made me uncomfortable.

Don't rely on our opinions. You have God living inside of you. I don't know whether martial arts is harnessing a power that doesn't belong to us. I certainly wouldn't think so and I wouldn't bat an eyelid before trying it. I suppose a lot of things are like that. There's Christians who will watch Harry Potter and Christians who even despise The Chronicles of Narnia— you can apply this logic to anything.

If it makes you feel disturbed— you— personally. Don't do it.
Don't rely on us, because we will all have different experiences. Some will say it's okay, some will say it's not.

I'm gonna just quote Paul here and leave it at this.

1 Corinthians 10:23
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

Is it helpful? Does it build you up? I don't know. You tell me.
This is the fun of having a relationship with our creator.
 
Because some think that it is not merely excercise but it engages a force known as "chi" which is not neutral and is ungodly (ie. demonic)
The reason I ask is because I want to know if I can benefit from it as a means of self sefense and potentially divorce it from its mystical roots.
 
Mooky said:
Because some think that it is not merely excercise but it engages a force known as "chi" which is not neutral and is ungodly (ie. demonic)
The reason I ask is because I want to know if I can benefit from it as a means of self sefense and potentially divorce it from its mystical roots.
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Absolutely you can. Most martial arts do have a mixed history with eastern philosophy and mysticism, but that is because that was normal for the culture to spin those aspects into many parts of their life. But most martial arts, from what i've seen, are not as closely bound in their nature to the mysticism as some other things, such as yoga. Therefore the spiritual aspect can be more easily separated.
There are also various other martial arts to consider that may have less of a tie to the eastern aspects. Things like Mixed Martial Arts, which is known to have many Christians in it. I'm presuming Mag Krav. That is the hand to hand combat used in the Israeli army and is a generally well respected art.
Or you can search for Christian studios/teacher in your area. I think learning self defense like this is a great idea, not only for protection, but the overall health benefits. Also the confidence it can give you can lower your chances of being a target.
 
I don't see an issue with martial arts. Even Christians need to kick some butt sometimes.

...I'm totally serious.
 
Fun fact:

In ancient Japan, even the smelting of metal was tied into mysticism. But we can divorce the process from the pagan roots and enjoy the benefits of metal. I think it would be the same for your question.
 
Krav Maga was developed by Israeli special forces and designed to maim/incapacitate you opponent. That side-steps the whole Eastern-mysticism topic entirely.
 
Mooky said:
Hi all,
Just wondering if its ok for christians to do martial arts.Pleaes back up your answers with good reasons.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Its ok as long as you don't actually kill anyone. :rolleyes:

And its great for dealing with bullies. :)

karate-kid-crane-kick.jpg
 
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The questions seems absurd to me. I have never thought about why it would be an issue.
My brother is a Christian, and he's trying out for his second-degree black belt next week. :p He's been teaching karate for a few years now.
 
Seriously though, martial arts' originated as self-defense systems. For example, japanese karate (empty-hand fighting) was developed during a period when the ruling samurai forbid japanese citizens from owning any weapons.

The citizens were powerless against the armed samarai who would do evil things to them so they figured out how to take down samurai with their bare hands and with their farming tools (nunchuks were orignally for beating rice/wheat, the sai was originally for poking holes in the ground for seeds, the tonfa was originally a handle for a grinding machine, etc..).

So what you're actually learning is ways to defend yourself. :)
 
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1still_waters said:
I'm not too familiar with the topic.
Why would someone have an objection?
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I am agreeing with this. I do not see why it is an issue? Unless there is something I do not know about the art of martial arts. Of course, if you are asking is the type of martial arts that is used to actually hurt another alright then I believe the correct answer to that would be no. I'm not even sure what the types are called.

Sunny
 
sunnysky31 said:
I am agreeing with this. I do not see why it is an issue? Unless there is something I do not know about the art of martial arts. Of course, if you are asking is the type of martial arts that is used to actually hurt another alright then I believe the correct answer to that would be no. I'm not even sure what the types are called.

Sunny
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Those are called 'martial arts'. Hurting people is kind of a key element. It should be taught as a self defense last resort, but in the event it's your only option... then you hurt them.




And to those who don't get the question, i think it's a legit question. Many things coming from the Far East have their religious mysticism and unbiblical teachings so intertwined it can be difficult, if not impossible, to separate them. And martial arts having an origin in the Far East, and having those sorts of teachings mixed in, it makes sense to question the spiritual safeness of it.
 
You can certainly separate the mystic from the self-defense aspects of martial arts.

That said, I have found Krav Maga to be far more beneficial than martial arts (though some people classify it as a martial art) for self-defense purposes because of the ability to improvise weaponry and in that it can give women certain advantages martial arts cannot. Its popularity has spread greatly over the past ten years or so, so I would think you would be able to find an instructor.
 
I earned my black belt in karate a while ago and in my experience, there was no mysticism involved. If there had been, I would have run from it.
 
Thanks for all the helpful feedback.I will certainly see if there are any Krav Maga instructors here - if not I'll check out the Win Chun Dojo round the corner.:)
 
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