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CHRISTIANS AND THE MARTIAL ARTS
By Ken Chenault
Some have been called war mongers, mystics, heroes
and some, just plain old bad dudes. Martial artists have gone by
many names throughout the centuries. Here in America, in the last
say, 60 years to round it out, more and more have started to call
themselves Christians.
Now some of you might be thinking, "Oh no, he's
gonna talk religion." And you'd be right, to a certain extent.
What I hope to address through this article is the concern of some
Christians that are worried that their chosen art is not compatible
with their chosen Savior. You'll notice that I use capital letters
on some words here because they hold a place of reverence for me.
I don't mean to offend, but it is my article after all. So, humor
a guy and take it with a grain of salt.
I also can't speak for all martial arts either,
as I don't know the specifics of all of them. I will focus on the
style of Tae Kwon Do that I study. So without further adieu, I
will give a brief outline of the questions I hope to answer.
1.
What about all that hitting and kicking you do to each other?
Doesn't that go against Christ's teaching about turning the
other cheek?
2.
Don't you people worship Buddha or something?
3.
What are you doing sitting on the floor all cross-legged? Are
you praying or something?
4.
What about all that bowing?
So, let's get to it:
1.
What about all that hitting and kicking you do to each other? Doesn't
that go against Christ's teaching about turning the other cheek?
Hitting and kicking, as the question puts it,
is an essential part of almost all martial arts, in some way, shape
or form. Without those two elements you pretty much lose the martial
aspect of the art. Utilizing punches and kicks are very important
to a system of self-defense or as TKD has become, a martial sport.
When Christ said to turn the other cheek (paraphrased), he didn't
tell us to become human punching bags. He was simply stating that
if someone needs something bad enough to attack you and steal it
from you, to give it to them and let God take care of the punishment
for you. Should we not defend ourselves from wanton attacks that
have nothing to do with our possessions? Of course we should. People
in the scriptures have always been prone to violence. King David
was a man of blood, as God called him. That is why he was not permitted
to build the Jewish Temple for the Lord. But, God also called him
a man after His own heart. David loved God, but he lived in a time
of war and he made major mistakes in his life, but God still loved
him back. So does learning a form of self-defense or martial sport
keep us from living, as Christ would have us to? The simple answer
is no.
2.
Don't you people worship Buddha or something?
Buddha is pretty cut and dried for modern TKD.
In ancient times, however, Buddhism played an integral part in
Korea's history. The form that I learned for my last belt testing
is called Won-Hyo. It was named after the monk that introduced
Buddhism to Korea in 686 A.D. and from what I can tell, doesn't
have any effect on the TKD of today. Other martial arts seem to
have a more spiritual side to them. Such arts would be Aikido,
Haidong Gumdo and many forms of Gung Fu. I say this in my limited
knowledge of other arts and mean no offense to anyone or their
chosen art. I find some of these arts to be of great interest to
myself, but find myself reserved because of their spiritual ties.
As for TKD, there is no overt spirituality that I can speak of.
In fact, both of my master instructors are Christians.
3.
What are you doing sitting on the floor all cross-legged? Are
you praying or something?
Meditation can be a refreshing experience and
yes, I have used it as a time to pray to my God. But the main form
of meditation that I have encountered in TKD is simply letting
your mind dwell on a technique or form. Running it over and over
in your mind, to help you visualize it to perfection and hope beyond
hope that it will enhance the performance of your physical execution
of that technique or form. Meditation can be used for many things
and should not be construed solely as an act of worship. Meditation
is not the sole property of the new age gurus in the world.
4.
What about all that bowing?
To bow, or not to bow? That is the question.
And as of late, one that has received some press.
It would seem that two students of a martial art refused to bow
in class due to religious conviction, which is fine, nothing wrong
with that, but they probably should have realized it would bite
them in the end. Their particular art made bowing in certain instances,
mandatory. Bowing, as many things in the martial arts can be construed
as an act of worship. On the other hand, it can also show a deep
respect for the person or thing you are bowing to. Christians bow
to the Lord Jesus Christ, which every good Christian should do.
It is an act of worship for them. Therefore, it is acceptable to
that religion.
It can, however, be used to show great respect
for a person, such as anyone who holds a higher rank than you,
or an object, such as a katana, for recognizing the potential beauty
and destructive power it has, in the hands of an experienced swordsman.
It all comes down to one thing really. What's in your heart? In
your heart do you worship the person you're bowing to? Does that
katana or daito hold sway over your decisions in life? If so, as
a Christian, you have some idolatry issues that should be dealt
with. But idolatry comes in many forms. The love of money being
the most common, and the one that Jesus talked about quite a bit.
Anything that takes the place of Christ in the life of a Christian
should be avoided. I know, easier said than done, but Christians
are called to it, nonetheless. I, personally, bow simply out of
respect for my instructors and for their teaching me what I have
come to learn.
Christians shouldn't be afraid of learning a martial
art. However, they should be very cautious about what form of martial
art they learn. In the humble opinion of this writer, they should
shy away from any art that has overt religious elements incorporated
into it. The choice, however, is one that must be made with prayer
and supplication to the Lord, while patiently waiting for an answer
from Him on what road to take, but the road is yours to choose.
Choose wisely.
Pilsung!
Ken Chenault
Low Blue belt - ITF MDK TKD
High Blue belt - WTF MDK TKD TKD
It does a body good!
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