Drunken Monkey Posted June 1, 2003 Posted June 1, 2003 whoa people hold on a minute no martial art i know is or even attempts to be a religion. it is, like the name inplies an art. as it is NOT religion, all things based on or related to are not items relating to religion. the mat in a dojo is not a religious item. you bow to it because it is tradition and a sign of respect for the art which YOU have chosen to learn. you are not worshipping the mat/ring. pictures of past masters are not idols. they are just that, pictures of people who have learnt the art before you and have added to it's development. if you bow to it like we do in a chinese school of arts, you are not worshipping it. you are recognising that this man created the art that you have chosen to learn. in a round about way , you are bowing to your real sifu witout whom your art would not exist. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
daeinwolf Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 New Age hippies will tell you that. They will even tell you to go ahead and blend whatever religon you want to make a God, because 'God' does not care how you find him. I am extremely offended by this post, among many of your others. I respect everyone's religious choice, but this is a grand case of bigotry. Members have repeatedly stated that it is not religious, merely respectful. If there is a problem with this then do not practice a martial art. Sastimos---Joshua There are no limits.
mArTiAl_GiRl Posted June 9, 2003 Posted June 9, 2003 Bowing shows respect to your opponent. Kill is love
glingglo Posted June 9, 2003 Posted June 9, 2003 a bow is simply a gesture of respect. there is NO worship implied. NONE. it's sad that respect is such a foreign concept to some people that they can't comprehend the difference. and it's funny how it seems that the people who are most self-righteous and "offended" by being asked to use a bow to show respect are the "Christians" who's religion preaches the importance of humility and consideration for others. the irony just kills me.
mArTiAl_GiRl Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 If you ARE a martial artist or a karateka, then bow to your Sensei and when you enter your Dojo, if you're not, then just say: hi! Kill is love
shimatta_billa Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 I'm religious. In my religion it is unnacceptable to bow your face to anyone except to God in prayer. However, I have no problem bowing out of respect - I simply don't show my face towards the floor (so effectively I keep my eyes forwards). No one has a problem with that, and that way I respect both the dojo and people as well as my own religion. Bowing isn't necessarily religious, unless call someone "Sir" is religious also A peek into my life: http://www.aoi-sakura.tkPower = Force x VelocityForce = Mass x AccelerationSpeed is key ^_~
theswarm Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 I believe it's all about context, i'm bowing to my founder because he created it and i'm using it, my sensei because he's teaching it, and i bow to everyone because i respect they are there to learn. I'm an athiest who believes in no gods, no masters, no idols and it doesn't in anyway infringe in my beliefs
ramymensa Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 As some of us said before, it's just respect, not worship, nothing religious, just politeness. If one doesn't want to bow, he/she won't train in Karate. It's simple. The rules are simple and few and must be obeyed. If they don't like them, there are many other styles in which you don't have to bow World Shotokan Karate
ninjanurse Posted June 12, 2003 Posted June 12, 2003 Yeshua preached against legalism in all aspects of our lives. That includes the martial arts. Bow out of respect for your teacher and your art! "A Black Belt is only the beginning."Heidi-A student of the artsTae Kwon Do,Shotokan,Ju Jitsu,Modern Arnishttp://the100info.tumblr.com/
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