Christians and the Martial Arts

[kchenault]

osnia was not done by Christians. That was muslims. The Crusades were simple people misled by corrupt Catholic leaders for a big land grab at home. The Holocaust were evolutionists who believed in the survival of the fittest that didn't like Jews or Chritians, and the Spanish Inquisition was again power hungry corrupt Catholic leaders that didn't like dissent. My two cents, but this is not what this article is about.

You also give it away when you say "So called Christians". I would argue that they weren't Christians at all. True Christains wouldn't do the things that you speak of.

[Balrog]

osnia was not done by Christians. That was muslims. The Crusades were simple people misled by corrupt Catholic leaders for a big land grab at home. The Holocaust were evolutionists who believed in the survival of the fittest that didn't like Jews or Chritians, and the Spanish Inquisition was again power hungry corrupt Catholic leaders that didn't like dissent. My two cents, but this is not what this article is about.

You also give it away when you say "So called Christians". I would argue that they weren't Christians at all. True Christains wouldn't do the things that you speak of.

Sorry, but history disagrees strongly with you.

[kchenault]

Show me the history Balrog. Show me the religious leanings of those historians and we could argue all day. Drop this please as it has nothing to do with my original article. But one added note. I don't care what ANYONE says, Hitler was not a Christian. You can pay lip service all you want and it still won't make you a True Believer in Christ.

[shogeri]

I agree that this thread is specifically related to Christianity and the Martial Arts, so let's all keep to the topic.

[kchenault]

Hey Shogeri, what part of the Body are you a minister of?

[Bsal1981]

Well talked this before also, I think that as there is a purity in the religion i.e. Christianity so there is in this games. People following this religion and playing this game will have there inner humanity exploded to the much extent and that is the heavenly pleasures that one can get being human.

[Nabil Kazama]

I'm a Muslim, we don't discuss religion in our Dojo. The only time we do is me and my Sensei personally, sometimes we do but not much. As a matter of fact I'm the only Muslim in my Dojo.

There is a Christian in our Dojo as well, me and him get along really well so IMO religion should not get in the way of training. If anything having students of different religions/ethnicity is a good thing as the martial arts brings people closer together.

As for bowing in seiza it is very similar to how we pray in Islam but Muslims have no problems with it, but that's just us I can't speak for other faiths.

[sensei8]

I don't think that religion gets in the way of anything because, imho, 'man' gets in the way.

QUESTION:

How does one NOT bow at the dojo when it's an accepted part of the styles culture?

[mal103]

I've heard of Karate-ka of certain religions that have requested to not join in with the bows etc, surely Karate/MA are fragmented and versatile enough to accept this, same as we can accept that older students are not being able to kick high, or disabled students can just do the best they can.

There shouldn't be a tick-sheet in every Dojo to say that you have to meet all criteria, also with the far reaching roots of Karate is it essential to bow? Have Karate-ka always bowed? Did Bohidharma bow?

As a side subject, we asked a local church if we could use their hall to start another Dojo on another night in a different area of the town, it is near to the park where gangs of bored teens keep moaning that there is nothing to do in a town with every 3rd shop empty.

We were told yes we can hire the hall and these are the rates and these are all the empty time slots, then we told them we were a locate Karate Club/association with full instructor insurance and enhanced CRBs with high standards and very strict policies.

There reply was to refuse us as the religious side of Asian Martial Arts wasn't in keeping with Christian values...

So the hall still has empty slots and the locals are still hanging around town bored and we are disillusioned, even though our Chief Instructor is a dedicated Christian?

[JusticeZero]

If people are having an issue with bowing because of the religious content, is it OK to refuse to shake hands because of the religious content of that act? No specific prohibition against it, just trying to keep the rampant Christianity away? That seems like the analogue to me. Shaking hands is just as religious in nature as bowing is.