Incompatitbility of Budo and Christianity?

[JerryLove]

Similarly, Judeo-Christian history is full of chirches condeming said groups as herecy... so there are supportable opinions in both directions.

 

There's the "God gave it to us" group and there's the "searching for power outside of God (even in yourself) is placing yourself before God and evil".

 

As an atheist, I don't have these problems.

 

And no, it's clear Biblically that God does *not* give man the power to choose anything (Romans 9 or 13... I think 13)

[fireka]

no offense meant, but if theres one thing i despise its athesit trying to explain my own religion to me have you researched anything outside that verse which shows no evidence in my opinion? the right to choose heaven or hell is a very base christian belief.

[hobbitbob]

You would be surprised how many "Christians" haven't the foggiest ideas about basic tenets of Christianity. Rather like how many martial artists haven't a glimmer of understanding about Budo.

[fireka]

granted, some are to pious to see obvious truths, but i asure you that the right to choose is a base christian concept.

[hobbitbob]

Fireka...you made sense...are you feeling well?

[mArTiAl_GiRl]

i belive that ki is a power intrusted to us by god that after hundreds of years of study we have really only begun to tap into. but like all of mans skills, it can be used for both good and evil. the bible also says, we have a choice, we are slaves to know diety, god or devil. God gave us the power to chosse are path, as he gave us the power of ki. i do not summon the dead when i meditate or anything else, i belive, that is outside our normal prowess, i think that the human race as a whole, however, has greatly under estimated what god has forged for us to be able to acomplish.

 

Sometimes, I'm actually quite amazed when I see something similar again, fireka your way of thinking is almost the same as mine! It's great that someone in this world is thinking the same as I... like a soulmate..

[Kamidake]

Hobbitbob, you are so right. Christianity goes back 2,000 years, and yet a shocking number of Christians has no clue about anything that happened in Christendom before 1830 or so. You would be amazed (or maybe you wouldn't) at the number of Christians who think you mean Martin Luther King when you mention Martin Luther. The problem seems to be worst among those calling themselves "Bible Christians," but is by no means unknown in other groups.

 

Learn about your religion, folks. You can't practice it if you don't know anything about it.

[hobbitbob]

Some day I will tell you about the class I taught last term on Medieval Christianity! Arrgh!!

[ninjanurse]

You would be surprised how many "Christians" haven't the foggiest ideas about basic tenets of Christianity. Rather like how many martial artists haven't a glimmer of understanding about Budo.

 

Wonderfully said Hobbitbob!!!!

 

[Kamidake]

As a practicing Christian myself, I think such willful ignorance is an insult to the brethren who've gone before us, many of whom took our religion seriously enough to suffer terribly for it. And that ignorance IS willful. Christianity is one of the best documented religions on earth. You can learn about it if you want to. Being a victim of an American public school is a legitimate excuse--if you can't read, it's difficult to learn--but a lot of these ignorant Christians can be seen carrying around those silly "Left Behind" books. They can read. They're just too lazy to read worthwhile Christian material.

 

 

 

 

To divert momentarily to the actual subject of this topic, no, I don't think the martial arts in themselves are a religion, though certainly budo as it was originally practiced has a spiritual dimension.

 

Go ahead, Hobbitbob! Let's swap horror stories! (I live in the midwestern U.S., so I can probably match you story for story.)