Az-Kicker Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 I think that grouping all "Christians" together as a groups is very unfair. I am a Christian, and even I get annoyed with some of them.Those who have to have their nose in everything you are doing and themselves live sinfully, yes, hypocrites. Those who have lost sight of what it is really all about, a PERSONAL relationship with God. But, that is not all of us. And, I think that some aspects of the MA could be misconstrued as "religeous" if presented that way. Meditating in front of a shrine with statues of Budda all around and inscense burning everywhere, is what Hollywood shows the general populace, so what are non-martial artist supposed to think? Just my 2 cents Misfortune comes out of laziness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken Monkey Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 well, i think that anyone who takes what they see in the media as being fact needs to leave the house a bit more... as such i tend not togive them much attention. 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." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martial Artist Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 Whoa this is a GOOD thread, very common questions. I myself am a Christian, and struggled a bit with the whole concept of "Chi" and such in the beginning of my training many years ago. Obviously, the concpets were very alien to me, living in the western part of the world, and, they seemed potentially "demonic." HOWEVER I got over this very quickly. Once I learned more about Chi/Qi/Ki, I became more comfortable with it. Its actually not terribly "spiritual" in nature. Chi is a part of every person, martial arts just helps you learn to use it and to cultivate and control it. Now, I do not believe that Martial Arts are a religion, but, that they are certainly a way of life. Ever heard the Karatedo? Literally translated this means "The Empty Handed Way of Life." Karate is not merely a sport (hell, with the exception of certain styles of TKD and boxing, NO martial arts are "sports," they are killing and fighting/military arts), more than a self defense training ground, it IS a way of life. Same with all other genuine martial arts. Also, look at the Bible. It clearly states that the body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, and that we are to take care of it. The Martial Arts are easily the best method of staying in good physical condition (well thats my opinion anyway cuz I don't play sports). And, its not like you are worshipping Buddha or whoever... well, usually not but hey. Just remember to keep God first in your life. If you honor him, he will honor you. Seems pretty strait forward doesn't it? Black Belt (Or, Sash i should say) - 2nd Degree - Wu Shu & Wing Chun Kung FuBlack Belt - 1st degree - Shuri Ryu KarateBlack Belt - 1st degree - Okinawan KobudoBlack Belt - 1st degree - Tomikki AikidoBlack Belt - 2nd degree - JujitsuTai Chi Chuan PracticionerMuay Thai Practicioner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheekyMusician Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 I'm a Christian and a martial artist, and although I believe there are a lot of similarities between christianity and MAs eg. the endless quest for humility and respect for your fellow man, I believe that there are also things which would be displeasing to God. I know I felt very uncomfortable bowing to a picture of O Sensei when I went to Aikido. Fair enough, at karate we practice small standing bows to our teacher at the start of the class and to our opponents, but I didn't like the fact that at Aikido we were bowing to a photograph of someone who therefore couldn't see that we were showing him respect, and more than that a picture of someone who is dead. Yes, it was still supposed to be showing respect, but to me it was done with so much reverance that it was verging on being unChristian. The thing I worry about most if martial arts taking paramount importance over my God, which obviously isn't a problem exclusive to martial arts, it could be applied to anything: schoolwork, music, friends etc. Smile. It makes people wonder what you've been up to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tibby Posted August 12, 2003 Share Posted August 12, 2003 I think that grouping all "Christians" together as a groups is very unfair. I am a Christian, and even I get annoyed with some of them.Those who have to have their nose in everything you are doing and themselves live sinfully, yes, hypocrites. Those who have lost sight of what it is really all about, a PERSONAL relationship with God. But, that is not all of us. Yeah, just like we have True Martial Arts, and McDojo Black belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodyydoC Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 haha i go to a christian dojo not really christian its actually called Karate for Christ (which is something i dont quite understand seing how they dont actually teach karate) this basically is the same circumstance as religions themselves alot of religions teach not to kill;but christians, jews, muslims, etc., etc., etc., have all been in wars with each other in the past and does the words salem witch trial ring a bell? they were christians and if they took some quiet time to relax (like say meditating) they might've realized that they weren't actually witches and probably shouldn't kill them and to the first question i dont think martial arts is a religion unless u think that there is a martial art God and think that training and fighting is ur way of praying then it becomes a religion Codywhite belt in everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamidake Posted August 17, 2003 Share Posted August 17, 2003 Hi Cheeky, I wouldn't feel too bad about bowing to the representation of O Sensei. I think it's more acknowledging and honoring those who've gone before, just as you might bow to a representation of a saint or Our Lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasori_Te Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 Codyydoc, is this a Keichu Do dojo? A block is a strike is a lock is a throw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrestlingkaratechamp Posted September 1, 2003 Share Posted September 1, 2003 No MAs are not a religion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotokanwarrior Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 That was a good book ( bible) a lot of good stories, drunk fishermen write good fictional tales. Where Art ends, nature begins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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