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Are you a Christian Martial Artist ??
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Yes, I can do ALL things thru Christ Jesus who strengthens me !! |
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55% |
[ 48 ] |
No, but Martial Arts still rock !! |
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44% |
[ 38 ] |
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| Total Votes : 86 |
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Synaesthesia
Orange Belt
Joined: 29 Dec 2002
Posts: 200
Styles: dillantettish word warrior
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 Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 10:41 am Post subject: |
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| Bro_Joey_Gowdy wrote: |
The Bible does warn us about pychics like John Edward on Crossing Over on Sci Fi due to the fact that they use 'familiar spirits'.
Poeple like him have been around quite a while - even back in the Bible days - so steer clear from them. |
Oh pu-lease, you don't actually think that John Edwards has access to any supernatural reality. He is a cold reader. Why does he get so much credit? 
http://www.skepdic.com/coldread.html
http://www.randi.org/library/coldreading/index.htmls
People who take John seriously are more dangerous than the man himself. He's just a guy who makes a living off of scamming gullible people who want to be decieved. This isn't spiritually dangerous because of evil spirits, but because of the man's dishonesty and exploitation of grieving individuals.
(Of course, I value the biblical virtues of honesty, humility and such over the warnings against evil spirits primarily because I don't believe in the supernatural anymore. Yes virginia, some atheists profit from the wisdom of their religious bretheren.)
To answer the question, I'm not a Christian but my dad, who teaches martial arts is. I think the traditionally religious aspect of MA does affect one's beliefs. It makes people tolerate and respect other belief systems for their value, even if one ultimately disagrees with them.
Doesn't make you punch harder, but the teachings of Christianity might make you less likely to punch someone unwisely. (That is, if you obey the parts of the bible that tell you to turn the other cheeck rather than the parts of the bible that tell you to smite people and dash the heads of infants on rocks.) |
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LOILOI44
Orange Belt
Joined: 12 Jan 2003
Posts: 136
Location: New York
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| Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2003 9:43 am Post subject: |
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Those websites are scary. How can somebody be so closed minded, and do it all in the name of God. I was raised Catholic, and I attend a martial art school in the basement of a Budhist temple. Not once has the topic of religion come up. To call martial arts a cult is delusional. It seems more like the people who wrote those websites are the ones with the cult mentality. |
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eyeball-san
White Belt
Joined: 13 Jan 2003
Posts: 19
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Styles: Shuri Ryu, Kenpo
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| Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2003 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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| According to the patch on my gi, the one that says "Christian Karate Association," I guess I am. |
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omnifinite
Purple Belt
Joined: 09 Apr 2002
Posts: 524
Location: Northern VA
Styles: Hapkido | Kempo | Jujitsu
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| Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2003 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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Wow... nothing more dangerous than a fool with a cause.
_________________
1st Dan Hapkido
Colored belts in Kempo and Jujitsu |
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KWN
White Belt
Joined: 21 Dec 2003
Posts: 9
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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I agree, Christians should not preach about love then go and hate someone because they are doing something wrong. BUT I do believe Christians shouldn't do MA. True, it is a good self defense, but my best friend does karate, and already she is becoming obsessed with it and is "forgetting" about God. Also, though it does have good objectives (character building, patience, disapline) my goal is to convince Christians that doing martial arts can be a stumbling block, not only for them but for others as well. What people need to realize is MA teaches more than self defence. It teaches students that the New Age movement is okay and even includes it in classes. Also it tends to cause students to react violently in a number of situations. (my best friend and her younger sister both have) I have absolutely nothing against people who do MA and they can keep on doing it, it's their choice. I just want to show my point of veiw.  |
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Sasori_Te
Black Belt
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Posts: 1116
Location: Near Akron Ohio
Styles: Kempo and Kobudo
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| Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2003 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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Whatever happened to the concept of "judge not lest ye also be judged" in Christianity? These sights sound like my Uncel could have written them. The only people worthy of love and respect are those that think exactly like him. It's a shame really. I feel bad for those folks.
_________________
A block is a strike is a lock is a throw. |
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daeinwolf
Orange Belt
Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 150
Location: Columbus, Ga
Styles: Fighting(MMA)
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 8:32 am Post subject: |
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I practice MA and I am not a Christian...as is evident from my choice in avatars. To put it bluntly, I am an occultist. I have some spiritual beliefs, but they do not involve a man in the sky.
SiK---Joshua
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There are no limits. |
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WolverineGuy
Red Belt
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 753
Location: Flint, MI
Styles: Kalkinodo, San Chin Ryu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 9:00 am Post subject: |
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Here is a letter my Master Instructor wrote in response to the bible-truths.org website:
Hello,
I just finished reading an article on your website
about the "truth" behind Martial Arts. I had to send
this e-mail to express my feelings about it. Let me
first say that I am a born again, bible believing
Christian. Let me next say that I am also a Martial
Artist, and have been for a long time now.
I was very disappointed to find myself reading yet
another poorly written, poorly researched commentary
on the Martial Arts as a whole. It is a fact that
many of the Martial Arts being practiced today have
incorporated everything the author of this article
said; however, to say that ALL Martial Arts are evil
because of that is plain silly. There are many people
who train in the Martial Arts who do not do any of
these evil things the author mentions. The Martial
Arts are even practiced in many places with a
Christian, bible-based philosophy behind the
teachings. You do not have to study Eastern religion,
worship foreign deities, or work towards any kind of
spiritual realm while practicing the Martial Arts.
Some people choose to do this, others find those
practices abhorrent.
I would challenge anyone to extend the research of the
Martial Arts beyond the stereotypical view expressed
in this article, to a more realistic view of the
Martial Arts as a whole. I am certain that, like
almost everything else, there are both good and bad
things to be found. I would also challenge anyone to
consider what this kind of article, labeling the whole
for the sins of the part, make Christians look like.
It is my belief that opinions like the one expressed
in this article are a part of the problem Christians
face today. Our message is largely ignored because we
are seen as extremists who are out of touch with
reality. We are labeled radicals who will call
something evil without even looking to see if it
really is. Articles like this one end up being a bad
witness because they do not look at the whole picture,
just a part.
The author of this article could easily have pointed
out all of the things that he did and warn people to
be on the lookout for them, instead of simply calling
an entire art evil. In writing the article as an
informational piece and including all of the facts
that he did, he would have been doing a great service
to those who practice the Martial Arts with a
non-Christian view. Sadly the only thing I am afraid
most practitioners of the Martial Arts will have
gotten from the article as written is a negative view
of Christianity, and not of the evils inherent in SOME
Martial Arts.
Respectfully yours in Christ,
NAME WITHELD BY POSTER
4th degree black belt, master instructor
_________________
Wolverine
1st Dan - Kalkinodo
"Shut up brain, or I'll stab you with a q-tip"
"There is no spoon." |
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Bart the Lover
Yellow Belt
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 99
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:37 am Post subject: |
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Doesn't anyone think those sites are funny? I think they're hilarious.
They're too silly to get worked up about.
Personally, I'm an atheist. |
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aefibird
Black Belt
Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4416
Location: UK
Styles: Past and present: 2 styles of Karate, TKD, Aikido, Wing Chun, some Tai Chi
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| Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2003 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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| KWN wrote: |
| What people need to realize is MA teaches more than self defence. It teaches students that the New Age movement is okay and even includes it in classes. |
I must tell my instructor that... All these years he's been teaching karate and he's never said anything at all about the New Age movement. Maybe that's the reason my club is so small - lack of new age stuff! lol
I'm not meaning to ridicule your post at all but I just want to point out that not all MA clubs promote something else as well as self defence. My instructor never discusses religion or anything like that during class, only karate.
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"Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My Cologne
Sheffield Steelers! |
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on the post.
