Martial Arts & Religion

[KC Elbows]

Let those amongst you with a free hand cast the first stone.

[Scott R. Brown]

I like volleyball.

What volleyball?

[KC Elbows]

If you take your eyes away from the screen, you should see two volleyballs and a taco. It's like one of those magic eye things.

[Scott R. Brown]

If you take your eyes away from the screen, you should see two volleyballs and a taco. It's like one of those magic eye things.

I guess that's my problem....I just can't take my eyes away from the screen....so I'll just have to trust you on that volleyball thing!

[SPJ]

I think volley ball is allowed by the church.

however, new age tai chi is not.

so be it.

church is a place of worship.

so we may practice Tai chi any where else.

---

[Xiao3 Meng4]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8619503.stm

I wonder what style it is that they're learning?

[GeneChing]

Click the link and read the comments. There's a lot of potential there.

Should Christians practice martial arts?
Tuesday April 20, 2010

I'd love to see a (civil, philosophical) discussion on the question above. Though I ask for a view on whether or not Christians should do this, I would also be interested in hearing from Jews and Muslims about whether it is advisable (or not) for believers in their respective traditions to take up the Asian martial arts -- and if so, under what conditions might that be OK?

The problem, it seems to me, as someone who has never practiced a martial art, comes from the fact that many (most? all?) of the martial arts are grounded in a certain spiritual and metaphysical worldview incompatible with Abrahamic religion. To what extent is this an issue, do you believe? Is it possible to practice martial arts without opening up oneself to the spiritual aspects, and/or consciously rejecting the metaphysical parts? Or is it an all-or-nothing proposition? How does one discern what is good in these disciplines (from an Abrahamic point of view), and what is to be rejected?

In the tai chi thread below, one Orthodox Christian says he abandoned practicing martial arts as a matter of spiritual conviction; other Orthodox Christians say they practice martial arts and find them compatible with their faith. Again, this is a subject that fascinates me, and I would very much like to read a thoughtful discussion from my readers on the questions raised by spirituality and martial arts. If you wish to come here and hector people who don't share your viewpoint, or make fun of them, don't even bother posting, because I'm going to unpublish your comment.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Religion and MA mix as much and as little as a person wants them to.

[David Jamieson]

Click the link and read the comments. There's a lot of potential there.

Dredging up the old lack of common sense combined with assumptions and supposition.

Not even an original question! lol

What that guy needs to do iis this.

1) read about King David and his Deeds.

2) read about Jacob and his deeds

3) ask himself why Peter has a sword in his possession in Gethsemane

Those 3 for starters pretty much trash the entire idea that is being put forth by the scribe there (for teh umpteenth time I might add)

[TaichiMantis]

Studying the Dao with Jesus: Taijiquan and Christian Spiritual Life

Investing in Loss

In 1983 in a crisis of conscience, I came to the point of feeling that it was necessary for me to give up everything and anything that distracted me from wholeheartedly following Jesus. For me at that time, this meant ending my practice of taijiquan and other Eastern disciplines, getting rid of my library of esoteric texts, and severing my relationship, perhaps forever, with my first taijiquan teacher. This was a man who had shown me great kindness and generosity. Saying goodbye was one of the most difficult things I had ever had to do. However, upon acting on this decision, I felt a great sense of freedom as well as a sense of total commitment to my spiritual path.
I noticed with some sense of irony that, by yielding and giving up my precious taijiquan practice, I had experienced a deep application of the taijiquan principle from the Taijiquan Classics that Professor Zheng called "investing in loss." Laozi's Daodejing expressed the underlying principle this way: "He who would take must first purposely give."² I had surrendered my practice with no strings attached. As far as I knew, taijiquan was gone from my life forever, as my new spiritual path seemed to lead in an entirely different direction.
But my story does not end here. After a year had passed, during which I was completely immersed in and devoted to Christian spiritual practice, an unexpected thing happened. I felt free to resume training in taijiquan; however, this time it was not to be the "center" of my attention and devotion but rather an adjunct to my spiritual practice. Then, while seeking life-direction in an intense time of fasting and prayer, I was surprised to feel that I received direction in terms of taijiquan. Taijiquan had become an allegory of my spiritual journey and a vehicle through which guidance and instruction could come, illuminating the principles of Christian living.
And so, in a strange and unexpected turn of events, the thing which I had been called upon to give up seemed to have been given back to me in a new and different form. In the process, the concepts of yielding and investing in loss had taken on a whole new meaning for me.
In this way I began an apprenticeship in both the dao of taijiquan and the art of living with my master in all things, Jesus. Of course I am deeply indebted to my taijiquan teachers here in the States and in Taiwan. They represent a variety of world views and faith traditions, some quite different from my own. They have guided me in my martial studies, and I have benefited tremendously from their wisdom and their kind and generous teaching. But as I receive their guidance, I also listen to the "inner voice" of spiritual instruction.

[GeneChing]

From the Daily Show: May 11, 2010: God Smacked

[TaichiMantis]

I think not! But that vid made me cringe...

[David Jamieson]

I think not! But that vid made me cringe...

I think that anyone who is capable of thinking critically would cringe while viewing that or any other example of that type of behaviour.

It shows a gross lack of understanding for the religion they profess to follow and it certainly isn't really helping any with the martial arts and it is completely unnecessary to attach and religious stuff to martial arts at all.

If they take such issue with it, just teach wrestling and boxing and presto, no worries about the buddha or chi or any of the rest of the stuff they would utterly fail to grasp anyway.

[MasterKiller]

I worship this

[kfson]

I worship this

Congrats on that goddess, MK.