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Christian Martial Arts: Terms, Ideas, and Misconceptions
Many martial arts including Hapkido were created in the far east in the near or distant past. The people that invented these arts practiced eastern religions and studied eastern philosophies. In reality learning a combat art like Hapkido has very little or nothing to do with religion, in fact many successful schools are secular.
"The trouble is, we have found that Martial Arts that are steeped in eastern thought and sometimes religion can act as a gateway to mislead Christians into eastern religions. We have instead chosen to root our martial arts firmly in the belief system of Jesus the Christ. Although it is not a requirement for membership, we believe that the Way, as taught by Jesus of (the books) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, provides the best path for any caring martial artist to walk."
Master Tim Feathers
In this section we will discuss the many things that happen in Martial Arts training that might be confusing to the non-martial artist Christian.
"The trouble is, we have found that Martial Arts that are steeped in eastern thought and sometimes religion can act as a gateway to mislead Christians into eastern religions. We have instead chosen to root our martial arts firmly in the belief system of Jesus the Christ. Although it is not a requirement for membership, we believe that the Way, as taught by Jesus of (the books) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, provides the best path for any caring martial artist to walk."
Master Tim Feathers
In this section we will discuss the many things that happen in Martial Arts training that might be confusing to the non-martial artist Christian.
Christian Martial Arts...
Christian martial arts is a group of Christians practicing a martial art. The arts themselves are unmodified by Christianity (with the exception of excluding religious practices that are not Christian). Christians gather to do many and varied activities, it's called fellowship. Christian Martial arts might simply be considered another way to fellowship.
Bowing...
Bowing in any martial arts class is not the same as kneeling in worship. Rather, it is a courtesy like a handshake or a salute. When a person bows to another person they are displaying respect. It is customary for a subordinate to bow a bit lower than a senior.
Sometimes in class people will bow to a flag or even a photograph of the founder of the art. Again, this is not worship, it is displaying respect. Sometimes people will even bow to a dojang room, as if to show respect to the space itself.
Sometimes in class people will bow to a flag or even a photograph of the founder of the art. Again, this is not worship, it is displaying respect. Sometimes people will even bow to a dojang room, as if to show respect to the space itself.
Dojang...
A Dojang is a training hall or practice room. The Dojang is treated with a certain respect in the same way you might be respectful of a person's house when you visit. Though Christian prayer is always welcome in the Dojang, it is no more a place of worship than the street or the backyard. The only exception is when we practice our arts in borrowed space in the Church so in that particular situation you are in fact in a place of worship, the Church, not the Dojang.
Teachers and students are encouraged to take an interest in the Dojang space and make it a place to be proud of. Cleanliness is very important, not for spiritual reasons but for hygiene and health reasons. It's important to have a clean and safe place to practice.
The Dojang is important because it represents a place to meet and practice together, a privilege of sorts, don't abuse it or you might lose the privilege of using it. People might seem to behave in a more reverent way in a dojang than say a gymnasium, not because the place is spiritual but because the practice of martial arts imbues one with basic courtesy and respect.
When you enter the Dojang:
1. Bow to show respect to the room. If a flag or picture is present, bow towards that. If the teacher is present bow to the teacher. Again this bowing is not worship, just respect.
2. Remove your shoes. Generally a Dojang will have some sort of delineation for an area where
shoes are permitted and the actual training area where they are not. For most, the shoe free area is upon
the padded training mats. These mats are generally expensive and shoes can damage them. To a Christian this might seem like Moses removing his sandals when he stood on hallowed ground. However in the Dojang the removal of shoes is done for practical reasons (mat longevity, hygiene, and safety) and not spiritual.
Above all, if you make a mess, clean it up, if you break something fix it or replace it. Be a good steward.
Meditation Do and Don't for Christians
The unknown....
As a martial artist's mental skills develop and one begins to experience Quickening and No-Mind it is only natural to want to explore further into the reservoir of human potential. One wonders, just what can I do with my mind that untrained people around me aren't doing? Well we honestly don't know the limits of human potential. Even in this day and age the mind is still not understood.
We are a ministry and take on students that are of other religions or no religion whatsoever so that we might gently steer them towards the light of Christ through our own personal witness. You may accept Christian faith or not dear student, the choice is yours. We only want what is best for you.
The martial arts world is largely secular or very obviously related to eastern philosophies and eastern religions like Buddhism and Shinto. We at Hapkido Online and at the Tactical Hapkido Alliance are Christian based. For a Christian, the practice of any religion except Christianity is taboo. We must explore the limits of human potential without compromising our Christian ideals. For us, eastern religion is anathema, eastern philosophy is of interest, but should not supplant our fundamental Christian faith. We find that most eastern philosophy to fall under the realm of universal truth and generally mirrors the philosophy presented in the Bible.
When a martial artist has reached a certain level they are usually encouraged to really push the limits of human potential. The first logical step forward is meditation. Meditation has proven to take
the human mind to a new perspective. No-mind (Mushin) is a form of moving meditation so if you've made it this far you are experiencing a kind of meditation. Many uninformed Christians recoil at the thought of mediation, and they have good reason. It smacks of eastern religion.
Psalm 19:14 says
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your
sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
So how do we meditate in a fashion that is pleasing to the Lord? The only way is to meditate with your
Bible, that is meditate with His word and on His word in your mind and heart. If possible you should read your Bible often and completely so His word is always a part of you.
Why is this so important? When you meditate you first clear your mind of mental clutter. Then you clear your mind of all thought. Then you open your mind to the universe around you and it pours in. The physical universe and also the spiritual plane. The trouble is, mankind is not alone and evil roams all about us. Many elements in the universe would love to find an open and willing puppet to do the bidding of the Devil. I believe this is one way people get demonically possessed. You see this meditation business is not without risk, your soul and your sanity are in danger when you dabble with these things.
Many learn martial arts to protect themselves from the evil sinfulness of men, do not build defenses against men only to leave a gate open to the true enemy. You can only safely meditate with the word of God from the Bible. Because the word of God is the only offensive weapon mankind has against
supernatural evil.
Ephesians 6:13-17 says “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of
evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done
everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around
your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet
fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to
all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the
flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
In other words if you are not a Bible reading and believing Christian and attempt to open your soul through meditation you are putting yourself in grave danger. Some of us have reported seeing and hearing dark things while under meditation, it can be a pretty scary place. Only those who are prepared should dabble in that realm.
If you are not a strong Christian that is rooted in the word I highly advise against practicing any form of meditation.
If you are a Christian and believe that your sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ and you wish to pursue meditation I suggest trying Abide. https://abide.co/
As a martial artist's mental skills develop and one begins to experience Quickening and No-Mind it is only natural to want to explore further into the reservoir of human potential. One wonders, just what can I do with my mind that untrained people around me aren't doing? Well we honestly don't know the limits of human potential. Even in this day and age the mind is still not understood.
We are a ministry and take on students that are of other religions or no religion whatsoever so that we might gently steer them towards the light of Christ through our own personal witness. You may accept Christian faith or not dear student, the choice is yours. We only want what is best for you.
The martial arts world is largely secular or very obviously related to eastern philosophies and eastern religions like Buddhism and Shinto. We at Hapkido Online and at the Tactical Hapkido Alliance are Christian based. For a Christian, the practice of any religion except Christianity is taboo. We must explore the limits of human potential without compromising our Christian ideals. For us, eastern religion is anathema, eastern philosophy is of interest, but should not supplant our fundamental Christian faith. We find that most eastern philosophy to fall under the realm of universal truth and generally mirrors the philosophy presented in the Bible.
When a martial artist has reached a certain level they are usually encouraged to really push the limits of human potential. The first logical step forward is meditation. Meditation has proven to take
the human mind to a new perspective. No-mind (Mushin) is a form of moving meditation so if you've made it this far you are experiencing a kind of meditation. Many uninformed Christians recoil at the thought of mediation, and they have good reason. It smacks of eastern religion.
Psalm 19:14 says
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your
sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
So how do we meditate in a fashion that is pleasing to the Lord? The only way is to meditate with your
Bible, that is meditate with His word and on His word in your mind and heart. If possible you should read your Bible often and completely so His word is always a part of you.
Why is this so important? When you meditate you first clear your mind of mental clutter. Then you clear your mind of all thought. Then you open your mind to the universe around you and it pours in. The physical universe and also the spiritual plane. The trouble is, mankind is not alone and evil roams all about us. Many elements in the universe would love to find an open and willing puppet to do the bidding of the Devil. I believe this is one way people get demonically possessed. You see this meditation business is not without risk, your soul and your sanity are in danger when you dabble with these things.
Many learn martial arts to protect themselves from the evil sinfulness of men, do not build defenses against men only to leave a gate open to the true enemy. You can only safely meditate with the word of God from the Bible. Because the word of God is the only offensive weapon mankind has against
supernatural evil.
Ephesians 6:13-17 says “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of
evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done
everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around
your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet
fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to
all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the
flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
In other words if you are not a Bible reading and believing Christian and attempt to open your soul through meditation you are putting yourself in grave danger. Some of us have reported seeing and hearing dark things while under meditation, it can be a pretty scary place. Only those who are prepared should dabble in that realm.
If you are not a strong Christian that is rooted in the word I highly advise against practicing any form of meditation.
If you are a Christian and believe that your sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ and you wish to pursue meditation I suggest trying Abide. https://abide.co/
Eastern Religion vs. Eastern Philosophy
'Do'....The Way
Many martial arts end with the word Do (Korean, Japanese) or Tao (Chinese). Some examples are Hapkido, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Aikido, and etc. Hapkido could be translated as 'The way of coordinated power.'
'Do' may be the single most uniquely Asian quality of all martial arts. In China a kind
of religion has grown around the idea of Do (Tao) or the Way. It is called Taoism and it does have deity worship and thus is taboo to Christians.
However in the purist sense 'do' is not a religion at all and in fact simply means 'the way'. For our purposes it's just a philosophy. 'Do' is universal, all humans whether they know it or not are practicing it all the time. At this moment I am utilizing the Do of writing.
In Christian Martial arts if we dwell on 'do' at all it's simply in a philosophical sense or perhaps in the sense of this is simply 'the way' to do a certain thing.
In many ways 'do' is simply living right. What Master Feathers refers to as
'optimal trajectory'. That is, employing wisdom in our daily lives, in our choices and also in our
relationships.
Many works have been written in the far east over the years about Do. Some are
philosophical in nature and some are religious in nature. It's important to understand the distinction and to proceed with caution about what you choose to fill your vessel with. For Christians the best source of information about "The Way" is in fact the Bible.
Frankly the concepts of 'Do' are nowhere more evident than in the Bible itself. In a sense, it's
the ultimate book about anything that really matters. Proverbs might be considered a masterpiece about 'the way'. To illustrate:
The more you talk, the more you are likely to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.
(Bible - Proverbs 10:19)
The mouth, on the other hand, becomes exhausted if you talk too much. Better to keep your thoughts inside you.
(Tao Te Ching - Chapter 5)
If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all.
(Bible, Mark 9:35)
The Sage puts himself last, And finds himself in the foremost place.
(Tao Te Ching chapter 7)
Many such parallels exist because we are dealing with universal truth. I consider Jesus to be the ultimate master of the way. It's okay to think like this so long as we are not distracted from His more important role as the son of God and Savior of mankind.
Even the Tao Te Ching recongnizes that:
Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world
(Bible, John 1:29)
Who bears himself the sins of the world Is the king of the world
(Tao Te Ching, chapter 78)
As I said, universal truth...
Martial Arts Symbolism: Yin and Yang
Martial Arts symbolism is in many ways a graphic representation of the Do philosophy. The
ubiquitous Yin-Yang (Japan/China) or Um-Yang (Korean) is generally not a
religious symbol (though it has been used that way before). It is instead an attempt to graphically communicate the idea of change, circular motion, and the duality of opposites. The philosophy of balance and acceptance of change are recurring themes in martial arts training and in life. Many of the things taught in martial arts class apply to physical movement and also life. Every lesson has layers of meaning.
Some examples that might be discussed in Martial Arts class.
When you are pushed, pull.
When you are pulled, push.
Do not fight fire with fire, fight fire with water.
Eastern thought stresses harmony, in action, in movement, in relationships, and in life. The Christian faith also values these things though few Christians ever explore that side of their faith.
ubiquitous Yin-Yang (Japan/China) or Um-Yang (Korean) is generally not a
religious symbol (though it has been used that way before). It is instead an attempt to graphically communicate the idea of change, circular motion, and the duality of opposites. The philosophy of balance and acceptance of change are recurring themes in martial arts training and in life. Many of the things taught in martial arts class apply to physical movement and also life. Every lesson has layers of meaning.
Some examples that might be discussed in Martial Arts class.
When you are pushed, pull.
When you are pulled, push.
Do not fight fire with fire, fight fire with water.
Eastern thought stresses harmony, in action, in movement, in relationships, and in life. The Christian faith also values these things though few Christians ever explore that side of their faith.
Violence and Self Defense
To Quote Phil Bradley:
"Basic human instinct causes us to protect ourselves when threatened. This
self-preservation is built-in. You can control it to a point, but you cannot
remove it (nor should you even want to). Self-preservation is why we do not
stand in front of a bullet train or oncoming traffic. It is why we know that
when a rattlesnake is angry, we better watch where we step. It is why we do not
jump off of buildings and pretend that we can fly.
Self-preservation keeps you from wandering around aimlessly, blinded to the
dangers around you. And self-defense goes hand-in-hand with self-preservation.
Protection of ourselves, our families and our communities is simply a part of
us, but by no means is self-defense the same as violence. They are different
emotions, having nothing to do with each other.
In the Old Testament, “an eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38) is one of the most misunderstood
and misquoted verses of the Bible. A lot of people think that it means a license
to take matters into their own hands. However, it actually refers to
restitution.
If someone steals something from you, they are to pay it back with like kind.
If they injure you, they are to make amends. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth.
The New Testament, however, changes this.
Instead of everything coming down to the wrongdoer and his/her
responsibilities, Jesus tells us that it all comes down to us. We are to forgive
those that wrong us and we are to “turn the other cheek.” The new law does not
release the wrongdoer from blame; rather, Jesus is teaching us that forgiveness
and love starts with us.
Jesus is certainly not condoning retribution or violence, nor is He saying
that it is ok for someone to do something wrong to us because they will get off
Scott free. Self-defense is completely different from that.
If someone were to break into your home, what would you do? Would you stand
idly by and watch these attackers accost your family, doing nothing to stop
them? Of course not. You would do something to intervene because it is your
family. You love them and you do not want harm to come to them.
As theologians Dr J.P.Moreland and Dr Norman Geisler stated
it:
To permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow
a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to
children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not
resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as
evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and
children against a violent intruder fails them morally.
Should a situation like this occur, which would you prefer: having a reliable
skill for defending yourself and your family, or flailing about, not knowing
what to do? Without trained, reliable skills, you take a chance, but that chance
can become a grave situation. By knowing what to do and how to do it, you
increase your odds of protecting your family and keeping them safe.
The Bible teaches us about loving God and accepting Jesus as our personal
Savior, and it also teaches us about loving our neighbors as ourselves. Does
this sound like violence and self-defense are the same? It does not to me. Did
Jesus teach us that we should stand idly by and allow evil to run rampant? Of
course not. He said to trust Him with all things, and we most certainly do. But
many have taken that to mean that we are just mindless robots incapable of any
action."
Phil Bradley
Arizona Wing Chun Association
used with permission
htttp://www.awcaonline.com
"Basic human instinct causes us to protect ourselves when threatened. This
self-preservation is built-in. You can control it to a point, but you cannot
remove it (nor should you even want to). Self-preservation is why we do not
stand in front of a bullet train or oncoming traffic. It is why we know that
when a rattlesnake is angry, we better watch where we step. It is why we do not
jump off of buildings and pretend that we can fly.
Self-preservation keeps you from wandering around aimlessly, blinded to the
dangers around you. And self-defense goes hand-in-hand with self-preservation.
Protection of ourselves, our families and our communities is simply a part of
us, but by no means is self-defense the same as violence. They are different
emotions, having nothing to do with each other.
In the Old Testament, “an eye for an eye” (Matthew 5:38) is one of the most misunderstood
and misquoted verses of the Bible. A lot of people think that it means a license
to take matters into their own hands. However, it actually refers to
restitution.
If someone steals something from you, they are to pay it back with like kind.
If they injure you, they are to make amends. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth.
The New Testament, however, changes this.
Instead of everything coming down to the wrongdoer and his/her
responsibilities, Jesus tells us that it all comes down to us. We are to forgive
those that wrong us and we are to “turn the other cheek.” The new law does not
release the wrongdoer from blame; rather, Jesus is teaching us that forgiveness
and love starts with us.
Jesus is certainly not condoning retribution or violence, nor is He saying
that it is ok for someone to do something wrong to us because they will get off
Scott free. Self-defense is completely different from that.
If someone were to break into your home, what would you do? Would you stand
idly by and watch these attackers accost your family, doing nothing to stop
them? Of course not. You would do something to intervene because it is your
family. You love them and you do not want harm to come to them.
As theologians Dr J.P.Moreland and Dr Norman Geisler stated
it:
To permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow
a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to
children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not
resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as
evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and
children against a violent intruder fails them morally.
Should a situation like this occur, which would you prefer: having a reliable
skill for defending yourself and your family, or flailing about, not knowing
what to do? Without trained, reliable skills, you take a chance, but that chance
can become a grave situation. By knowing what to do and how to do it, you
increase your odds of protecting your family and keeping them safe.
The Bible teaches us about loving God and accepting Jesus as our personal
Savior, and it also teaches us about loving our neighbors as ourselves. Does
this sound like violence and self-defense are the same? It does not to me. Did
Jesus teach us that we should stand idly by and allow evil to run rampant? Of
course not. He said to trust Him with all things, and we most certainly do. But
many have taken that to mean that we are just mindless robots incapable of any
action."
Phil Bradley
Arizona Wing Chun Association
used with permission
htttp://www.awcaonline.com
Does Christianity Contradict Asian Philosophy?
Christianity is alive and well in Asia. In fact the current population of Korea is 1/3 Christian. Christianity found its way into Asia in the 7th century AD. During the Japanese occupation of Korea many Korean Christians were persecuted and killed because they refused to worship the emperor of Japan and they refused to destroy their Bibles which were Korean language translations.
Korea in particular was more open to Christianity than its polytheistic neighbors Japan and China. Prior to the arrival of Christianity the Korean people were already monotheistic. They believed that one God (which they called Hwan-in) created the universe. They also believed that a son (named Dan Gun) would be born on Earth to a virgin woman and would teach the Korean people how to live a civilized life.
This ancient Korean myth bears a striking resemblance to Christian beliefs. Modern day
Korean Christians embrace the Bible and it's teachings and have stood by it, sometimes at the expense of their lives.
Korea in particular was more open to Christianity than its polytheistic neighbors Japan and China. Prior to the arrival of Christianity the Korean people were already monotheistic. They believed that one God (which they called Hwan-in) created the universe. They also believed that a son (named Dan Gun) would be born on Earth to a virgin woman and would teach the Korean people how to live a civilized life.
This ancient Korean myth bears a striking resemblance to Christian beliefs. Modern day
Korean Christians embrace the Bible and it's teachings and have stood by it, sometimes at the expense of their lives.