[Norma-S]

Do Christians think it's OK to study karate and other martial arts, even though they're so rooted in non-Christian, Eastern religions?
Original Code RE148. Click here to see responses from the original archives. Click "to respond" below to reply.

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Name : Norma-S, Gender : F, City : Amarillo, State : TX Country : United States, 

[Jim-R]

As an atheist, I am sensitive to religious undertones in activities I participate in. I have a brown belt in a Korean martial art, and have also studied judo and karate. The closest thing to a religious belief I have found is study of a kind of internal energy called 'Ki' or 'Chi'. Some martial arts practitioners ascribe almost mystical attributes to it, but I think of it more as being really focused and aware of your body. We meditate to relax and focus on the exercises, not to 'worship the devil,' and we bow to show our respect for our teacher's abilities and accomplishments, not to worship him. Believe me, if I felt it were the least bit religious, I would not do it.

User Detail :  

Name : Jim-R, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 42, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Rob S.]

Look at the sport of pro boxing. There's Evander Holyfield, Michael Grant, George Foreman and Frank Bruno, who are Christian boxers. And in Ultimate Fighting Championships, there's Kimo Leopoldo, a Christian minister who has tons of tattoos and looks really mean, and is an expert in Brazilian Ju-jitsu (which came from Japanese Ju-jitsu). In Extreme Fighting Championships, there's Matt Hume, as expert in Maui Thai Boxing (which is from Thailand), and a practicing Christian. As Holyfield would say, 'We are God's warriors.'

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Name : Rob S., Gender : Male, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Poole, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : na, 

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