The Eightfold Path is a series of teachings that were first taught by Buddha after his awakening. He and his followers believed that the Eightfold […] Read More. With roots that stretch back approximately years, QiGong is an ancient Chinese system that coordinates the breath, posture and movement, and meditation. The name […] Read More. Home Schools Spiritualism Exercises. Spiritualism Posted on August 2, Spiritualism Posted on May 10, Spiritualism Posted on February 1, Nevertheless, since Karate is primarily a physical martial art, the meditation aspect can be divorced from it.
Kung Fu. Kung Fu is very diverse. There are different styles of Kung Fu. Generally, Kung Fu is more mystical than Karate. The Ninjas try to assimilate themselves with nature in order to be more stealthy. Tae Kwon Do. It is one of the most compatible forms of Eastern self-defense with Christianity. Tai Chi.
Tai Chi involves the practice of Taoism. Aikido, Ninjitsu, and Tai Chi are the most incompatible with Christianity. God helped them to be victorious as they executed their warfare skills.
Here are a few other brief examples of warfare from the Old Testament that could be studied further:. He prepares for battle but orchestrates a peaceful resolution. There are many more examples in the Old Testament, with a wide variety of scenarios and many unique resolutions. The subject of warfare is very complex, and each situation needs to be considered carefully.
Therefore, when faced with adversity, wisdom needs to be applied. Even with the Old Testament of the Bible showing support for martial arts training, some might argue that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament - that God's position on warfare changed when Jesus came on the scene.
It might be said that the God of the Old Testament was concerned with war and the God of the New Testament is concerned with peace.
The Bible, however, does not support this. As I continued to study this topic, I saw that the New Testament also discusses self-defense and the idea of martial arts. Matthew , in which Jesus talks about an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, has been used to condemn martial arts.
It reads, "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.
And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your cloak as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. I was swayed by this argument myself, and was torn in my own convictions for some time. But when I finally decided to dig deeper into the Bible, I was amazed and encouraged by the answers I found. Many people who want to obey the Bible simply gloss over this scripture, like I did, because they are torn between what they think the Bible says and their consciences, which tell them to prepare for warfare and to protect.
The truth is that Jesus never intended to abolish the Old Testament laws. He only intended to clarify them, to reinforce them, fulfill them and reveal God's heart behind them. This is what Jesus says just moments earlier in Matthew "Do not think that I have come to abolish the [Old Testament] Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. These chapters in Exodus contain the laws God gave to his people, which reinforce and further detail the famous "ten commandments.
This is not a scripture about self-defense but about restitution and punishment for a crime. Jesus referred to this scripture because the people, in religious self-righteousness, were using this particular law to justify retaliation and vengeance.
A closer look at the act of aggression that Jesus refers to as a strike on the cheek will reveal that he is talking about an insult rather than a fighting fist. The word "strike" is translated from the Greek word rhapizo which is used interchangeably with the word "slap. It was not necessarily a physical attack nor meant to result in physical harm. Even Exodus regarding "an eye for an eye" says that if, as a result of a conflict, a pregnant by-stander is forced to give birth pre-maturely but there is no serious injury to the woman or the baby, "an eye for an eye" should not be applied as a punishment.
Jesus is confirming that this Old Testament law regarding punishment is not to be used as an excuse for retaliation when inconvenienced or insulted. Jesus is exposing the heart of man and is further clarifying the Old Testament Law. God's desire is not that we retaliate, but rather that we restrain our emotions in the heat of conflict and maintain righteousness and mercifulness. We are not to pounce on our adversary at the first sign that we have been offended.
The ultimate goal of God is to win over the offender, help him to see God's mercy and institute a change of heart in the offender see 2 Peter and Luke for further study. The Bible provides some guidelines for practicing self-defense and martial arts as it aims to clarify what is and is not acceptable in the face of conflict. II Timothy says, "All Scripture [the Bible] is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Permanent injury, or even death, can occur as a result of practicing martial arts. This does not make martial arts unacceptable to God, but God clarifies what is and is not acceptable regarding deadly force in various situations. For example, Exodus says that if a person is killed unintentionally, the killer is not guilty of murder. If it is intentional, the killer is to be sentenced to death. Exodus says that if people are quarreling and one strikes the other and injures him seriously but not permanently even with a weapon , he is responsible only to compensate the injured man for loss of time and medical expenses.
I point out these scriptures to show that God is concerned with the attacker's and the defender's intentions, as well as the outcome of the conflict.
We cannot simply say that anyone who harms or kills another man is guilty and has committed a sin. It depends on his intentions. Also, we see that using extreme force, or even a weapon, may be appropriate if it is used in a way as to not intentionally inflict permanent damage.
The Bible refers to another situation in which self-defense may be used during a robbery, in Exodus If a man is being robbed, he is entitled to protect his property, his family and himself. If the attempted robbery takes place at night and the actions of self-defense result in the death of the robber, the defender is not guilty. If the attempted robbery takes place in the daytime and the robber is killed, the defender is guilty of sin.
The difference may be that in the daytime, the defender should have more control of his actions and should be able to subdue the robber without killing him.
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