The Martial Arts – Should Christians Get Involved?

June 19, 2007 D. H. McKee

Is Chuck Norris really an X-tian then? He does kick ass.
The Martial Arts – Should Christians Get Involved?

Most martial arts teachers include meditation as part of their instruction. The mental conditioning that meditation brings is largely responsible for the amazing physical feats that advanced martial artists do. Focusing the attention on the single task, such as breaking many boards with a bare hand, is brought about by achieving the impassive Zen mental state.
Christians have no business being involved in the martial arts, even at the most elementary level. The one benefit that can be derived from the martial arts — exercise — is available in so many other spiritually harmless activities that there is no reason to open oneself up to the spiritual hazards or commission of sin that these techniques lead to.

2 Responses to “The Martial Arts – Should Christians Get Involved?”

Martial Arm
18 years ago

I personally don’t agree with that. I recently remember reading an article about a Catholic Priest that practices the martial arts. Now you say that because of the meditation factor that martial arts are spiritually harmful. But meditation is about calming your thought to help you focus. It is the same concept as prayer except you say nothing out loud not to mention that most martial arts do not require the practice of meditation anymore not to mention the simple fact that you are not meditating to a different religion, you are simply calming your thoughts. The whole amazing feats thing you spoke of is not from the mediation. It is from the adrenaline gland. I just don’t agree with that thought and neither does the large number of Christian priests that have committed themselves to the martial arts as a form of nothing more than “quality” exercise.
dmckee
18 years ago

“Now you say that because of the meditation factor that martial arts are spiritually harmful.”
Whoa there pal. I didn’t say anything, except to poke a little fun at Chuck Norris (they say his tears cure cancer, but he never cries). Maybe I should be putting these quotes into italics or something, so that people quit thinking I’m the one who’s coming up with these nutty ideas. The link takes you to an article by Keith A. Morse, and I’m pointing to it for a very specific reason.
By referencing Chuck, I’m pointing out is the constant hypocrisy of X-tians and their holier-than-thou spirituality, while they quietly subscribe to the very meditations and cultural influences of other religions they decry. Sure it’s silly for Keith A. Morse to say “people in [a meditative] state open themselves up to possible demonic influence”, and “Yoga is not for Christians”, just like it’s silly for Chuck Norris to blame the Virginia Tech massacre on the “secular progressive agenda”, when Cho and his family were deeply religious X-tians. He wrote that he would go down in history as the “Jesus Christ of the Weak and Defenseless.”
Now, I would agree that Yoga, at least those spiritual aspects of Yoga and other mind-over-body exercises, is not for Atheists, but that’s perhaps a little different. You can stretch without being spiritual.

About This Site

As a guy who occasionally curates art shows and wrangles artists together, I often have to edit and post artist bios, profile pictures, and artwork images. This can be a problem, since many artists and writers aren’t used to selling themselves. Artists rarely know how to present their art for display in a brochure, and writers aren’t used to writing about themselves.

Writers often treat the bio like it’s an interview or something. Maybe like they’re having a conversation with you, the reader. While it may work sometimes, the most common way to write a bio is to write in the 3rd person.

I’m like those writers, and I’m talking to you directly, unlike the common way to do a bio. You should see my About page. It makes sense to me, since this is a bit which describes my blog’s website. When I get famous enough that I don’t have time to talk to you, I’ll have an intern write everything in 3rd person. Until then, you get to talk to me.

Like blogs of old, this one is a personal document of the comings and goings of me. Articles I’ve written, links I’ve posted, videos I liked, etc. Here, a first-person perspective is the way to go, at least for now. So, this is my site. I’m D. H. McKee, a sometimes artist, sometimes writer. Mostly just a guy on the internet.