Monday, July 13, 2009

martial arts seduce you into worshipping demons

Do you know how Satan can use "doorways" including yoga, martial arts, and meditation, to bring demonic destruction into your home?



Really?

No, not really.


In the past few years a few potential students have asked me if they could still be a Christian and practice aikido. I guess that is a fair question. I myself walk a different spiritual path but my aikido teacher of the past 15 years is seriously into the work of J.C. So, of course you can be a christian and study aikido. OSensei himself said aikido completes all religions.

I never really thought about the reality models people construct for themselves. Some people believe and teach that are haunted by an unseen enemy - one that creeps into every aspect of everyone's life. That includes the martial arts.

A few years ago I thumbed a religious propaganada book called "prepare for war"



I looked at it originally because I thought from the cover it was cool that Jesus was using a light sabre. My eyes perked up when I saw the line "yoga and martial arts seduce you into worshipping demons." This book also includes such statement as the strength gained in martial arts is really demonic power. It also includes the lines that began this posting "Do you know how Satan can use "doorways" including yoga, role-playing games, and meditation, to bring demonic destruction into your home?"

Now I myself laughed this stuff off as crazy talk. It is the work of my own country's religious extremists. However this kind of "fear" talk really makes the humble martial artist a target in the eyes of those who believe this information. It makes our teachings and way suspect.

I thought this was a minority opinion. Then I started finding these....Pat Robertson here has some interesting lines steeped heavily in ignorance of the martial way.



Then there is the lady at the beginning of this next film.



Jesus did not instruct us to use cars, eat fajitas or use the internet either.

I will conclude with this thought.

Both religious practice and martial arts can bring peace, tranquility, and a enhanced connection to the divine. I will also state that both religion and martial arts will invite darkness and negativity to your life.

What is the difference? What makes a healthy practice of religion and martial arts versus a corrupted practice?

Intent
Ethics
Motivation
Means
the Individual
Relationships
Power and it's use
the Practice
Joy
Respect

I know my martial arts practice has these qualities that "lights the lamp that chases away the darkness". I hope your religion does too.

10 comments:

  1. I recall some years ago that one of our bishops in the Archdiocese of Detroit was a dan ranked karateka.

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  2. Even the statement that "aikido completes all religions", which you intend as inclusive, would be taken as proof of its invasive, anti-Christian nature by most of these people, given Ueshiba's spiritual context, never mind that the language indicates that the religions would be incomplete without Aikido. Just something to consider.

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  3. The thing is with belief system based on fear, EVERYTHING you do becomes reaffirming to their paradigm. You are with 'em or against'em.

    While I do not believe Christainity need be a fear based religion; those that preach fear of demons are practicing a form that leads to paranoia and insidious suspicion of other people's behavior.

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  4. Organized religion is a political machine. The political machine needs money to stay running. That requires people sit in the pews or whatever every day or week, giving money to the church.
    The Gnostic Gospels discovered in 1945 described deciples like Thomas and Mary Magdelene experiancing Christ within themselves, not through the Church. That is why those scrolls were hidden away for 2000 years.
    Martial arts and Asian philosophy teach the same kind of Gnostic enlightenment, that we can control our own destiny (to an extent), and therefore directly threaten the Church's political machine.
    Funny that a standing Army or war does not threaten the Church in the same way.
    The church views martial arts as Luciferian, in that it is self-enlightened, or at least that is a western alchemical view.
    Interestingly, the Israelies don't seem to view their art Krav Maga the same, but I am not sure that has the same self-enlightenment aspects of traditional Eastern arts.
    Hmmmm....

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  5. Christians can practice Aikido?
    Sounds like fajita madness.
    Those tasty seasonings must have put the devil in you!

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  6. Now this isn't supposed to be Christian bashing. I hope this blog can aid in extremist education.

    Unlike Pat Robertsons opinion, I do not breath deep to power myself with demons. I breath deep from having my fat butt thrown on the floor 60 times.

    I hope some Christian martial artists like Patrick Parker, Waddell Sensei or Father Photios will join in and give some perspective on what these people are saying.

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  7. I hate it when I use my wife's account accidentally.

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  8. I like DojoRat and Nick Lowry, and I get where they are coming from, but I disagree. Organized religion is NOT a political machine whose purpose is to obtain money to perpetuate its power structure.

    Organized church is a public repetition of the kihon of the faith. We meet together to worship (literally "celebrate the worthiness of")God and to strengthen each other's faith. The best known scriptural reference for this is Hebrews 10:23 and following...

    "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

    I thought the examples in these videos were all extremist nutjobs, and that's okay because it's controversial and makes for a good blog post and ensuing discussion, but those guys' opinions do not represent the opinions of anyone I've ever met - much less any group of people.

    You can't characterize Christians as nuts just because you chose a couple of nuts as your examples. That would be like saying, "all people believe trees are pink" just because you happened to find a couple of people who professed that.

    I thought the Orthodox Preist's response in the following post was pretty good.

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  9. I am sure there as many Christian philosophies as there are Christians.

    As extreme as pat Robertson may be, his ideas and words do get out. having a daily TV show for 30 years means he is affecting someone somewhere.

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