The various forms of the martial arts are just a few of the many "arts" that originated in the East (predominately the Far East/the Orient) by the will of the gods behind them. When these arts are practiced, though we don't necessarily become Buddhist or Hindu, we invite the spirits behind the arts into our lives whether we know it or not. This is why the Bible issues serious warnings against taking up, or being involved in any way with the practices originating in the Eastern Hemisphere (east of the Promised Land). One of several warnings is found in the book of Isaiah.
Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished (take up/are involved in the practices) from the east... (Isaiah 2:6).
It is true that the various forms of the martial arts such as kung-fu are considered among the solutions for the danger of being the victim of a violent crime but it is far from being reliable protection. In trying to secure some sense of confidence and protection, you end up exposing yourself to a danger much more terrible than the one of the streets. This is why king David, a faithful servant of God, said:
...I will not trust in my bow (and arrow), neither shall my sword save me. (Psalm 44:6)
I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies. (Psalm 18:3)
Exactly what danger am I referring to? How many practitioners of the martial arts have ever stopped to question the teachings of their schools? When you are told to breathe a certain way or to do certain exercises in order to develop your "chi" energy, you obey them without question. Ask yourself if you would know how to explain in depth what "chi" is? You are taught that once your "chi" energy is developed you will have more power as your 'vital energy' flows through your body. It is believed that deep breathing during strenuous exercise such as swimming serves only to improve your physical health. Other exercises such as Buddha hand breathing supposedly develops the so-called chi energy. Energies, powers and forces DO NOT EXIST! "Chi" is a New Age term used to describe the energies, vibrations and powers behind the martial arts that are neither holy nor neutral! The following scriptures teach us that there is no middle ground. You are either with Jesus or you are against Him, you either serve sin or you serve righteousness, you serve one master or the other, you make sacrifices to the devil or to God.
His servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. (Romans 6:16)
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love (choose) the other or else he will hold to the one and despise (reject) the other. (Matthew 6:24)
Jesus said: he that is not with me is against me. (Matthew 12:30)
The things which the gentiles (those who do not serve the God of Israel) sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. (1 Corinthians 10:20)
In all of the above scriptures, the Bible refers to only TWO sides, either holy or unholy but not to a middle ground. If you try to make a middle ground by "straddling the line" between the things of God and those of the devil so as to be able to do what you want, you will end up being a luke warm Christian because:
Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils, ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and the table of devils. (1 Corinthians 10:21)
So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew (spit) thee out of my mouth (reject you). (Revelation 3:16)
These scriptures plainly tell us that there is no middle ground. The energies, forces, and powers of the fighting arts are NOT holy; and they are not neutral. Remember, the Bible says that neutrality in the spirit realm does NOT exist (review scriptures above). The energies, forces, and powers behind the martial arts are demonic. These satanic powers make techniques such as 'iron palm', 'iron body', dim mak (the death touch) possible. The internal martial arts such as Tai Chi Ch'uan, Hsing-I and Pa Kua teach how to meditate to blank out your mind. Don't be deceived, this type of meditation is by no means a way to relax yourself or to escape your anxieties or worries so that your "energy" flows freely. But what does God's word say about meditation? It gives us various scriptures that all have one thing in common. God's servants never meditated to blank out their mind, on the contrary, they meditated on something in order to think it through and over.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (Psalm 1:2)
O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. (Psalm 119:97)
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. (Joshua 1:8)
The eastern forms of meditation such as meditating upon nothing but a light bulb, to relax and attain peace, expose you to the outward influence of evil spirits which can lead to their indwelling (possession). The Bible talks ONLY of ACTIVE meditation, and the Bible is our guide for how EVERYTHING should be done.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime (the times before us/in history) were written for our learning. (Romans 15:4)
Blanking out the mind does NOT help you to attain true peace but rather:
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee ('Thee' means "you" in reference to God. These are the words king David spoke to God). (Isaiah 26:3)
What's more, the Bible warns against the danger of blanking out your mind. We are supposed to keep ourselves ALERT!
Be sober, be vigilant (alert/on the watch) because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
Your response may be that the fact that in none of these scriptures do we find anyone blanking out his/her mind does not necessarily mean that we must accept such a doctrine about meditation. Let's remember that the Bible tells us what we should and should NOT do and although it was written in ancient times, it is the Gospel that remains forever and all doctrines should be based on the one great doctrine of the holy scriptures.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
But the word of the Lord endureth forever and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:25)
Satan and his demons have easy access to a blanked out mind. Your training also involves you fighting duels with imaginary opponents while practicing your katas (forms) and techniques in preparation for real combat. Although David and Gideon of the Old Testament were warriors, nowhere in the Bible do we read of them training with imaginary opponents or using "energies". Almost always your opponent is maimed or killed but how is this seen in the eyes of God? Is this how He would have you react?
Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)
If you practice imagining yourself as one who maims and kills, you are in preparation to become one who will maim and kill. Webster's definition of "idol" is an image of a god used as an object of worship, an object of excessive devotion or admiration. Authentic training requires excessive devotion of your time and energy.
Some martial arts schools require that you bow before photos of the deceased founders of the art and even before statues of Buddha or other idols (though you may not realize it at the time). Why do I call Buddha an idol? Earlier in this writing I gave enough scriptures that tell us that there are no neutral energies. Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism as well as many other doctrines deny that Jesus is the Son of God, the messiah, the Christ and the Savior of the world.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist. (1 John 2:22)
You shall not bow down thyself to them nor serve them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God. (Exodus 20:5)
In martial arts schools, there is the "master." The "master" is greatly admired and you bow before him to show your admiration. Jesus warned God's people not to even call the teachers of the Holy Scriptures 'master'. How is it that a Christian will be innocent in calling the teacher of an ungodly art, their master? Again, we will be judged for what we speak out of our mouths and every time you refer to your sensei (martial arts instructor) as "master" you will answer to the one and only Master one day as to why you broke this commandment of His.
But be not ye called rab'bi (which means "master/teacher" see St John 1:38); for one is your master even (who is) Christ. (Matthew 23:8)
Finally, I would like to talk about some of the movements of the forms, techniques and stretching "exercises" that are taught. Since ancient times body postures have been used to conjure up demonic power. According to Webster's dictionary, "religion" is belief and reverence for an entity (spirit being) who is accepted as creator and ruler of the universe. The martial arts were born out of Buddhism and other Far Eastern (oriental)"religions" that worship demons through the body postures and movements of katas and karate/kung-fu techniques! During the Ming dynasty, Wang Yang Ming founded a 'religion' that was a mixture of Taoism and Ch'uan Buddhism. His "religion" was based on a system of movements and many names of the movements of Tai Chi for example were inspired in the practice of that demonic "religion."
The Bird flies into the forest
The serpent crawls down the tree
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
Training in the martial arts blinds you so that you cannot understand your need to accept Christ as your Savior and/or it ultimately leads to your backsliding. The practice of the martial arts is a sin and sin deceives and then it kills!
For sin taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (Romans 7:11)
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
As a former practitioner of the martial arts I have personally experienced the shock of this information. Afterwards, I was greatly depressed at the thought of having to give up the practice of Kung Fu and diligently sought some way to practice "Christian" martial arts of some kind. But if you will hear the voice of God, please don't become stubborn against Him.
For Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (Hebrews 3:7)
Immediately after, in no way should you turn back to participation in the fighting arts.
And Jesus said unto him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)
COMMENTS/QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE:
(received before we opened the conversation thread)
Comment: I became involved with the martial arts as a kid as well as other activities which introduce young people to the occult. I thank God for His Word which exposed these "arts" for what they are and their dangers. Very valuable article.
Our Response: Thank you
=======================Comment: Why would you give the martial arts a bad name when their practice helps people to defend themselves, develop self-discipline, attain physical fitness and respect for others? Why would you attempt to vilify very positive attributes?
Our Response: The Bible has warned that even Satan will present himself as angel of light. The scripture of 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 says: And no marvel (don't be surprised); for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. The fact that something has positive aspects does not make it acceptable in the eyes of God. We read: ...Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15). The Bible further warns man against making judgment of what is evil and what is good based on his own thoughts and reasoning which leads to calling many things good that God has judged as evil and evil as good. Continuing to do such is warned against. We read: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight (Isaiah 5:20-21). This is why God said: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
=================================Comment: Heavenly Manna and anyone else that believes that God has condemned the practice of the martial arts is a lunatic. They are shameful fellow Christians to be avoided by real Christians.
Our Response: The Bible says that many people called our Lord a mad man, and a man with a devil.
And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? (St. John 10:20) It would not be logical to expect better treatment than our Lord. We also read that the time is coming when there will be those who will kill the followers of Christ thinking that they are doing God a service. Jesus said: They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father, nor me (St. John 16:2-3). There is no reason for us to be surprised at such a comment having been warned by our Lord to expect such. Jesus said to his servants these words: The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub (the devil), how much more shall they call them of his household? (Matthew 10:24-25)
=======================================Comment: So what is someone to do in this violent world, keep turning the other cheek? Who in their right mind is going to do that?
Our Response: Such comment is taken out of context from the fifth chapter of Matthew. In the same chapter of Matthew, verses 29-30, we read: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee...and if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. Even the unlearned in the scriptures realize that a man is not to pluck his eye out or cut off his hand if it offends him. Why does 'turn the other cheek' suddenly become a literal instruction? To misquote such a scripture only reveals gross misunderstanding and/or deliberate twisting of scripture. Gaining a sound understanding of what the word 'offend' means might be a good place to start to avoid such abuse of scripture.
====================================Comment: I agree with your author that Tai Chi, Kempo, Tae Kwon Do and kung-fu are heavily influenced by Buddhism. Afterall, any style ending in the suffix "-do" tends to be a lifestyle, or a "way". However, any style ending in "-jutsu" as in Jiu-jitsu, Aiki-jutsu etc, are simply military arts designed to inflict as much damage as possible on the opponent while minimizing one's own damage. The grappling styles originated in the Mesopotamian Valley, particularly in the area of Ur of the Chaldees, you know- where Abram came from.
Our Response: The reader alludes to the fact that Jiu-jitsu or any other "grappling" martial art must be okay to practice since supposedly it originated in the land of Ur, Abram's first home (Abram became a great man of God). Such a conclusion lacks both logic and biblical support. First, are we to say that because Abram came from Ur and he obeyed God, jiu-jitsu must also be okay/good because it also came from Ur? This could be used to justify anything that came out of Ur! Second, it appears that the reader is unaware that Abram started out as a pagan who lived in a land filled with pagan worshippers (Joshua 24:2-3). In Joshua we read this truth and furthermore learn that he was called OUT of the land of Ur, AWAY from his pagan relatives and people. We then see the most disturbing comment the reader made which was that jiu-jitsu, Aiki-jutsu, etc. are designed to inflict as much damage as possible on the opponent while minimizing one's own damage. How is this even remotely in agreement with Jesus who said to His followers:
...Be ye therefore wise as serpents and HARMLESS as doves. (Matthew 10:16)
Furthermore, we read that Jesus, when reviled and attacked, never returned what was dished out to Him (1 Peter 2:23). Christians do not defend themselves, nor attack in the same manner as did David and his armies. Why? Obviously, because we are no longer under the Old Testament during which the servants of God were His ministers of death (2 Corinthians 3:6-9). This means that people like David were actually supposed to carry out God's punishment and judgment in war. Saul actually fell into grave trouble with God for sparing someone's life that God had ordered killed (1 Samuel 15:19-21). The servants of God under the New Testament are the servants of His MERCY! (2 Corinthians 3:6-9). We don't handle things the way king David and his armies did in old times. It is neither biblical nor logical to try to compare the two very different ministries in an attempt to biblically justify an activity that one simply wants to continue to practice.