Knights of the 1st Crusade
Is the practice of karate an “unholy” thing? Well, obviously this would depend entirely on whether or not you as an individual are a religious person…if so, what are the specific tenants of your religious faith. Myself, being a Christian, makes the question: “Is my karate training an un-Christian thing?”
I had never even thought to ask myself this question. So, when I first found out about a number of evangelic preachers, pastors of churches and priests that were preaching fire and brimstone against karate training (and other martial arts as well), I was caught totally off guard. To me, the idea seemed tantamount to saying it was un-Christian to cross the street. What was even more surprising to me was that people (those who were training already and had been for quite some time) seemed to be listening. I would have never been surprised by someone believing their preacher when he was talking about a subject that the listener had no prior knowledge of. But, this was different.
One instance that stands out in my mind involves a friend of mine who owns and is head instructor of a dojo in Florida. Ironically, it is a Christian based school. This does not mean there is any hidden agenda or indoctrination behind the scenes. The program is very open about this affiliation and Chris (my friend) uses this as a vehicle for his Christian ministry. And, as a part of that, he has spent a great deal of time teaching and performing demonstrations at local Christian schools in the area as a voluntary add-on for the students’ PE programs. One day, a certain school (that he had worked with several times in the past) stopped returning his calls. After chasing the administration down simply looking for an explanation, he was told that a guest pastor had given an entire sermon on how karate training was “unholy” to the point of being demonic…and, the administration was caught hook, line and sinker. Granted, this incident did not cost Chris any money (directly) and even saved him a little bit of time. But, he is not the one I am most concerned about. The children in that school that are now being steered away from martial arts as a whole, due to (in my opinion) a misguided interpretation of scripture, are the true victims here. When I think of how much I have gained in many aspects of my life from training in the martial arts and that many of these kids might be denied that before they even got a chance to figure it out for themselves…it really does bother me.
John Zimmer (myselfdefenseblog.com) wrote a very good post about this entitled: Christian’s against karate; What? In it there was an audio clip from a sermon given by Dr. Scott Johnson demonizing the practice of martial arts. John does a very good job of analyzing and refuting Dr. Johnson’s assertions on a point-by-point basis. And, along with this one recorded sermon, there are many more zealots that oppose the practice of martial arts. Almost all cite scriptural passages to support their point of view. But, to quote William Shakespeare: “The devil can site scripture for his own purpose! An evil soul producing holy witness is like a villain with a smiling cheek. [Merchant of Venice]”.
The three biggest stumbling blocks in this debate seem to be: karate’s non-Christian, eastern origins, its combative nature as a fighting art and the perception (thanks mostly to movies’ hype) that it gives the practitioners some unnatural/supernatural abilities. So, in response…here we go!
It is true karate (along with many other more popular martial arts) has its origins in (non-Christian) Asia. However, gunpowder also originated in ancient China. And, it seems, virtually all nations, religions, races, etc…have embraced firearms as a “necessary evil” to defend themselves. So, it seems that a skill or technology simply being of foreign origin is not enough to make it unholy, demonic or evil. Seeing as how every nation has an army and they pretty much all have guns, I think we can all agree on that point. This is the way of the modern world. I have not recently heard any religious outcry (Christian or otherwise) to disarm their nations completely. That having been said, it is not necessary to adopt the faiths/philosophies of a certain culture just to learn specific skills from them.
This leads us to the next point…the combative nature of the martial arts. Again, it is true that karate (along with the rest) was conceived, refined and is constantly being perfected for the purpose of fighting and (if necessary) killing another person in defense of one’s self, loved ones, etc… The debate about what constitutes “necessary fighting”, I have written about before…so I won’t get into it here in the interest of staying on point. Suffice it to say that this is another area where the universal existence of standing armies throughout the world indicates an equally universal idea. That being: while no decent person would want to kill another, it is an accepted truth that we all have the right to defend ourselves. And, therefore, by extension have the right to learn how to do it well. Case in point:
“Blessed be the Lord, my strength, who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight;” [Psalms 144:1]
And, finally, we come to the “super-ninja” argument. This generally refers to the assertion by some, that many documented feats of combative strength, endurance or speed could not be accomplished by a normal man. This leads people to think that there is some supernatural, demonic or other-worldly force at work. Are we talking about possession here? Anyone who trains hard and becomes very proficient (even the best) at their respective art is possessed? So, that’s how Leonardo Da Vinci, Mohammad Ali and Roger Bannister (ran the first 4-minute mile) did it!! They were possessed!! See how silly that sounds? That kind of thought is what started the Salem witch trials. These men were one each of the greatest artists, boxers and runners of all time. Each of them did things that, to the common man would have seemed impossible at the time. They simply worked/trained very hard, were very committed and loved what they did. While this type of dedication can be likened to religious faith, it is not a religion. And it is most certainly not demonic possession.
But, if you would like to explore that angle…
I have been training for right at 20 years. In that time, I have trained in several dojos/dojang in 2 countries. Because of this, it would be dishonest to say that I have “never” been exposed to Eastern philosophy and religion. “Exposure” to these types of things (or any other foreign ideas) comes with learning anything that originates in a culture different from your own. But, never once was I encouraged, led or indoctrinated into any kind of religious faith or philosophy. I am not saying that ALL dojos, dojang, etc… are not out there doing this. Some are promoting philosophical or religious ideals along with the physical side of the arts. My friend Chris is a prime example. However, like I said before, he is very forthright about his training policies and beliefs in this area, and any prospective student is well aware of it before they even have their first lesson. There is no hidden agenda and I see no harm in this approach. And, yes… he does have non-Christian students who accept this and are still welcome to train there.
I am not saying this because I believe karate IS a holy thing or the cure to the worlds ills. I am talking about it because it ISN’T. It ISN’T a religion in and of itself. It ISN’T wrongfully violent (only people can be that). It ISN’T about calling on supernatural abilities or focusing other-worldly energies. And, it certainly ISN’T inherently un-Christian, unholy or evil.
