Martial arts and Christianity….

I recently read a short book that I found very disturbing. Please bear in mind that I read this book as a non-religious person and therefore have a ‘world view’ that may differ quite significantly from a person who has a world view based on religion- whether that religion be Christianity or any other.

Though I am not a Christian I thought I at least understood the basic tenants of this religion and didn’t consider myself too different from the Christians that I know, at least not culturally. After reading this book I’m not sure I understand Christianity at all and feel quite disturbed by some of the beliefs expressed.

The book I am talking about is called, Martial Arts: a Biblical Perspective, by Paul Villaneuva, M.A. It is a short, self-published e-book on the Smashwords.com website. The reason I downloaded it was because I have recently had an e-mail from someone who wanted advice on finding a suitable martial arts club for their children and as Christians it was important to them that the martial art didn’t contain any “spiritual aspects – meditation, Yin/Yang etc.”

I then stumbled across the book by accident and e-mailed the link to the guy who had contacted me –without reading it first. The blurb on the book simply said:

“A 6000 word well researched mini book on the compatibility between the Martial Arts and Christianity. This work explores the history of ancient fighting arts, the philosophies rooted in the fighting systems, the differences between traditional and non-traditional fighting schools, fitness and heath, Mixed Martial Arts or MMA, the dangers of yogic meditation, and the Biblical viewpoint concerning such practices. 

It will enlighten your understanding and give you confidence in a decision to practice or not to practice these ancient fighting arts. 

This is a must read for any Christian parent having a child enrolled in any type of fighting art school. It presents a fair and balanced viewpoint supported by documentation and Scriptural references. Many Martial arts experts were consulted and their views are outlined in a factual manner.”

It sounded exactly like the advice being sought!

Anyway, I then decided that I should probably have read the book myself before recommending it....

The Christian view held by the author seemed in my mind to be at the extreme end of the scale. It involved a lot of superstitious beliefs and as  ‘extreme’ people often do, the arguments were much polarised, always ascribing the most negative of motives to people who wish to learn internal martial arts such as tai chi; to the point of saying that such martial artists are ‘possessed by demons’ and ‘lust after additional power’. He also decries the ‘mystical mumbo-jumbo’ of traditional martial arts. He seems to think that traditional martial artists are dabbling in quasi-occult practices in an attempt to imbibe themselves with supernatural powers like ‘chi’ which enable them to move objects or levitate!

I was quite taken aback by the superstitious nonsense that this author was peddling in the name of Christianity. Do Christians really believe that they may get possessed by demons if they partake in a bit of deep breathing? If so, how do pregnant Christian women cope during labour if they have to avoid controlled breathing techniques less a demon possess them, or worse – their unborn baby? I’m just continuing the logic of this argument….

In fact it was breathing techniques that seemed to upset this guy the most, particularly during meditation or mokuso. He cautions that the act of trying to ‘empty the mind – mushin’ will allow the mind to be filled by demons – that we are purposely emptying our minds to demonic influence. He also cautions that, “A Christian should never practice exercises that focus on the breath for the purpose of emptying the mind and developing internal chi power.” Okay, so some people get a little carried away with the chi thing – but however hard they try they aren’t gaining supernatural powers and they aren’t being possessed by demons! It really is quite safe to breathe…

In his final paragraph he gives this advice:

“I do not advocate rushing out and pulling your child from the high school wrestling team because they could become demonized through this martial sport, etc. However, I would advocate pulling them off the team if their coach or other students were supplying your child with anabolic steroids or methamphetamine. What is the difference? None. Both practices wish to instil more “power” and better performance on the athlete. One uses the spiritual and demonization to accomplish this, and the other uses drugs and demonization to accomplish this. It is the lust for power that is going to lead one down the path of darkness.”

Whoa!

Why would anyone, Christian or not, believe that martial arts instructors are (knowingly or not) trying to demonise children by teaching them simple breathing exercises to help them improve their technique and maximise their natural potential? This is nature not an occult practice!

I found this book shocking and uncomfortable reading. Shocked mainly by the fact that Christians may actually still believe in the existence of actual demons (rather than just metaphorical ones, i.e. drink/drugs etc that alter mental processes and change behaviour – this is a pharmacological effect of course not a supernatural one). I tend to associate this brand of Christianity with medieval Europe not the 21^st Century.

However, if one thinks about it, these conclusions are the logical out-workings of Christian teachings. This is the problem with logic. Good logic requires sound assumptions and provable predicates. It also requires wisdom in its interpretation. If you start with an un-provable predicate (that demons exist) and an unsound assumption (demons will fill an empty mind) then it is logical to state that if you meditate to a point of achieving ‘mushin’ then “demonic forces are waiting to return to that empty, swept clean house.” From Luke 11:24-26. However, that doesn’t make it true – logic and truth don’t always make good bed fellows, not if the logic is based on un-provable predicates and unsound assumptions, as in this case.

The other unsound assumption made in this book is that martial artists, particularly those practising ‘internal arts’ (who must be power crazed individuals if the book is to be believed), have the worst of all motives for practising their art. That it is all about power acquisition, superiority, ego and occult practice. This is how politicians argue isn’t it – make yourself look better by painting the opposition in the worst possible light. Yet, anyone following a martial art, including the spiritual aspects of training, know that their core purpose is one of losing ego, gaining self-control and showing compassion and humility. This is not the picture of martial arts painted in this book.

The book claims to be a balanced account, a useful tool for the Christian family looking for a martial art for their child that won’t demonise them. However, to me as a non-Christian, this book has taught me some unpalatable truths about Christian doctrine and was anything but balanced!

Are the arguments expressed in this book a true reflection of what the average Christian would believe or is this author very extreme in his teachings? You may want to read the book yourself first (it’s only 6000 words and costs 99 US cents or 64p). Here’s the link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85467

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.