Christian Martial-artist

I am both a Christian and a martial-artist, but I keep getting told by uniformed Christians that this is not possible. Judgemental or Christians that do not know enough about martial-arts tell me that studying martial-arts is a sin because of the origins and practices of martial-arts. Let me start off by saying that there are martial-arts that are deeply rooted in eastern religions, but I personally have never ever bowed to a bhudda or practiced emptying my mind during meditation in the 19 years that I have done martial-arts.

I have heard some people say that the bowing in martial-arts is a sin. Exodus 20:5 says not to bow down to idols or other gods. Bowing in the Taekwondo that I practice has nothing to do with revering somebody as a god. I do not bow as a form of submission. Bowing is a salute and a respectful greeting. I even think that it is more hygenic than a hand-shake. By bowing, I am saying that I recognize that person as a fellow or senior martial-artist. I would never consider a soldier saluting to a superior a form of ungodly submission, it is the same thing.

Christian's also get confused by the term master. They hear martial-artists use the term master and they confuse it with the title we give to God. I hate being called a master, but it is just a title of a teacher. A master in martial-arts for me is not somebody that I submit to. I am not worshipping them. They are not master over me, they are master over the martial-art that they study and teach. They have mastered certain skill sets, and when I refer to them as a master I am saying that I recognize that mastery. The master is not lord over me, there is only one true Lord!

I will admit that there is a risk of idol worship in martial-arts as with any thing (money, athletes, movie stars, etc). Spending too much time and energy on anything besides God is dangerous. God is jealous, and He only wants us to worship Him. By defining myself as a martial-artist I risk doing martial-arts for my own self-worth, and that is a sin. But giving thanks to God for allowing me to do something fun is a way for me to enjoy gifts from God. Taekwondo is fun and relaxing for me just like others enjoy jogging or golf. And just like any sport, it requires practice and hard work to excel. But working hard at sports does not make all athletes sinners, does it?

Certain Christians argue that Psalm 44:6 states that we should not rely on fighting, but we should instead rely on God to protect us. First, Taekwondo is a defensive art. We are taught (or should be taught) that we do not go out and attack people. What we learn is for self-defense. That is why our forms start with blocks instead of strikes or kicks. Second, even though I have been taught to defend myself, I still will rely on God for ultimate protection. I rely on God for everything, but that does not mean that I am going to sit at the dinner table and wait for my food to miraculously appear on my plate. Instead, I am going to prepare by going to the grocery store and cooking. Learning self-defense in preparation. It is a smart way to  keep myself safe from all the crazy humans out there.

Some Christians attack martial-arts just because of its eastern origins. They argue that God does not want us doing things that have pagan origins and that we should not practice anything that comes from the east (Isaiah 2:6). This is true. You will not find a bhudda in my home, and I will not practice martial-arts in any school that has a bhudda or any form of eastern religion. But martial-arts is not an eastern religion. Sure, some bhuddists, hinduists, and other eastern religious people may practice martial-arts, but not all martial-artists practice these religions.

Some people think that the forms, patterns, poomse, or kata we practice are a method of worship. This may be true in some martial-arts, but none that I have practiced. The forms I do in Taekwondo are a way to practice movements and a method of exercise. They may have historical significance as a way to remember those who created the form or helped with the evolution of the martial-art, but practicing the form is not a way to worship those people. It is a way to remember them, just as history books and museums help us to remember ancestors or certain historically important people.

Because martial-arts comes from the east does not make it a pagan practice. Eating sushi with chopsticks is not a sin, and neither is fried rice. Though I would like to say  I can't learn math for religious reasons, I do not believe anybody forbids the study of math just because it has muslim origins. Just because pagans have practiced it, does not make it always a pagan thing. December 25 was a pagan holiday, but the Christians took it over as the celebration of the birth of our savior, and Christmas is not a pagan holiday now.

I am not saying that all martial-artists are Christian. I can guarantee there are many that are not. But I guarantee that there are plenty of martial-artists who are Christians. I am one of them. I will use my martial-arts to glorify God anyway I can!