At least, according to The Reverend Ed Hird:
In conclusion, my research and personal experience has led me to the conviction that Taekwondo and the Martial Arts are not merely physical exercise, but in fact are Zen Buddhist meditational practices, both in their sitting and moving forms. Taekwondo and MA are a Trojan Horse in the House of the Lord, eroding the spiritual barriers between Zen Buddhism and the Christian Gospel, and potentially leading vulnerable children and teens into the early stages of eastern occultism. As a result of this research, our Christian School Board decided to no longer offer Taekwondo or other Martial Arts. The good news about religious syncretism is that it is never too late to repent and start afresh, serving one Master and one Master alone, Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 6:24)
I'm trying to come up with a coherent response, but all I can do is shake my head. Yes, martial arts are rooted in Buddist spiritualism but have evolved far beyond that into a secular activity for the past fifty years. In my opinion, martial arts are no more likely to cause erosion of "spiritual barriers" than walking down the average street.
Now to be fair there are some martial art "schools" that practise more of the mysticism and even some that are fronts for money-grubbing cult-like leaders, but the vast majority are good places for kids to learn discipline, respect, phsyical control, and have fun. Anything else, Reverend Hird, is in your head.
3 comments:
Where in the world do you find all these fanatics?
Sadly, its not hard. I suspect its because these fanatics make up a large part of organized religion.
Bill, I'm not a religious guy by any means, but I gotta say that's a rediculous statement, that's right up there with "all muslims are terrorists", or "all Liberals are closet-communists".
The majority of the population of both the US and Canada follow one form of organised religion or the other.
Personally, I figure the "do unto others" idea pretty much covers everything, and if it turns out there is a God/Allah or whatever, I should be covered....
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