I didn’t think anything at all about my children’s involved in Taekwondo until last week when someone said that I should look into from a Christian point of view to see if it was still o.k. for my children to be doing it. This person had been involved in Karate and he had to repent of it because of aspects of Eastern mysticism in it. Before this I didn’t even realise that a Christian’s involvement in martial arts was even a controversial issue.
I did a google search “Christian response to Taekwondo” and was able to get an idea of some of the issues. There is an element of meditation in Taekwondo which could possibly be a problem. It would depend on what the teachers are asking them to do when they meditating.
There are Korean missionaries in Lampang teaching Taekwondo for what it’s worth. So obviously they don’t see a problem in it.
Taekwondo seems to be the least problematic for Christians in terms of its links to Eastern mysticism. From my very brief reading, I’m o.k with sending my children to Taekwondo, though I’ll be listening much more carefully next time they are asked to sit still and mediate.
Does any one have any thoughts?
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Having been involved both in deliverance ministry and (before becoming a Christian) in martial arts, I have come to the conclusion that there are definite fighting-form spirits involved in the various branches of martial arts. These are apart of the meditation aspects, and are associated with the actual forms of fighting. Besides that, they are 'fighting' spirits, and when someone gets involved with them, there is an increased change (urge) for them to be manifested. That having been said, it is often seen as the ultimate goal of martial arts to have complete mastery over these spirits, so they won't manifest without the consent of the practitioner -- most martial arts movies are about this!
I think, for a Christian, this is not the best choice for physical fitness. Increased self-confidence is often seen as an added benefit, but I think there might be better sources.
On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to be a Christian and practice martial arts. (But then, it is possible to be a Christian and to be involved in all kinds of unwholesome things...)
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