From: prabhu To: cyriljohn@vsnl - Ephesians 511

FEBRUARY 2, 2017
Martial Arts By Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon What are the martial arts?
https://www.jashow.org/articles/general/holistic-health-practicespart-25/
The martial arts are systems of physical discipline stressing the control
of mind and body for self-defense, health, and often, spiritual
"enlightenment." Different methods have different founders and emphases.
The martial arts claim to work by unifying the mind/spirit and body through
meditation, physical discipline, and other procedures. This allegedly helps
to 1) regulate the flow of mystical energy throughout the body (ki in
Japanese; chi in Chinese) and 2) enable one to attain a state of mind-body
oneness. Both elements are deemed important to effective performance of
self-defense techniques and/or "enlightenment."
The major problem with the martial arts is that people who attend a martial
arts program only for physical purposes may easily be converted to the
underlying philosophy of the particular system being practiced. Because
most methods incorporate Eastern teachings and techniques, the martial arts
constitute an excellent opportunity for conversion to Taoism, Buddhism, and
other East Asian religions. Further, some martial arts programs involve
occult meditation, development of psychic powers, and even spirit contact
(e.g., Somatics, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 48-49).
Because the martial arts or their precursors were originally developed as
physical disciplines and only later incorporated the occultism of the East,
in practice, the martial arts can be a neutral technique of profound
physical development. This is not to say that neutral forms of the martial
arts can necessarily be developed in every method; some may be inextricably
bound to Eastern theory and practice. Any program having Eastern or
occultic beliefs or methods should be avoided.
Further, we should not underestimate the delicate issue when a person is
converted from martial arts practice to Christian faith. Such a person may
find it essential to forsake all association with his former ways as a
requirement to spiritual growth. Also, the modern orientation toward
offensive procedures may make the issue of Christian participation
problematic. The martial arts are extremely demanding physically. Thus,
besides the possibility of occultic influence in Eastern forms, some
serious physical hazards (such as head injury) may present themselves by
the very nature of martial arts practice. An article in the Taekwondo Times
(January 1987, p. 84), "Neurological Disorders in the Martial Arts," by Dr.
Michael Trulson, cautions that "Head injuries are the most commonly ignored
serious injuries in the martial arts. Often they are not taken seriously
and fatalities occur that could easily have been prevented."
The Martial Arts and Eastern Philosophy
https://www.jashow.org/articles/new-age/the-martial-arts-and-eastern-
philosophy/
The martial arts are ancient methods of self-defense that are traditionally
based upon Eastern philosophies or religions, especially Taoism and Zen
Buddhism. Introduction and Influence
In the award-winning, nationally televised 1993 PBS series Healing and the
Mind, host Bill Moyers discussed the popularity of the martial arts and the
amazing powers they offer.
In one segment, both Moyers and the martial arts students were astounded as
a 90-year-old Tai Chi master used the mystical energy called chi to send an
entire line of adepts tumbling to the ground by merely "throwing" chi at
them from a distance of some 20 feet. Interviews with the students
afterward revealed they felt forced down by a mysterious and irresistible
power. This was the power they themselves were seeking, although they were
warned it would take many years of austere discipline to acquire.
Perhaps few Oriental systems have become as widely accepted in the West as
the martial arts, which are now part of the American mainstream. Most U.S.
cities have at least one gym, or dojo, where people can learn judo, aikido,
karate, Kenpo, Ninjutsu, Tai Chi Chuan, Hwarang-Do, Tae Kwon Do, Kyudo, Kuk
Sool, Pa-Kua, Shaolin, Kendo, Eskrima, or any of the 60 other forms of the
martial arts currently practiced in America. A discussion of the martial
arts is important today for several reasons: 1) their relation to the renewed emphasis in our culture upon physical
fitness and health;
2) their claim to utilize the same mystical energies so frequently
encountered in New Age occult practices;
3) their stress upon meditation and enlightenment;
4) their potential relationship to other areas of the occult;
5) their increasing influence in mainstream America, especially among
children and teenagers.
The rising interest in the martial arts in recent years may be attributed
to several reasons. First, the martial arts have been widely advertised to
tens of millions of people through cinema. The immense popularity of motion
pictures stressing martial arts adventures includes the Jackie Chan, Chuck
Norris and Bruce Lee movies, and the many Ninja films. Aikido advocate
Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme have wide appeal through their
martial arts films, which have earned well over $100 million. The Karate
Kid movies have grossed over $100 million. The original was even remade in
2010 with Jackie Chan.
Second, there has been the popularity of television programs emphasizing
the martial arts, such as the Kung Fu series with David Carradine back in
the 1970s. Now there are even cartoons about the martial arts, such as Kung
Fu Panda.[1]
Third, the martial arts are often advertised as physical fitness and health
programs, able to improve everything from blood pressure to length of life.
The martial arts have taken advantage of the increasing American
participation in physical fitness and exploration of alternate health
methods.
Fourth, the dramatic rise of crime has sparked people's interest in the
martial arts as a respected means of self-defense. Both law-enforcement
agencies and the military are increasingly incorporating such practices
into their regimen, as are college and university campuses.
Fifth, revival of interest in Eastern ways in general (e.g., Taoism,
Buddhism) has caused a corresponding interest in the martial arts, which
are usually associated with Eastern religions.
All this led Herman Kauz, [2] a teacher of the martial arts for over 50
years, to say in the 1990s, "In the last 20 years, the United States-and
the entire Western world, for that matter-has seen a tremendous growth in
the Asian martial art."[3] From 1987-92, the number of martial arts schools
in the United States rose from 4,650 to over 7,000, providing an average
income of $60,000-$70,000 a year for each school. With two to three million
practitioners in the United States (almost 40 percent are children aged 7-
14), one can see how the American martial arts industry is now a billion-
dollar-a-year enterprise.[4] Worldwide, of course, interest runs even
higher. Tae Kwon Do alone claims an international membership of over 250
million in some 140 countries.[5] Health and Fitness Concerns
As noted, in health-conscious America, the martial arts are often
advertised as an excellent means to overall physical fitness and
vitality.[6] And they are increasingly promoted by the health arm of the
New Age Movement, which is the multi-billion-dollar industry of holistic or
New Age medicine. The connections to health concerns are evident, For
example: 1) the martial arts are said to stress "natural" methods; 2)
traditionally, they claim to regulate mystical energies of health in the
body; 3) New Age health practices, such as meditation, yoga-like breathing
exercises, and visualization may be offered; 4) they may offer mystical
"enlightenment" as a means to physical wellbeing. Thus, in America today, a
principal means of exposing people to the martial arts is through health
concerns.
Tai Chi, for example, is usually promoted as a "health secret" from ancient
China One alternate health guide comments, "Tai Chi has come to be
prescribed by some cardiologists for patients who have had, or are
threatened with heart disease-patients with palpitations, angina or
hypertension-because it is a form of exercise which imposes no strain."[7]
The guide also claims that Tai Chi "tones" the mind and body in such a way
that most people will "remain immune to everyday disorders."[8]
And in tandem with New Age medicine is the claim that the martial arts
awakens, regulates, or directs the same mystical energies which are found
in numerous holistic health methods. Many of the energies (chi, ki, prana)
of New Age medicine were derived from the traditions in which the martial
arts developed, or by which they were influenced: Taoism, Buddhism, Shinto,
and so on. When this energy is blocked, disease is said to result, Proper
manipulation of this energy will unblock it and allegedly cure illness and
bring health.[9]
An article by Tai Chi practitioner Jerry Mogul states that the essence of
Tai Chi is manipulation of the psychic energy within: "... The essence of
Tai Chi is... [in] controlling and sensing the energy within us.... Just by
touch the teacher can diagnose [energy] imbalances and [physical]
tensions...."[10]
The martial arts discipline of aikido also claims to produce health
benefits. Proponents assert that it improves blood circulation and
generally, the nervous system. "General overall fitness is often claimed to
be a by-product...."[11] Leading aikido master, Koichi Tohei, in Aikido in
Daily Life, teaches that "... we can overcome an illness if we learn the
Aikido rules of spirit and body unification and if we manifest the ultimate
[reality] in our life power by practicing so that all physical motion is
correctly done."[12]
And personal health benefits may be emphasized indirectly as well. For
example, Ninjutsu master Harunaka Hoshino, the founder of the Sa