as a christian i've been warned to leave tai chi alone

I've never met a demon.

 

I have

 

Unfortunaly there are quite a few nutty christains around who could do with some medication .

 

My aunt has the exact same belief. She's born again Christian, and has the opinion that Tai Chi can be an ungodly practice. She does it herself, but "without all the relaxing and yielding, as the devil will get your soul".

I can't help but think the world would be a lot simpler with Christianity...

 

There are reasons why some people would believe that taiji is against thier religious belief system but most of us are blissfully unaware of them.

Ever wonder why the long form is called the 108 when it does not have 108 movements unless you use some pretty creative counting method? The number 108 is a significant number in belief systems everywhere and is said to represent GOD in at least one, and to represent completeness in many.

 

Chinese line dancing then is it? It's not taiji that's for sure.

 

I told her she'd be better off taking aerobics, but her response is "Tai Chi is better for your health!", my response:
"Only if you include everything your neglecting now"
"But then the devil will get me!"

And it continues round from there...

There's a hole in my bucket, dear liza dear liza....

 

Try telling her that yielding and relaxing are like turning the other cheek!

Or that, by yielding and relaxing she will be better able to neutralise the temptations of the devil. Yielding is not giving in, it is setting a trap for your opponent. She is stopping herself from being able to trap the devil when he comes calling. She will be helpless as he will be stronger than her, only through yielding and relaxation will she gain salvation! Can I get a hallelujia?! Amen! Surely the teachings of Jesus have a fair amount to say about non-agression? Not doing harm unto others?

Is her faith so weak that relaxation can cause her damnation? Does she never relax?

Not studying relaxation and yielding in taiji is like an atheist going to church every sunday. They may look christian, but they'll not be accepted in to the kingdom of heaven. (trying to put things in terms that a born again person would relate to. Not necessarily my views)

I read somewhere:
You should be fundamental, you should always put the fun before da mental.

 

LOL, i've tried telling her all of that, but she won't listen to me, because I already practice it, so she has it in her head that I'm the devils puppet or something... Shes crazy... :Alien:

 

as a Coptic Orthodox priest said to me, you (re: humans) are weak, the devil is strong, but God is stronger! know and give in to God (yield to this) and let God be your strength to fight the devil. Sort of like bending and yeilding in taiji and from there, you will find strength against a stronger enemy.

I am a Christian, but I also follow taoist philosophy, I find they compliment, not overpower.

 

Very true, Wisely foolish.

They complete each other. There are many parallels, for example, the act of placing both palms together originally came from Hindu and Buddhist India. It is a symbol of unity, two things coming together peacefully. Later on, we see the Christians also doing this old Vedic hand posture as a prayer posture.I am sure all beliefs have influenced each other over time.

Unfortunately, there are some biblical scriptures which state that Christ is the ONLY way and all others are damned. But there are also many loopholes in the scriptures. The fundies seem to take the view that there is no compromise and everyone else can go to hell, except the Christian.

 

back in my Wing Tsun days i heard of a clerical student practicing WT, he was permitted by his superiors until they foung his arms were bruised.

and there was this other priest who trained Muay Tai and he went to Tailand to train.

my tai-chi teacher was condemned by a local priest for his devilish practices or whatever

my point is you can find wackos everywhere and there is no contraindication between practicing MA and being Christian.
I find myself a rather keen one;i have to admit that joining Christianity with certain aspects of Taoistic philosophy has really worked well for me.

 

I realise I'm entering this discussion late, but wanted to make one suggestion for Solomon, if he's still following the discussion. Check out Jack Butler's novel, Jujitsu for Christ. The protagonist wrestles with some of the same issues.

From a review by T.Hewlitt on amazon.com

There's even been a study guide offered online: http://www.enotes.com/jujitsu-christ-qn/

 

That's a coincidence, my tai chi teacher warned me to leave christianity alone.

Apart from that, the catholic priest I used to train with didn't have any trouble doing tai chi, although his abbot stopped him training with us after he broke his fist.

Apparently dabling in the dark arts of qigong is fine with the catholic church, but brawling is right out.

 

Thats funny, Russian Orthodox is the other way round....

 

667 - the neighbour of the beast...

Actually, YOU ARE the Devil's Puppet.... :yeleyes:
Bwahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhaahhaahaahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! :yeleyes: :yeleyes: :yeleyes:

 

i go to an episcopalian church myself (episcopalian religion = worships Jesus, Trinity and God; but the priests are able to marry and women can become priests, one was just given the rank of Presiding Bishop, quite recently), and no one so far, has told me to quit my martial arts. they are all interested in how i'm doing in it. with training in Sheng Hun, tai chi is a small factor of the training methods.

i've been to one Roman Catholic church that my friend attends, and i'll say this much, i am never going back to the church. the priest that was presiding that night, in-directly called me a liar infront of 300 some people, WHILE I WAS VISITING the church. i must have seen 3 or 4 former teachers of mine in the same congregation, and a few friends too. i almost got up and left after he called me a liar.

i hope my input is of any help.

 

It's similar to saying that baseball is evil because you could use a bat to kill people...

I guess I could understand why your friend left if the teacher tried to put in Daoist philosophy into his lessons. But even that is harmless. Does your friend do this a lot?

 

Actually, Baseball is evil.... :yeleyes:

 

Yep, I can help.

Yes, I can help clarify this for you.

If your invisible friend doesn't like the school where you learn how to hit people, you should listen. The school will thank you.

If learning how to use the body your creator gave you is bad, then martial arts is not for you.

Thanks,

Matt