Chrześcijaństwo a wschodnie sztuki walki

Abstract

Fashion for orientalism has started to prevail in Europe (including Poland) since the mid-twentieth century. It finds its expression, among other things, in the popularity of various martial arts that nowadays train more than 150 million people around the world, especially the young. The cradle of the martial arts (karate, kung fu, aikido, jujitsu, taekwondo, kendo, silat) is the Far East (India, China, Korea, Japan). Therefore, martial arts are connected with the systems of religion, philosophy and cultural traditions completely different, almost entirely alien to Christianity. They have their roots in Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, etc. Many styles of martial arts involve meditation practices of yoga, zen and T’ai chi ch’uan, whose aim is to achieve a state of liberation (salvation) on our own, without the help of God. This is contrary to the Christian faith, which recognises Jesus Christ as the sole savior of humanity. Because of the fundamental differences between the concepts of God, man and the world Eastern martial arts are not properly compatible with the objectives of the Christian life as a man cannot save himself. Despite all the differences in philosophical and religious assumptions and numerous spiritual threats the positive impact of the martial arts training on the formation of the practitioner as a person should not be completely rejected. However, one should be vigilant, especially in those martial arts trainings, which apart from physical exercises offer the philosophy of the Orient, meditation practices or worship symbols and people. Moreover, it is necessary to constantly ask ourselves whether martial arts training does not adversely affect the quality of the Christian life and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.