Capoeira

Avniel said:

I never said there were only black slaves......I really cant comprehend where you drew that from............? o_0

I never said it was offensive because he said blacks cant fight and I never said it was done on purpose..I simple said that I as a black christian man was offended.

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Have I told you, today, that this place is better because you come here?

@Avniel I suppose the question I have is, why did it offend you?

BrendaRose said:

Have I told you, today, that this place is better because you come here?

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Thank you for you encouragement!!!! You too

Tenacious_Believer said:

@Avniel I suppose the question I have is, why did it offend you?

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"If its a martial art practiced by slaves I would question the effectiveness of it" I really cant comprehend you not understanding why I took offense to this statement. So I wont explain why I was offended it actually is pretty obvious.

I will paraphrase my earlier statement. If you are not doing the things that are unholy, and you can still learn the martial art, then go for it.

Well many martial arts have different beliefs that come with them. SOme gods some energy or chi but they all have something

I am a missionary in the domincian republic, I have been fighting (Muay Ti,Brazilian Jiu Jistu, Vale Tudo, and CAPOEIRA) for awhile now... to the original question is capoeira witchcraft? My definition NO! why? Yes there ARE capoeira groups that practice voodoo, but this was not so in the beginning of capoeira... Capoeira consists of MANY different groups just like in christianity we have many different denominations but all of the people in those denominations call themselves CHRISTIANS like in capoeira we call ourselves CAPOEIRSTAS. Now I don't know what group you are in (it would help if you could tell me) but I am a part of Grupo Axe Capoeira we are a Capoeira Contemporânea grupo (Contemporary Capoeira) there is absolutely NO "spiritual aspects" in this group our sole purpose is capoeira as a martial art and a sport Which is the case in MOST capoeira groups there is only a small percentage that practice voodoo or any type of witchcraft in it... as for the music the songs sung in the Roda (fight/game) do not praise anything! They are for the most part songs about life how things where during the years of slavery, giving thanks to God for freedom... or they are song to encourage the players/fighter to better themselves within the Roda, some songs are about the sun and the sea the beauty of it all. As a strong believer I ALWAYS ask what the song is about I don't ever want to lift my voice in praise of anyone or anything else than Jesus Christ! As for the Bautizados (baptisms) there is nothing spiritual about this event either! The Bautizado is a time for the new students to earn there cordas (cords/ belts) the same as in Karate you have an assessment where you "fight/sparr" with your master and usually he kicks your butt and then he gives you your belt... it =s the same thing in capoeira we call it a bautizado because during you the Roda with your Mestre he will knock/trip you down to the floor and when you rise he gives you your newly earned Corda , You went down as a lesser player ad rise as a new one the old player is gone and its time for the new one to continue on... Like I said check out your grupo try and find one that is contemporary but thats not even necessary find out if your grupo is one of the few that adds voodoo and witchcraft and if it is get out! find a new one! remember capoeira is a VERY LARGE community like christianity we have denominations in capoeira we have grupos and every group although having almost the same basics they have very different beliefs... find out what your grupo believes and make sure that it is something that God wants you in... if not... GET OUT!

I to am a black believer what difference does that make? and what was so offensive about what he said? i understand perfectly what he means he stating the fact that as slaves in bondage how could they learn (make) a martial art without anybody teaching them (which was illegal) at least thats what I understood from it I could wrong...

jicefire said:

I to am a black believer what difference does that make? and what was so offensive about what he said? i understand perfectly what he means he stating the fact that as slaves in bondage how could they learn (make) a martial art without anybody teaching them (which was illegal) at least thats what I understood from it I could wrong...

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I don't see why they coudn't. Similar to the development of Tai Chi?

I don't see why the wouldn't be able to either I am sure that it would have been VERY difficult but its not impossible...

Carian said:

I don't see why they coudn't. Similar to the development of Tai Chi?

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No, 180 degree different course. Tai Chi was started in the Imperial palace & didn't leak out to commoners until a guy named Yaun climbed a tree and watched from over the wall. He got the gross motor movements and styles derived from his are the most commonly practiced. It isn't until very recently that the original preserved style with fine motor skill movements, has been released to the public.

Check this video out youtube.com/watch?v=9NaawTiUlRg

Objective_Selective said:

What you believe about Capoeira is irrelevant. Capoeira originated as a martial art developed by enslaved individuals as a tool for liberation, expression and pride. As it is practiced today, it is no more or less martial than any other martial art available for mass consumption.





There is absolutely no worship that takes place in Capoeira. Capoeira and the religion of the Church of Condomble are separate. Yes, some of the songs mention orixas from Condomble, but many also refer to God (..i.e..Deus) as we know Him (..Brazil is largely Catholic). Many of the songs mention neither, and have no religious context embedded within them despite using metaphor to deliver a message. The mention of an orixa or God does not make a practitioner a worshipper. That's about as silly as labeling a Christian a satanic follower because we speak/discuss/sing about Satan.

Baptism has Greek origins before Christ. The use of the term is only meant to imply an initiation into the art. Any religious significance must be determined by the context in which the word is used, not in the usage of the word itself.

The dance is not sorcery; the dance is JUST dance. It is cultural for people to dance. There is no chanting. You guys are reading information and misinterpreting what you have read to fit your agenda (..which I blame largely on the OP's source material).

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THANK YOU. I completely agree. As someone who has practiced capoeira, I think that people get a bad impression because we sing and play musical instruments similar to drums and tambourines. However there is nothing chantry about it, and as you say the roots have absolutely zero to do with voodoo and witchcraft. A “baptism” isn’t a proper baptism, it’s just what they call when you go up a level. However all you do is play your martial art and the mestre (the teacher with the highest level) decides if you pass. Nothing demonic about that. When singing, like you say, the songs are based on the person’s religious beliefs, for example, our teacher makes sure to tell us what the songs mean so we can decide if it would be acceptable to sing in the eyes of God. There is nothing demonic about Capoeira. I thing that most of the bad impressions people receive about it are due to the misinformed sources and the lack of inside information.

znr said:

I listen to a lot of secular music, and sometimes when a song comes on that just does it for me, I turn the words into a song to God. I do it with heavy metal, funk and soul music in particular.

You can do the thing and and praise Jesus.

He seems to get a smile out of it when I turn secular music into praise songs.

Chaka Khan's "aint nobody"...great praise song.

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Yes, great example. It’s funny how our Lord is so wise and just and yet he has such a lovely humor. I know that what is love isn’t explicit, but I can’t help accidentally singing God is love instead of the original lyrics.

I'm personally thinking about doing capoeira, I did a few classes and I kind of like it but in the beginning of the class we have to do capoeira songs and does harkin back to african spirituality and the dancing itself puts you into a spiritual mental state.