Using a Sword in Japanese martial arts and being a Christian Samurai.

[thesunisout]

Greetings! I have a few pointers to make on the misconceptions about a Christian using a sword and why it is relevant to today...
Also going to cover what it means to be a Christian Samurai, and the path I walk as one.

Let's start with the meaning of a Christian Samurai:

1) The kanji for samurai is very simple (&#20365 if you want to get technical, it means to serve. As Christians we are called to serve God as we live our lives and walk alongside him, a Samurai is one who serves his master. He/she follows the master who commands him/her to serve unwaveringly. If you look at the concepts, we are servants to God as Christians and we are called to follow unwaveringly and walk alongside Him. These mean the same.
2) As a Christian Samurai myself, my life belongs to no other but God and Jesus. Back in history, many samurai denied their lives were for the master they served when the Daimyo commanded them to commit seppuku or ritual suicide. Instead, they stated that their lives did not belong to the daimyo, but to The Lord, and refused. Many were martyrs and died for that faith. I am not afraid of death in my body because I have eternal life with Jesus.
3) A Christian Samurai is also one who serves his or her people to know Christ. We are called to make disciples in many lands and give the love of God to all. We all have spiritual gifts The Lord has given us, and we should join together in bringing love through those gifts. This means we should also love those who don't love and need it.

For using a sword in martial arts as a Christian:
1) I was taught at a very young age, when I started Iaido (Japanese swordsmanship) by my cousin saying to me that "the sword isn't merely wielded by the hand, but by the heart. If your Heart is for God, and it is full of love, your blade will be after God as well, but if your heart is full of hate, your blade will be evil, and those who don't understand this are unfit to use a blade." A Christian Samurai doesn't use his sword to murder but to protect. I believe God will not judge you if you kill someone in the process of protecting yourself or others, if your heart is for God. Of course, we should fight as a last resort and try to win with the sword in the sheath if possible. A common mistake of society is that as Christians we cannot and are not allowed to kill under any circumstance, but this is not true. There is a verse in Matthew (I think? Unsure exactly) that tells us Jesus told his disciples to sell their coats and buy two swords. Meaning that Jesus was all for self-defense on his mission to save all of us. At the same time, when Peter cut a man's ear off in the garden the night Jesus was betrayed, and Jesus healed the man, He rebuked Peter. This means that Peter was trying to stop God's master plan, even so with intentions of protecting Jesus. However, Christ calls us to use a spiritual sword, the Bible as our guide, and use The Word as our sword and use it in love, coming back to the sword being wielded by the heart. 2) we are called to love our enemies. This is never going to be easy, especially if using a sword, but it comes back to what the intent is. Love means many things and if it means to protect yourself for God's plan for you, it is not wrong.

I am a Christian Samurai and I fight a spiritual battle the world will never see unless they choose The Lord. All things I do, I do in love after God's heart.
If anyone has questions or comments feel free! Amen and God bless you all!

Hey sister, have you ever seen this testimony? God bless!

The Secrets Behind Martial Arts - YouTube

 

[faroukfarouk]

In Korean it is the same. But I'm not sure of martial arts terminology with actual forms, I know for example, dojo in Japanese is dojang in Korean similar sounding. They have a lot of similar words meaning the same things just pronounced differently

Sounds like someone with a knowledge of Japanese would find Korean quite straightforward to learn; and someone with a knowledge of Japanese martial arts would find the Korean variety comparable as well.

 

[Sammy-San]

Well you are correct in that there are no masculine/feminine verbs, the only things I find difficult are the giving and recieving verbs, but other than that, they aren't as hard when you get used to them.

How come when people speak Japanese (or any other oriental language for that matter), its very hard to discern the words that people are saying? For example, for the most part, I dont understand the meanings of any Spanish words, but if i hear somebody say a sentence in that language, even if I have no idea what they meant I can still imitate it and discern the words they said. Why isnt that the same with Japanese? I dont mean to sound offensive, but ive heard people speak it, and it sounds like gibberish to me. Why is that?

 

[Alithis]

How come when people speak Japanese (or any other oriental language for that matter), its very hard to discern the words that people are saying? For example, for the most part, I dont understand the meanings of any Spanish words, but if i hear somebody say a sentence in that language, even if I have no idea what they meant I can still imitate it and discern the words they said. Why isnt that the same with Japanese? I dont mean to sound offensive, but ive heard people speak it, and it sounds like gibberish to me. Why is that?

Simple.. no familiarity .japanese has not borrowed from english nor english from
japanese .
unlike french spanish english tagalog and many more which have many intermingeld words.
however japanese does follow this intermingeld trend with korean and manderin.

 

[Sammy-San]

Simple.. no familiarity .japanese has not borrowed from english nor english from
japanese .
unlike french spanish english tagalog and many more which have many intermingeld words.
however japanese does follow this intermingeld trend with korean and manderin.

Would you consider Japanese to be harder or easier than Chinese? I want to learn and practice both languages as a hobby, (and also because I may want to go on vacation to asia sometime in the future), but I'm not sure which language is the hardest.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Would you consider Japanese to be harder or easier than Chinese? I want to learn and practice both languages as a hobby, (and also because I may want to go on vacation to asia sometime in the future), but I'm not sure which language is the hardest.

All languages require application to learn them well. For the Westerner, the Japanese and Chinese characters are more unfamiliar.

 

[Sammy-San]

All languages require application to learn them well. For the Westerner, the Japanese and Chinese characters are more unfamiliar.

If youre studying Japanese (I know Chinese only has one writing system), do you have to study all of the writing systems to be considered fluent? I'm planning on studying both languages as a hobby, but I dont know if I should learn katakana only (easiest form of characters) or the other writing systems too.

 

[faroukfarouk]

If youre studying Japanese (I know Chinese only has one writing system), do you have to study all of the writing systems to be considered fluent? I'm planning on studying both languages as a hobby, but I dont know if I should learn katakana only (easiest form of characters) or the other writing systems too.

I don't speak or read Japanese; but in learning languages, the script and the oral aspects are distinct, but also run in parallel.

 

[Sammy-San]

I don't speak or read Japanese; but in learning languages, the script and the oral aspects are distinct, but also run in parallel.

Do you think learning a language for fun that I will have very little use for, is a waste of time? The only way I could make use of studying the Japanese language is if I go there for vacation-other than that, learning it is just a hobby. Do you think its a waste of time to learn a difficult language just for the sake of it?

 

[Bluelion]

The sword we are to use is God's word. If you take up the sword you will die by the sword. That is why i put down the sword, I want my death to glorify God not me.

Most martial arts are very spiritual and this is true with the samurai, many times it was spirits which taught them to use the sword. It can have a place but God has to come first.

I struggle with God and Martial Arts my self. i train when I can but really my life is for God and not my self. Martial arts help me reach that place, if its in my future i don't know its up to God.

God Bless
blu

 

[ChristianSamurai88]

The sword we are to use is God's word. If you take up the sword you will die by the sword. That is why i put down the sword, I want my death to glorify God not me.

Most martial arts are very spiritual and this is true with the samurai, many times it was spirits which taught them to use the sword. It can have a place but God has to come first.

I struggle with God and Martial Arts my self. i train when I can but really my life is for God and not my self. Martial arts help me reach that place, if its in my future i don't know its up to God.

God Bless
blu

Hey guys sorry I'm late, it's nearing the end of my school semester at college and final tests have taken a lot of my time, but I feel God has brought me to the place where I am for a reason. I have not been online due to study of the word and classes. I've beer crazy busy but The Lord was telling me to get back to all of you. I pray this prayer everyday: dear Heavenly Father, I pledge myself to you as a loyal Christian Samurai. I serve and honor no other master before Christ Jesus, and I will give thanks for his sacrifice on the cross. Help me tirelessly perfect myself and sharpen my will. Help me protect your people from eternal death and cherish each one for each person is created in your image and is your treasure. Let me live dead to te world but alive in You Lord God! I pray my nakama in Christ sharpen me as I sharpen them. Hear me Lord God! I pray the people dear to me who do not know you or your love, have their eyes opened and their hearts be filled with the relationship Christ wants to have in them. When my time of serving You Lord God is over, may I live eternally in your embrace...amen.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hey guys sorry I'm late, it's nearing the end of my school semester at college and final tests have taken a lot of my time, but I feel God has brought me to the place where I am for a reason. I have not been online due to study of the word and classes. I've beer crazy busy but The Lord was telling me to get back to all of you. I pray this prayer everyday: dear Heavenly Father, I pledge myself to you as a loyal Christian Samurai. I serve and honor no other master before Christ Jesus, and I will give thanks for his sacrifice on the cross. Help me tirelessly perfect myself and sharpen my will. Help me protect your people from eternal death and cherish each one for each person is created in your image and is your treasure. Let me live dead to te world but alive in You Lord God! I pray my nakama in Christ sharpen me as I sharpen them. Hear me Lord God! I pray the people dear to me who do not know you or your love, have their eyes opened and their hearts be filled with the relationship Christ wants to have in them. When my time of serving You Lord God is over, may I live eternally in your embrace...amen.

Hi there, good to see you. So do you have any travel plans to go to Japan yet?

God bless your study of His Word.

 

[ChristianSamurai88]

Hi there, good to see you. So do you have any travel plans to go to Japan yet?

God bless your study of His Word.

I will be going to a church in Hamamatsu Japan in 3 years after seminary.
As for family visits, I am unsure when.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I will be going to a church in Hamamatsu Japan in 3 years after seminary.
As for family visits, I am unsure when.

I hope it works out well for you; I know you want to witness within a Japanese context.

I know you're into swords and blades from the Samurai tradition; I wondered, do you see any parallels between such things and piercing/branding within the world of bodyart?

 

[BryanW92]

I wondered, do you see any parallels between such things and piercing/branding within the world of bodyart?

 

[faroukfarouk]

 

[CGL1023]

Greetings! I have a few pointers to make on the misconceptions about a Christian using a sword and why it is relevant to today...
Also going to cover what it means to be a Christian Samurai, and the path I walk as one.

Let's start with the meaning of a Christian Samurai:

1) The kanji for samurai is very simple (&#20365 if you want to get technical, it means to serve. As Christians we are called to serve God as we live our lives and walk alongside him, a Samurai is one who serves his master. He/she follows the master who commands him/her to serve unwaveringly. If you look at the concepts, we are servants to God as Christians and we are called to follow unwaveringly and walk alongside Him. These mean the same.
2) As a Christian Samurai myself, my life belongs to no other but God and Jesus. Back in history, many samurai denied their lives were for the master they served when the Daimyo commanded them to commit seppuku or ritual suicide. Instead, they stated that their lives did not belong to the daimyo, but to The Lord, and refused. Many were martyrs and died for that faith. I am not afraid of death in my body because I have eternal life with Jesus.
3) A Christian Samurai is also one who serves his or her people to know Christ. We are called to make disciples in many lands and give the love of God to all. We all have spiritual gifts The Lord has given us, and we should join together in bringing love through those gifts. This means we should also love those who don't love and need it.

For using a sword in martial arts as a Christian:
1) I was taught at a very young age, when I started Iaido (Japanese swordsmanship) by my cousin saying to me that "the sword isn't merely wielded by the hand, but by the heart. If your Heart is for God, and it is full of love, your blade will be after God as well, but if your heart is full of hate, your blade will be evil, and those who don't understand this are unfit to use a blade." A Christian Samurai doesn't use his sword to murder but to protect. I believe God will not judge you if you kill someone in the process of protecting yourself or others, if your heart is for God. Of course, we should fight as a last resort and try to win with the sword in the sheath if possible. A common mistake of society is that as Christians we cannot and are not allowed to kill under any circumstance, but this is not true. There is a verse in Matthew (I think? Unsure exactly) that tells us Jesus told his disciples to sell their coats and buy two swords. Meaning that Jesus was all for self-defense on his mission to save all of us. At the same time, when Peter cut a man's ear off in the garden the night Jesus was betrayed, and Jesus healed the man, He rebuked Peter. This means that Peter was trying to stop God's master plan, even so with intentions of protecting Jesus. However, Christ calls us to use a spiritual sword, the Bible as our guide, and use The Word as our sword and use it in love, coming back to the sword being wielded by the heart. 2) we are called to love our enemies. This is never going to be easy, especially if using a sword, but it comes back to what the intent is. Love means many things and if it means to protect yourself for God's plan for you, it is not wrong.

I am a Christian Samurai and I fight a spiritual battle the world will never see unless they choose The Lord. All things I do, I do in love after God's heart.
If anyone has questions or comments feel free! Amen and God bless you all!

I just came across your post and I have seen some of the back and forth but I have not seen the question posed that I wonder about.

I have been taught that martial arts of any sort are to be avoided by believers because the training a martial artist receives has its philosophical roots in eastern religions. Without knowing the exact details, I would choose to avoid any eastern religious influences and martial arts influences as a standard practice. Have you run into this on a widespread basis?

 

[faroukfarouk]

I just came across your post and I have seen some of the back and forth but I have not seen the question posed that I wonder about.

I have been taught that martial arts of any sort are to be avoided by believers because the training a martial artist receives has its philosophical roots in eastern religions. Without knowing the exact details, I would choose to avoid any eastern religious influences and martial arts influences as a standard practice. Have you run into this on a widespread basis?

Often martial arts and bodyart go together; sometimes the person's bodyart generally blends with the martial arts ethos but also has a Christian emphasis, for example.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

I have been taught that martial arts of any sort are to be avoided by believers...

I've heard that (avoidance) about Rock and Roll music, tattoos and canned soda pop as well. And motorcycles, too.

...because the training a martial artist receives has its philosophical roots in eastern religions.

Did whoever it was told you this have any sort of Biblical justification? Or is it merely someone with suspicion of all those heathen foreigners?

Without knowing the exact details...

You whole-heartedly suspect anything 'eastern'? I'm sure it sounds like a good idea, but is really quite shallow.

Especially as the roots of Christianity came from the 'East'. (Middle East, but it's still East.)

Have you run into this on a widespread basis?

The unsubstantiated teaching that anything 'eastern' is bad? Yes.

Eastern 'religions' such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism and so forth all lack God, or even the concept of a single, Creator God. (Hinduism has zillions of gods, but no Creator in the same sense as the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition.) Reincarnation leads people away from the urgency of accepting Christ. Aside from some handy relaxation techniques, there is nothing to seek in Eastern religions.

To jump to the conclusion that any sort of Asian martial arts training requires conversion to an Eastern religion or even contaminates the grace of God is unwarranted. Yes, many Asian martial arts do move into Eastern religion, but they weren't anything to start. Perhaps a mild sprinkling of Christianity when young, but no real commitment or teaching.

 

[BryanW92]

I've heard that (avoidance) about Rock and Roll music, tattoos and canned soda pop as well. And motorcycles, too.
Did whoever it was told you this have any sort of Biblical justification? Or is it merely someone with suspicion of all those heathen foreigners?
You whole-heartedly suspect anything 'eastern'? I'm sure it sounds like a good idea, but is really quite shallow.

Especially as the roots of Christianity came from the 'East'. (Middle East, but it's still East.)
The unsubstantiated teaching that anything 'eastern' is bad? Yes.

Eastern 'religions' such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism and so forth all lack God, or even the concept of a single, Creator God. (Hinduism has zillions of gods, but no Creator in the same sense as the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition.) Reincarnation leads people away from the urgency of accepting Christ. Aside from some handy relaxation techniques, there is nothing to seek in Eastern religions.

To jump to the conclusion that any sort of Asian martial arts training requires conversion to an Eastern religion or even contaminates the grace of God is unwarranted. Yes, many Asian martial arts do move into Eastern religion, but they weren't anything to start. Perhaps a mild sprinkling of Christianity when young, but no real commitment or teaching.

After you finished implying that CGL1023 is some kind of bigot, you then explain exactly why it is bad for Christians to be involved in non-Christian martial arts.

America is a nation of "cultural Christians". Most would claim to be Christian (80%), but few are practicing Christians (about 20%, according to Barna). The rest are open to all sorts of misconceptions about what they consider to be their own faith.

My brother has done martial arts for 20 years. He is a cultural Christian. He believes that a walk in nature is "church". He believes that a happy thought is "prayer". He believes in Karma. He believes that a profession of faith is not necessary since God is "everywhere". He believes that each person has a different path to find God and that God is whatever we each make of him. He believes that the bible is unnecessary and that our understanding of God comes from within and not from a book. He is more Buddhist than Christian.

Martial Arts are not the devil. They are good and glorify God, if they are done for God. But most American martial arts trainers teach the eastern mysticism that you described in your post. A professing Christian can receive those teachings and put them in their proper place. But, a cultural Christian lacks the faith to deal with those teachings, so the Buddhist version of the Higher Power overwrites the little bit that they know about the real God.