Martial Arts = Religion ?
What is going on in the world today, I actually had a mother come in and pull her son out of a class that he had been training hard in for the last 4 months, Because Her preacher told her that Martial arts was based on a cult religion. I had seen where there was a stir a few weeks ago about Yoga and now its trickling down to us. So i want to know what you think.. this is not a yes or no question, I wanted to get the word out and get your input back on it. Do you believe that Martial arts is some kind of religious cult? I will not tell the relegion of the preacher because i do not want to offend that particular denomination of one bad apple, But i do live in North East Arkansas if you can imagine "bible belt"
Is it okay to force your kid to do martial arts?
I’m going to tell you 2 quick stories about two different parents and their kids at the gym I currently train at before I answer your question.“My Way Or The Highway” ParentWe all know that one parent who forces their kids to do what they don’t like, weather it was in public or it was ourselves. You can tell from the look in the child’s eye that they hated it.At the gym I currently train at now. There is a 14 year old that is forced to go because of his father. The kid himself loves to play computer games and is more of an introvert. I know this and everyone else knows this because we’ve talked to him before and we’ve tried to encourage him both on and off the mat (this is a brazilian jiu-jitsu gym). Despite out efforts to try and make it a happy and encouraging environment, he wouldn’t budge on his decision that he wanted to quit.It’s been 2 months now and I haven’t see him since.“Go With The Flow” ParentThis parent has a passion for martial arts. He’s a purple belt and loves to come to class to get his fix of kick ass. He brings his kids to the gym (which is perfectly fine). They are well behaved and they just play among themselves in an area that’s not being used (supervised). They are engulfed in the atmosphere of the gym. We’ve asked him if he would force his kids to get into BJJ. He says he would never. He doesn’t want them to hate it when they’re older, but rather have them see how effective it is and possible how much fun it is from watching him and the rest of us roll.He wants them to enjoy it like he does and if they never decide to roll, he’s okay with that too.That conversation was a few weeks ago and now his two kids are enrolled in the kids program and they’re loving every moment of it.What I ThinkAfter reading those two stories, I’m sure you already know my answer. It’s not okay to force your child into martial arts. They’re going to lose out of all the important aspect of learning it. Things like discipline, building character, and having fun. All this sucked out because they’re forced to do something they do not like.Martial arts has physical contact to it. If a child doesn’t like that, I think that’s abuse to a certain level. You should never force your child to do activities like these. If it’s something health related like brushing your teeth and taking medicine or going to school, then yes, force them.
Are Jehovah's Witnesses allowed to learn martial arts if the person only has good motives to do so?
Like only using it as a very last resort if there is no other way to diffuse the situation, and even then only go as far as needed. Also maybe to exercise. I know Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to defend themselves if necessary, so I was wondering if they are allowed to learn techniques to do so. There is this self-defense art that caught my attention, which is effective, but also teaches people to stay as calm as possible. So according to some people that talked about this art, it should even help people to stay calm even if you were to get in a fight, meaning you wouldn't get caught in the moment and do more than necessary. I'm not an aggressive person at all and if possible, I would avoid trouble and fights. I wouldn't mind learning a self-defense art though, seeing it can help if the situation arises and it's also a form of physical exercise. Please provide biblical scripture in your answer if possible. Also, please let me know in your answer whether you're a Jehovah's Witness or not. Thanks everyone.
How can i convince my parents to let me join a martial arts program?
Unfortunately some parents are very conservative and very religious to the point where it can become a detriment to allot of things. There are many things and qualities that martial arts can teach and stress for a young person and enable them to more fully reach their full potential in life other than just fighting and being able to defend yourself. Things like increasing your self-discipline and self-confidence; making you mentally and physically stronger and more capable to meet some of the other challenges that you will face as you continue to grow into adulthood. I would do a couple of things if I were you. I would approach any conversation with them about this from that stand-point and I would check to see if any of your friends and their families that your parents know and associate with are involved with martial arts. They might be able to offer some support and reassure your parents about the positive aspects and might even be willing to try and persuade them to reconsider their thoughts about this. I had a student with parents like yours enroll once and it was only after they learned that their minister's children were heavily involved in martial arts and they had never known or realized that. It gave this particular student's parents food for thought and to reconsider their ideas about this and after some thinking they searched around and found my school. I would only use the self-defense thing as a last resort and then the argument that there are some very bad people out there that don't respect others or believe in God who prey on innocent people all the time. Not being able to have an idea of how to better protect and handle yourself as you grow older and go off to college is not a bad thing to have an idea about. I have also had young female students enrolled for that reason and in the hopes that if they are ever caught in a bad situation they at least then have some chance for handling it and being able to walk away from it less hurt or battered than what they would have been otherwise. I hope this helps you in some way to solve your problem and if not then perhaps you will just have to wait till you are on your own and then maybe follow up with satisfying your desire to check out martial arts.
Atheist Parents how have you prepared your children for Christian bullies?
You're talking about "Christian bullies" but you sound like an atheist bully. I have a hard time believing anything that you said in this question because it sounds like nothing more than a hate message directed toward Christians and religious people in general. If you are asking a serious question, No one is going to bully your son for being atheist. Its ridiculous that you actually think that. If anything, he will end up bullying Christians. I went to Catholic school for my entire life. We had to go to the local public school every day for shop classes because they are required by the state. When we were there, we were ridiculed by the students. They taunted us every day, saying things like "Jesus is dead" and pretending to bless us. We just ignored them and kept walking, so they eventually turned to pushing us into lockers. The religious are the ones that are bullied. If you live in the Bible Belt of the United States, then I can see how you might be in contact with immoral Christians (southerners from the bible belt are known for pushing their beliefs and not respected the beliefs of others.). Just because you've had bad experiences with "Christians" doesn't mean all Christians are bad. I say "Christians" in quotes because the Christians who are intolerant are not real Christians.