Asking questions if never a bad thing.  Doing your own research before participating in anything is an even better idea.

I participated in karate for around 7 years starting at the age of 13.  I reached the level of 1^st degree brown belt with my siblings getting their black belts.  A big chunk of my memories about my teenage years revolve around karate.

This post isn’t just about karate; it’s also a testimony and an example of how sanctification can sometimes work.

The Beginning: A Revelation

Probably around 1 ½ years ago I was researching about yoga when my Mom sent me some stuff on karate.  At first I didn’t want to look into it since I had nothing but good memories around karate; however, doing my research into yoga and knowing that some Churches promote both Christian yoga and Christian karate I knew it was time to dig into the specifics of karate and what the Bible says.

This post says karate but can be applied to any of the martial arts (Tae Kwon Do, Jujutsu, Aikido, Kung Fu, Tai Chi to name a few).

1) Steeped in Eastern Religions and the Occult

All forms of martial arts when looked into have religious ties that they’ve incorporated into the art.  For instance:

• Kung Fu is closely associated with Taoism and Buddhism
• Aikido uses Shinto’s techniques, Japan’s indigenous religion
• Tai Chi is routed in Taoism
• Wudang Arts include elements of the Daoist religion, including ritual, chanting sacred texts, internal alchemy, bowing and offering incense.
• And so on…

Nowadays we don’t need to jump on a plane to participate in these styles however; God is clear we are not to imitate the customs of other cultures.

Deuteronomy 18:9
When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there.

There is good reason for this.  My own experience with karate, especially as a child, indoctrinated me with ideologies and philosophies that are opposed to Biblical Christianity.  This is especially concerning for our youth who many times look up to their sensei (teacher) and even idolize them.  It’s not uncommon for a sensei to have a better relationship with your child then your pastor.  And this is a problem.

I participated in Shorin Ryu karate and to advance to a higher belt there was several things that had to be accomplished, one of which was writing a full length essay on a certain topic.  Each belt level had to do this and every topic surrounded karate.  I no longer have the essays (will explain later) but I remember looking them over and being amazed at how I just accepted these eastern ideas.

2) The Karate Bow

During a karate class you’ll notice several times participants will bow down to their sensei, their classmates and even entering or leaving the dojo floor.   There is also what I would call ceremonial bowing that is done to the founder of that style.  In Shorin Ryu, this meant kneeling on the floor, having your arms come up from your sides as an arch, your hands meeting in a triangle formation just above your head, then placing your hands on the ground in the triangle formation in front of you as you bow your head to rest in the middle of your hands.  This is beyond showing respect; this is showing worship and even reverence!  In the Bible God says,

Deuteronomy 5:9
Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish.  You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god!

We are not to bow down to anything or anyone except God!

3) The Dojo

The taking off of your shoes before entering the dojo has several meanings that you were probably never told.  You might believe it’s to keep the floor clean but it’s loaded with spiritual meaning.

a) Japanese children are taught that evil things stick to the bottom of shoes. To keep these evil spirits from entering the house, children are taught to remove their shoes before entering.  The same principle is given to the dojo area.
b) It also signifies that you have left the outside world behind you as you enter the dojo.
c) The dojo area is considered holy ground - this is not God’s holy ground!!

4) Meditation

Many forms of the martial arts have an element of meditation where you “empty your mind”.  Mediating where you empty your mind or make your mind become silent is contrary to what the Bible tells us.  Here are a few verses;

Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) – Pray without ceasing.

Ephesians 6:18 - Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.

Psalm 1: 2 - But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

Our goal as a Christian is to always be in communion with God.  Mediation where you "empty your mind" or have your “mind be silent” is contrary to God’s will.  Disconnecting from God is DANGEROUS! If you close yourself to God who do you think you’re opening yourself up to??

The Decision

After researching into karate and a lot of prayer I realized that I needed to repent for my participation. And so I did.  I did this around 18 months ago.

The Sanctification

This past March I was in my prayer closet and was saying the below verse as a prayer:

Psalm 140: 24
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Later that morning I was in my filing cabinet when the sleeve of my shirt got caught on a file folder.  I pulled it out and what do you know – it’s my karate folder!  Around a year ago I had renounced karate yet I hadn’t even thought of getting rid of all my karate “stuff”.  Praise the Lord that He is patient!!

As I draw closer to Jesus and ask God to sanctify me each day He continually shows and cuts out the stuff in my life that is not of Him.  And although I had asked forgiveness for participating in karate I still had pride when it came to my accomplishments in the karate area.

So I had to lay down my pride.  I laid my rebellion down.  I again asked for forgiveness.

So I collected everything I could find that was karate related and burned it.  I burned my karate gi, all my belts, certificates, hats, literature – anything that would burn.  Those that wouldn’t like my trophies and metals I took apart and threw out.

Sanctification is a process.  Some stuff in our life we’ll be able to deal with right away and others will take some time.

I had held on to that stuff for 20 years yet when I allowed God to work in me when the time came I had absolutely no emotional ties to getting rid of that stuff.  I had to lay down my pride because the belts, certificates, trophies and metals were all symbols of what I had accomplished.  How good I was at karate.  It was all centered around me (aka pride) and the only thing I have to boast about is my salvation through Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14)

Lamentations 3:23 says
Great is His faithfulness, His mercies begin afresh each day.

I am thankful for those words and His patience with us as we flounder and sometimes fall as we try to navigate in this life.

If you’re interested in learning more about the dangers of participating in karate I encourage you check out this blog post by Bill Rudge:

https://www.billrudge.org/resources/victorious-living/why-i-quit-karate

Bill Rudge founded the Christian Martial Arts Association and later quit karate all together when God convicted him of 5 truths surrounding karate.  Click on the above link to read more about these additional 5 areas of karate you need to be aware of.

Your Sister in Christ,

Angela

If you haven’t downloaded your FREE copy of my blessings eBook yet please check it out here: http://www.sanctificationdaybyday.com/blessing-ebook/