Which martial art is the least spiritualistic?

Question

I've heard that practicing martial arts and being a Christian doesn't mix (as many martial arts contain Buddhist/Taoist influences and require you to meditate on stuff and/or bow to your master, all of which is a grey area for me as a Christian).

All I want is the physical/character-building benefits of martial arts training (discipline, strength, flexibility, self-defence etc.), so am looking for something fairly non-spiritual and ideologically neutral, with meditation sessions kept minimal and low-key.

How does hapkido rate? Is it among the least spiritualistic of the martial arts?

Answer 1

As 'ajmangin' stated, bowing to each other in certain countries is simply a sign of respect. Thus, you can happily practise whichever martial art you want to.
The five tenets of martial arts are among the first things that you see when entering the dojang. Apart from being on the wall, these tenets should be visible in every student that you see.

Courtesy:

Respect others, and they will respect you. The most common evidence of courtesy is bowing. Traditionally, martial arts members bow to each other, to the flags, and when entering and leaving the dojang.

Integrity :

Will you do the right thing even when no one else is looking?

Perseverance:

When the going gets tough, the tough keep going.

Self Control:

Self control is a necessary aspect of the martial arts. Physically, it is needed to keep yourself and others from being hurt while practising. Mentally, it applies to the way you deal with others. Martial arts members should never use their knowledge in an inappropriate way to hurt others. Force is used only as a last resort.

Indomitable Spirit:

This tenet is hard to describe, but easy to spot. Indomitable means incapable of being overcome, subdued, or vanquished. The person with indomitable spirit has a fire burning in their soul, and a dedication to all of the other tenets that is unconquerable.
courtesy integrity self control indomitable spirit perseverance

Customs:

Bow at the door on entering and leaving the dojang.
Bow to training partner at beginning and end of practice.
Bow to the instructor at beginning and end of class.
No shoes on dojang floor, unless special training shoes.
Bow to the national flags at beginning and end of class. Uniform must be clean, neat and tidy at all times.

However, if you want something totally devoid of spirituality/cultural customs, there is kick-boxing which is very sport-orientated.

Answer 2

Like people before me said, I've not come across any arts that include spiritual/religious dogma with martial arts.

Muay Thai is not for you though. As if you go to a traditional muay thai school, you'll be taught to do a little dance honoring one god or another.

And its not the art that is what you have to worry about, it is the teacher within it.

Meditation is not religious or even spiritual. It is a tool. You can use meditation to think upon various things such as your own religious ideals, what you plan on doing that class, running through different scenarios in your head about what would happen if...., etc etc.

And I've not heard that christianity and a martial art that teaches self defense can not be done together.

And on a funny note, when the school i'm in had to move around, we moved from a union hall to a basement of a church. The church said it was ok for the martial arts class to be held there, but the yoga class that the township had scheduled after us wasn't allowed to do yoga in the basement.

Why you ask? The reason I was told by my sensei was that the church believed the meditating in yoga would make it easier to allow the demons into their minds..... To me this is just hilarious.

Answer 3

Lol, spirituality in martial arts isn't the same as spirituality in christianity. The martial arts doesn't say that our spirits will go to heaven or hell if we practice a particular martial art. Spirituality in asian martial arts refers to your mind or inner self, the part of you that controls your actions. The character building aspects of the martial arts is the spiritual part of it, it trains your mind to become one with your body and move as a single unit. It's where the term "fighting spirit" comes from. Without it, your body is just an empty shell that can easily be defeated. Meditation is merely an exercise used to calm your mind into a relaxed state so it can become in tune with your body. While some martial arts do incorporate paganistic rituals as part of the culture in which it originated from, I doubt if it should be your main concern in choosing a martial art. If you are a devout christian, then practicing the more physical martial arts would probably be against your religion since if we are to follow puritan logic, any form of vi0lence is frowned upon by the church, and christians are encouraged to turn the other cheek and just pray for help. If you are gonna go by this standard, then Aikido would be perfect for you since it is a non violent style and promotes harmony and love among fellow men. But it was developed by a japanese Shinto priest though, and is considered a deeply spiritual martial art by the japanese, so I dunno if you'll go for it.

Answer 4

As a former theology major at a christian seminary let me tell you that for one bowing is not anti God or anti christian. It's a cultural show of respect, like shaking hands in America. It's not spiritual. And meditation is a form of relaxation, not worship. Anyone of any faith can do it especially if they have anger or anxiety issues. All because certain faiths do it doesnt mean the act is tainted. Many pre-christian faiths fasted for periods of times. Does this mean the act is tainted and Christians are wrong to fast? No. Something meant to calm you down and focus your mind on something is beneficial. If you ever get frustrated and stop, close your eyes and take a deep breath you just meditated because it helps you relax and get refocused on what you're doing. That's all meditation is. So find a martial art you like and have fun with it. My first karate teacher was the worship leader at my church. Martials arts is an art not a faith. You can be any religion and do it.

Answer 5

The theory behind each art is fine, the history behind each art is fine, what the school actually does is sometimes different.

The key thing, go visit the school. Most schools should let you watch and maybe even take a free lesson. Ask questions to make sure you are clear on stuff.

Arts that come to mind right now: American Kenpo Karate, Boxing, Kick Boxing, some Judo schools, and wrestling. There are christian groups as well. http://www.blackbeltmag.com/dojos
http://www.christianmartialarts.com/index.htm

Side note: As far as I know, meditation is a part of the christian tradition as is showing respect (just not holding them as an idol or god) to teachers and religious figures as well as adults.
Hapkido is a korean art... how the school teaches it play the role.
Hope this helps.
Best of luck.

Answer 6

Well, the martial arts I've come across haven't emphasized any specific dogma, and while they have spiritual aspects that may have grown out of a specific religion, they are not specific.... I don't know where you're coming from, so there are a few options...Though, if you want to avoid anything unChristian in this world, You should probably stay away from martial arts. All of the eastern ones I've come across were taught by someone who wasn't Christian to someone who was without them being overly dogmatic about it. If your dogma is every part of your life, then I don't see where martial arts would fit in. You don't need enlightenment, you've got the truth written down for you. Just read.

Answer 7

I don' think spirituality, respect, and Christianity are the same.

You can reflect on life and nature without any religious conflicts. God made the earth and all that is on it.

You can bow to your instructor and show respect without any religious conflict. You can even call him master if he has attained the rank deserving the title. It is a title only.

I have not been involved with any martial arts that interfere with my religious beliefs. I have "meditated" I guess. I concentrated on controlling my breathing or minimizing pain.

I have bowed to a picture of Dr. Kano upon entering a Judo class to show respect to the founder of the art. I did not nor do I worship him.

I bow to my master instructor before and after each class. I do not worship him. I call him master since he is a 5th degree blackbelt and has earned the title. That does not mean he is the master of my life. It is a title no more significant than doctor or professor.

What really doesn't mix in my opinion is people that do not take the Bible and read it and study it for themselves. People shouldn't rely on one person (or a few) to interpret it for them. We need to study it for ourselves and use those people and references to answer our questions. I cannot find a verse or chapter that prohibits taking martial arts or meditating.

Anyway, most martial arts schools in America are not spiritually based. Hapkido is a nice Korean art of joint manipulation. BJJ or Judo are great ground arts. TKD is a Korean kicking art. Try American kickboxing - definately no asian spirtuality conflicts there.

Answer 8

Practicing martial arts has no effect on your Christianity, and vice versa. My shihan is a devout Christian, our dojo has a large cross on the north wall, we hold Christmas and Easter celebrations, and none of that interferes with his study of martial arts. Bowing is a sign of respect, and not necessarily a Buddhist/Toaist ritual--people kneel to the Pope, and bow to royalty in several countries, so you shouldn't worry about that. And Christians meditate, they don't call it that. As far as finding a martial art that contains the least spiritual aspects, you are most likely going to have to look around, because it will largely depend on the instructor.

Answer 9

even though i agree with ajmangin i would also like to say that even if martial arts was another type of religion, it cant hurt to know and understand it. i bet you god Jesus could preach to a martial artist better if he knew all about the art form.

Answer 10

Judo
Tae Kwon Do
Muy Thai kick boxing (but its a sport style)
Russian SAMBO (but its a sport style)