Can a Christian practice/teach Self-defense?
Here’s what a biblical online advisor of mine has shown me when I basically mentioned that maybe Martial Arts was not Christ approved of…HE said, WRONG! and then this…
If the thief is caught while breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account…. (Exodus 22:2-3 NASV6 )
The Eighth Commandment, “thou shalt not steal,” is a crime punishable by restitution except when a thief is caught breaking in under the concealment of darkness. Under such conditions, the intruder’s intention is unclear. It cannot be quickly determined whether the intruder is simply an unarmed thief or someone with more malicious intentions. Thus, in such cases, Yahweh gives the benefit of doubt to the potential victims and allows the intruder to be slain. In other words, Yahweh’s law clearly provides for self-defense whether for the purpose of constraining a criminal or killing him while in the commission of a capital offense.
Not only does Yahweh’s law sanction self-defense, but Yeshua7 also used self-defense to illustrate a spiritual point:
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder. (Luke 11:21-22 NASV)
…if any [Christian] provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8)
After first providing for your family’s spiritual safety, your next priority should be adequate physical protection for yourself, your family and your possessions. What benefit is there in providing food, clothing and shelter if you have laid out a welcome mat for criminals to come in and take it from you? If pacifist, turn-in-your-gun preachers were to persuade all Christians to abandon their weapons, then thieves, rapists and murderers would, in all probability, target Christians as their victims of choice. It is a statistical fact that criminal activity increases whenever law-abiding citizens are disarmed. This is precisely what has happened in Australia. Since Australia’s gun-buy-back program was implemented in 1997, which resulted in thousands of Australian citizens turning in their weapons, crime has escalated.
It is not un-Christian to practice self-defense or Yeshua would have never used it as an illustration. Not only are we encouraged to protect our homesteads by whatever means necessary, we are also taught that the better we are armed the less likely someone stronger will be able to take away from us what is ours. The liberal anti-gun establishment calls this “stockpiling.” Yeshua would deem it as being godly. After all, the antithesis of being an infidel is godliness. Godly in terms of Nehemiah who “prayed unto our God, and set a watch against them [Israel's enemies] day and night” and who “set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows,” yet whose confidence was in Yahweh – Nehemiah 4:7-20.
Then said he [Yeshua] unto them, … he that hath no sword [the equivalent today of a semi-automatic rifle or handgun], let him sell his garment, and buy one. (Luke 22:36)
Additionally, note that Yeshua did not tell His disciples to first go and register their swords with the government. Moreover, a government that cannot trust its law-abiding citizens with weapons is a government that cannot be trusted.
Thus, in obedience to Yahweh “let the high praises of God be in [your] mouth, and a two edged sword [or today's equivalent] in [your] hand.” (Psalm 149:6) However, let us not forget that “except YHWH build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except YHWH keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
Here is the whole article. Ted, if you don’t wish for me to post this on my blog…please inform me.
http://www.missiontoisrael.org/firearm-right.php
I cut and pasted portions, not all of it but what I felt mattered to this post.
So, you can be the judge of this. Do men have the right to defend themselves from evil? After reading this, I feel they do. But I don’t feel they should be involved in ASIAN style arts of which have hidden within them…occult and or buddhist, shinto, hindu methods of worship. Even in kata of TKD, there are occultism. YES, even in the kata. Bowing to the Korean flag is also. And there are other hidden things like this within the asian martial arts. So, if you are christian and want to learn martial arts, try mine! No, but really…at least find one that has NO connections at all. Even Jeet Kune Do of Bruce Lee’s art has within it zen buddhism philosophy to its teachings. Ninjutsu – occult. I myself am STILL researching this and will continue to research this for myself. If a martial artist, I suggest you do the same.
Basically, the gist of it is…99.9% of Martial Arts contain occultism. You have to be careful if a believer and research just how MUCH far easter influences are within your art. I suggest Krav Maga. While Jeet Kune Do does not have the traditional influences for the most part and is one of the most practical of martial arts, its founder, Bruce Lee, once my TEENAGE idol…claimed he didn’t need God, he had himself if I researched this correctly. So, do you follow the art of one who was against Christ? Research ANYTHING you follow if you’re serious about your spirituality…that especially includes your religions.
Find an art if Christian that has none of the bowing, idols, bowing to pictures of masters, bowing to flags, prayer in Buddhism or Shintoism or the likes that promote SELF or EGO. A common problem within martial arts is…they promote too much of SELF. It’s not about SELF, it’s about DEFENSE. EGO on the streets can get you killed. Never feel you are undefeatable.
I feel, based on experience…that martial arts can become a distraction to reliance on the protection of God. And that God will protect his own. However, God used David and a weapon to take down a giant for God to prove a point in this example. So, the question is…if David as a king boy can use weapon to take down strong men, what of us? I feel without the proper defenses in place of our country and its weapons, we would already be enslaved by either Nazism or Islam or something else. So, is it good that man has acquired weapons to keep such communism or anti-christian nations from attacking us? Yes. Is it good to let it focus on our pride of self-power? No. Is it good to let it distract us from the REAL focus of that which our minds should be on? No. And yet, many Christian martial artists allow themselves to get TOO wrapped up in their martial arts. It becomes their center of life. I feel first, it can not be of anything of far-eastern traditional teachings or ritual martial arts. That includes TKD which has occult in it too. Any that have shrines, idols, bowing to masters or zen buddhism teachings, yoga, indian hinduism, shamanism or any of these are NOT GOOD for Christians.
And it should never be the focus of one’s life…the martial arts or reliance on weapons. Rely on your God for protection and let HIM give you the spirit of which you feel you need to use weapons to protect home, family and country. Never shoot to kill…even an enemy, even an intruder. Why ? cause Gods word teaches us to pray for your enemies and even to offer them food and drink and this is like pouring hot coals on their head. He also says, thou shalt not kill. That means anyone.
If you have no choice, shoot to injure and then restrain that enemy or intruder…let God deal with their death, do not let such a death of a man if possible be on your conscience! Men who end up in wars come back mentally and emotionally bruised and beaten inside. They often become drug addicts or addicted to alcohol. They can resort to violence because they do not know how to deal with what they’ve been through. I’ve seen friends who had family members torn by these past experiences of WAR.
Why ? Because MAN was never designed to kill another human being. This is a device of satan. The bible teaches us that the unbelievers are many things but also reveals to us that they are also murderous, back biters, slanderers, adulterers, covetess and more. So, just a clue. If Christian, don’t seek to kill even an enemy and have mercy upon their lives as much as you would wish for them to have mercy upon your own life. These are morals of which come only from biblical understanding. It’ all about how Christ taught us love and to not hate, not even our enemy and why? Because they are led by a spirit . The war is not against flesh and blood but against principles and principalities! SPIRITUAL THINGS THAT CAUSE PEOPLE TO BE LED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. It is a battle of the spirit realm that falls into the physical realm. So, if you see an enemy against you as a Christian…don’t hate him, pray for him and detest the one who sent him…the one who hated FIRST…your God. Christ. IF you are Christian.
Yoga is not an exercise…yoga is a form of worship, devised to LOOK like exercise and it subtly misleads you. It is an occult practice….stay out of it. Weapons? All you need is one for defense and if you use it…use it not to be as they are….a taker of life. Use it to hold them at bay. Be merciful Christ taught us. Remember…all violence comes from the enemy of God an he will use men to bring it…so to take life, the gift God gives everyone. Who are WE to take another’s life? Yes, defend yours and your family but FIRST and FOREMOST put your reliance on trusting in God’s supernatural protection.
