[TheWielder]

So. I make it a point never to reveal my actual name on the internet, and so I'm going to go with the username of "TheWielder." Friends can just call me "Wielder."

I'll say first and foremost that I'm a Christian of a predominantly Protestant sect.
Next, I'll say I'm also a Martial Artist, with training in Shotokan Karate, and in Iaijutsu Swordsmanship. I also incorporate elements of Kung-Fu, Jiujitsu, and Drunken Boxing in my hand-to-hand style, and Kendo in my sword style.
Furthermore, I know a hand-to-hand technique that makes use of a natural energy called Ki to both heal and harm. Through thought and some prayer, I've arrived upon the conclusion that this energy is the same as one's soul, and as a result I'm capable of using my own soul as a weapon or a tool of healing. Furthermore, some of the feats potentially possible with this technique were performed by Christ himself. Acts like calming the seas, and walking on water. With infinite time, training, and faith, any man could do such things. However, such capabilities are nearly impossible for any man with a lifespan of 100 years or so. I would guess at least a thousand would be needed to accomplish most of these acts.

I've never been in a fight, and hope never to be in a fight, but I understand well that this world is far from peaceful. I'm prepared to injure, and even to kill, in order to protect those dear to me.

My girlfriend, who I intend to marry, and many of my friends, including my best friend and sword-brother, are martial artists as well.
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I listen to music of unusual genres, including Classic Rock, Celtic Rock, and Symphonic Metal, with examples of such music to be found in The Eagles, Enter the Haggis, and Nightwish respectively.
I play videogames often, including shooters, strategy games, fantasy games, and more.
I'm also a fan of Anime. If you don't know what that is, google it.
Another pastime I enjoy is Literary Roleplay, which involves multiple individuals creating real characters and taking turns typing out a story.

Some of my favorite books include The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Chronicles of Narnia, and of course the Bible.
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I'd rather not mention how I found this site. Suffice it to say I'm well-versed and immersed in internet culture. That led me to your "Satan's Entertainment" subforum. That alone gave me a good estimate of the views of many individuals using this website.

I will say I have personal and religious issues that I struggle with. I will also say to leave them out of conversation.
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As my topic name states, I have a few questions. But for now, I'll limit myself to one.

It is, how does this site and its members, as a whole, feel about the pursuit of Martial Arts?

Anything I have stated is fair game for conversation, discussion, or debate. I've chosen my words carefully. I suggest you do the same.

[Zechariah Smyth]

Originally Posted by TheWielder

*** lots of chinaman stuff ***

Where do you go to church, friend? What's your favorite Bible verse?

That's the kind of things we want to know. We'll talk about the Jackie Chan stuff later.

Or maybe not.

Yours in Christ,

Z. Smyth

[TheWielder]

I go to a small church called "Desert Breeze" and my favorite verse is Proverbs 27:19 "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."

And as I said, choose your words carefully. The "Chinaman" and "Jackie Chan" things you speak of are my lifestyle. It would be like me claiming your lifestyle was one of McDonalds and Ignorance. I take offense to such things, as I imagine you might to what I said.

[Faith_Machine]

Originally Posted by TheWielder

Furthermore, I know a hand-to-hand technique that makes use of a natural energy called Ki to both heal and harm. Through thought and some prayer, I've arrived upon the conclusion that this energy is the same as one's soul, and as a result I'm capable of using my own soul as a weapon or a tool of healing. Furthermore, some of the feats potentially possible with this technique were performed by Christ himself.

OK, so what you're saying is that there's this mystical Ki energy flowing through us that was never mentioned in any Bible verse, and that no scientist has ever been able to prove exists. And Jesus had to use this Ki energy to perform miracles because he wasn't actually the omnipotent creator of our universe dwelling in human flesh.

I think you should spend more time reading the Bible and less time listening to the philosophical ramblings of old Chinamen in opium dens.

[Zechariah Smyth]

Originally Posted by TheWielder

I go to a small church called "Desert Breeze" and my favorite verse is Proverbs 27:19 "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."

And as I said, choose your words carefully. The "Chinaman" and "Jackie Chan" things you speak of are my lifestyle. It would be like me claiming your lifestyle was one of McDonalds and Ignorance. I take offense to such things, as I imagine you might to what I said.

So let's see if I have this straight: you go to a non-denominational church, you quote a perverted PERversion of the Bible, and you pal around with a bunch of lolicon-addicted slopes.

Did I miss anything?

Yours in Christ,

Z. Smyth

[Roberta]

Like I so admire Chuck Norris. I mean, he's like on Mr. Gingrich's faith warrior team!

Can you do that swan move that Miyagi San taught Daniel in The Karate Kid? Awesome!

Isn't anime that chinese porno stuff? I don't think looking at naked yellow girls is very Christian--just sayin'.

YIC.

Roberta

[Jack O'fagan]

Originally Posted by Zechariah Smyth

So let's see if I have this straight: you go to a non-denominational church, you quote a perverted PERversion of the Bible, and you pal around with a bunch of lolicon-addicted slopes.

Did I miss anything?

Yours in Christ,

Z. Smyth

Zech, you forgot that he likes a little girl's book about wardrobes.

YIC

Jack

[TheWielder]

@Zech, I go to a Predominantly Protestant church, I quote the version of the Bible that I prefer, and I enjoy intense plots, beautiful musical scores, and interesting characters.

@Roberta, Chuck Norris is cool, The swan move is pretty basic, and there's a difference between Anime and what you're thinking of, "Hentai." I generally avoid the latter.

@Jack, C. S. Lewis is one of the most respected Christian authors society knows. Try reading "Mere Christianity" if you never have. Furthermore, you're thinking of only one of the books, and I'm guessing you've never read it. Give that a try, too.


@Faith_Machine

Alright, here's where I wanted to go with this conversation.

1) Science alone cannot determine everything in this universe. It cannot accurately determine the presence, or for that matter, the very existence of God. As a result, it cannot prove everything, only some things. Stating that because this has not been proven, it does not exist is therefore illogical.
2) I never said that Christ used Ki to perform these feats, only that they could, in theory, be performed through it. I know a man who's been practicing this art for nearly 50 years, and he can't walk on water or calm the seas.
3) The Bible is not 100% accurate- there are discrepancies between the four gospels, for instance, in the events that occurred. Furthermore, the bible itself was written by men, and later compiled by men, who at the time were most likely thinking "Which of these stories would be best for our growing religion?" rather than "Which of these were written by God himself?" Men are incredibly fallible, and though the bible contains God's word, it is tainted by the failings of men. As a direct result, claiming that just because this was never mentioned in the bible, it doesn't exist, is an invalid argument.

All that said, by scientific method, its existence CAN be proven. Science relies on three characteristics: observability, repeatability, and an orderly method inherent in the study.

Ki itself is presently impossible to observe directly. However, its effects can be quite noticeable. It can be "thrown" to have an impact on objects, imparting force. Generating it causes a temperature change in the air nearby, either warmer or colder- the degree of change depends on the Ki user and their experience in it, and hot or cold depends on the person. I've yet to draw any conclusions on that. Furthermore, generating it will make you tired- it's literally your daily energy, and expending it has the same effect as a tiring exercise. When you run low on it, however, you begin to dip into what I call informally "Lifetime" Ki. Though we've no great proof of this, dipping into lifetime Ki shortens your lifespan. Imagine a pond with a small stream refilling it, and a small tank of water. When the pond has no more water in it for whatever reason, you take from the tank until the river refills the pond. Whether or not you can refill the tank, so to speak, is unknown to ki users. But we do know that when the metaphorical tank is empty, you're dead.

Personally, I think lifetime Ki is more like a connection to the body than an amount- when the connection is severed, your body dies and your soul goes to meet the one who made it.

Back on topic, Ki IS scientifically observable, its effects are repeatable, and study can be done in an orderly method. I could guess as to why, exactly, Ki has NOT been proven to exist, but this post is long enough.

My original question still has yet to be answered, though: What does this community think about martial arts?

[Roberta]

My original question still has yet to be answered, though: What does this community think about martial arts?

I am just a girl but I've always thought it was like gay. It's not a real sport like football or hockey. Dressing up in those gi thingys and making all those snorting kind of noises. The kung fu types didn't get the girls where I went to school.

[TheWielder]

No offense, but I don't think you have a very well-formed idea of Martial Arts. Or for that matter, I don't think the people you're thinking of did, if your description is accurate.

First, let me differentiate between Martial Art and Martial Style.

Learning a Martial Style is learning how to fight, in order to fight.
Learning a Martial Art is learning how to fight, to prevent fighting.

WWF, televised Boxing, and even UFC all fall under the category of Martial Styles. Such men fight until the other is beaten and bloody.

A Martial Artist avoids the fight as much as possible. If he cannot avoid it, he ends it swiftly. Where a stylist would break his foe's arm and continue to bash his face in, a martial artist would break his foe's arm and allow him the chance to withdraw.

That's a very basic example of the differences between Art and Style. Martial Arts are as much an intellectual, philosophical pursuit as they are Physical.

Most real Martial Artists hold to certain tenets, as well as a code of honor.
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Swordsmen, as compared to hand-to-hand martial artists, have a different outlook. In short, if they ever need to draw their blade in battle, they must be prepared to kill. To be prepared to kill, they must understand all aspects of death as best they can. They must know all repercussions, they must know why they're about to do it, and they must know how they are about to do it. If they do not know these things, they are not prepared, and will falter.

Though I doubt anyone here cares enough, you can read "The Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the greatest swordsman to ever live, for a better analysis. I would also recommend a book called "Flashing Steel" for its analysis of the philosophy of swordsmanship.
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And don't say you're "Just a girl," there's far more worth to you than your gender.

[Little Donkey]

Hi Wielder (Friend !) Welcome to the forum!! I'm really interested in combat - although like you I've never been in a fight or served in the military, or had any practical experience fighting. I collect guns and also dabble in homemade (shall we say) "devices" - so, what is your favorite gun? We can exchange pics if you like.

[Dr Laurence Niles]

Why arn't we talking about God?

I can see how being good at fighting can be useful for put the wife in her place or proactively defending your self from anal invasion by predatory queers: that makes sense.

But prancing around in your jim jams (or just your underpants ) seems pretty gay, to me.

Can we go back to praising God, please?

YIC

[TheWielder]

Guns, huh? Tossing out the big, explosive Howitzers, Rocket-Launchers, RPG's, and the like... I'd probably say it's a tie between a modern mac, the AUG-HBAR, and the classic M-1 Garand Carbine, for very different reasons. Yours?

Frankly, I prefer bladed weapons. In particular, I'm stuck between the Japanese O-Katana, and the Tibettan Swallow (Think Star Wars, the double-bladed lightsabers) thus named for its flowing movements in its use, like the motions of a swallow.

[TheWielder]

@Laurence, God is always praised. I'll never speak against him, and he knows exactly where I stand. And besides that, if this conversation were only about how amazing God is, not only would we be falling short in our words, but it would be a pretty stale conversation to boot, after a while.

Besides that, think of a modern soldier's uniform- they have uniforms partly because the way it's made is useful in the situations it's put through, and partly because it identifies the wearer as part of a group. A Martial Arts uniform is similar- it's useful in that it's tough and durable, yet flexible and yielding, and it identifies the wearer as a martial artist. And there's a lot more to Martial Arts than jumping around, regardless of attire. Everything in Martial Arts has a purpose.

I would also refer you to the post I made in response to Roberta, in particular the difference between Martial Art and Martial Style. The folk who wrestle and beat the crud out of each other while wearing frickin speedos are closer to stylists than artists.

[Faith_Machine]

Originally Posted by TheWielder

3) The Bible is not 100% accurate- there are discrepancies between the four gospels, for instance, in the events that occurred. Furthermore, the bible itself was written by men, and later compiled by men, who at the time were most likely thinking "Which of these stories would be best for our growing religion?" rather than "Which of these were written by God himself?" Men are incredibly fallible, and though the bible contains God's word, it is tainted by the failings of men. As a direct result, claiming that just because this was never mentioned in the bible, it doesn't exist, is an invalid argument.

Would you care to retract those statements right now, boy, or would you prefer to do so after I lay a Godly beating on you?

[TheWielder]

Would you care to support your argument with philosophically sound arguments, as opposed to the ever-popular informal fallacy, the "Appeal to Fear"?

[Faith_Machine]

Oh, you're afraid now? Maybe that's because you're relying on Hong Kong Fooey magic instead of Jesus.

Being a Christian means never having to fear anything.

Except the Lord.

[TheWielder]

*Facepalm* I didn't say it worked. Threatening to "lay a Godly beating" on me is an appeal to fear, and not a very good one over the internet. Also, it should be noted that the idea of "Change your views or face pain" is what has started every religious war to date, plus the Inquisition. Just saying.

Now, again, let's see some reason. Prove to me that I'm wrong.

[Little Donkey]

Originally Posted by TheWielder

Guns, huh? Tossing out the big, explosive Howitzers, Rocket-Launchers, RPG's, and the like... I'd probably say it's a tie between a modern mac, the AUG-HBAR, and the classic M-1 Garand Carbine, for very different reasons. Yours?

Actually I don't own any officially (legally...) but me and my buddies have some odd assortments laying around - if you know what I mean . This one is interesting, doesn't take much aiming to shoot rabbits off the back of a pickup. I guess it's my current favorite.

[TheWielder]

Ah, looks like a bit of a Masher, that does! Nice, simple design, without accuracy being much of an issue. Looks like a dead watermelon waiting to happen.