WARSKYL: A Christian Martial Art?

Since I started discussing the origin and development of WARSKYL in "Defining Terms, 7", the question has arisen as to whether or not it may be considered a Christian martial art.

First, I think you have to determine what you mean by martial art. Merriam Webster defines martial as follows:

1. of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior
2. relating to an army or to military life
3. experienced in or inclined to war : warlike

It is plain that most "martial arts" taught today are not really martial in this sense.

In the East in particular, many of the arts practiced are and always have been civilian arts. Historians credit Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple with origins of Kung Fu (gong fu) in its various permutations.

Kung Fu passed over the waters to Okinawa where civilians modified and adopted it under the name Karate. It arose as a measure of self defense in a society where their Japanese overlords forbade common folk from carrying weapons. (Sword control? Disarming the populace has always been a tactic of tyrants.)

In Japan, the various forms of Jujitsu descended from the hand-to-hand techniques of the Samurai warriors. Therefore Jujitsu is, in a historical sense, a true martial art. And, although many think of it as a grappling art, it includes the handstrikes and kicks that you would find in other arts.

Continued in "WARSKYL: A Christian Martial Art?, 2"