The spirituality of martial arts

December 1, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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694707_kungfu_1.jpgDean from My Jarrol Spot has raised an interesting issue today. he’s wondering about the relationship between christianity and martial arts.

Just wondering about initial views and opinions at the moment.

Something I’ve been reading about lately and pondering where it all fits in Biblically.

More to come…

It’s an interesting topic and I hope you’ll leave a few comments for Dean with your thoughts.

Is there a spirituality connected to martial arts that is incompatible with christian beliefs? Can christians be involved with martial arts? Is there a way of gaining the benefits that martial arts provide without adopting the spirituality?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and Vice President elect of the Baptist World Alliance. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

A couple of weeks ago we tackled this issue and Ross had some interesting things to say about the matter. If you’d like to hear his point of view simply click the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/SPI110909_1523.mp3]

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Majority of Scientists Believe in a Higher Power

November 26, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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Lab

OK, so it’s not an overwhelming majority but it is a majority, which is certainly not what some people want us to believe.

The Los Angeles Times is telling us that while the science community is less likely than the general public to believe in God or a higher power, there is still just over half their number who think there’s more to life than that which can be verified scientifically. Surveys of the general public show a 95% belief in God or higher power.

According to a survey of members of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, conducted by the Pew Research Center in May and June this year, a majority of scientists (51%) say they believe in God or a higher power, while 41% say they do not.

You might think that most of those admitting to a belief in God or a higher power would be leaning towards the higher power end of the spectrum when in fact 42% of scientists say that they believe in a personal God.

The research doesn’t show that those who believe in God necessarily believe that he created the world in which we live.

Today, a century and a half after Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” the overwhelming majority of scientists in the United States accept Darwinian evolution as the basis for understanding how life on Earth developed. But although evolutionary theory is often portrayed as antithetical to religion, it has not destroyed the religious faith of the scientific community.

But what would Darwin have said if he was surveyed on his beliefs? Charles Darwin’s original choice of career was to be a village vicar but it’s said that he lost his faith because it didn’t fit with his thoughts on evolution.

As for Darwin, his letters indicate that he was probably an agnostic who lost his faith not because his groundbreaking theory was incompatible with religion, but because of his grief after the 1851 death of his favorite child, his 10-year-old daughter, Annie. And even then, he may not have completely rejected the idea of a higher power. The concluding sentence of “Origin of Species” speaks of a “Creator” breathing life “into a few forms or into one.” The passage raises at least a little doubt as to how the father of modern evolutionary theory might have responded to the question on belief in Pew’s recent survey of scientists.

What do you think? How would you respond to the question? Is there a God or higher power watching over us? Did that God or higher power create this world or even set the process in motion? I’d love to get your thoughts in the comments section below.

Discovered via Phil Cooke.



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Redeeming the past

November 21, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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regret.jpgIs there anything you can do that can’t be turned around? Can you commit an act so horrible that there is no way back? Is there anything you can do that can never be redeemed? Are there unforgivable sins that render your life beyond any kind of redemption?

New England Puritan Samuel Sewall sat on the court of judges who condemned nineteen innocent men and women to be hanged as witches during the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. Once the trials were over he realised his heinous mistake and begged God and his community for forgiveness.

Despite being weighed down with the knowledge that he had sent innocent people to their graves, he turned his life around to champion a number of human rights causes. I’m sure that he continued to regret what he’d done but he didn’t let his past control his future. Samuel Sewell became a campaigner for a range of issues that put him at odds with prevailing thought. He was a strong voice against slavery and spoke up about the rights of women at a time when community views were very different to his own.

Samuel Sewell refused to let the mistakes of the past stop him from living a bold and fruitful life. He repented and then began again. He didn’t allow his past to consign him to a life of regret. His early mistakes could have crushed him but instead he found forgiveness and worked to make his life count.

Are there things in your past that are holding you back from life? Have you let your past rob you of your future? Is regret crippling your life?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and Vice President elect of the Baptist World Alliance. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

I recently spoke to Ross about Samuel Sewall and what we can learn from his life. You can listen to our discussion by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

The life giving message is that we are never beyond redemption. We can’t just pretend that past events didn’t happen but we can move boldly into the rest of our lives, able to make a significance difference to the world around us.

Maybe today’s the day you need to take Samuel Sewall’s lead by seeking God’s forgiveness, turning from the past, and walking with God towards a brighter tomorrow. I’m more than happy to help you take that step. If you want to know more about turning things around, feel free to visit my contact page for my email address and get in touch with me.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/SPI171109_0941.mp3]

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School Chaplains get the thumbs up

October 15, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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school.jpgAustralia’s first ever national research findings on chaplaincy in Australian government schools have just been released and the results are very positive.

According to the 688 principals who participated in the national study, chaplains in their government schools were helping to build the sense of community in the school , support the school ethos and were assisting the integration of those who were considered potentially ‘at risk’ students.

A couple of days ago on my morning radio programme I spoke to Fiona Pitkin, Head of Chaplaincy Services for YouthCare in Western Australia. Fiona explained more about the work of chaplains in Australian schools.

You can hear what she had to say by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Did you have a chaplain at your school? What do you think of the idea of having chaplains in governemnt schools? Have you seen the beenfits of chaplains in your life or in the life of your children? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR131009_1234.mp3]

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Mark Seaby endorses Jesus All About Life

September 12, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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I count it a privilege to know AFL player Mark Seaby. He’s not only a great footballer, he’s a thoroughly great guy.

While it doesn’t look like he’ll be playing for my favourite AFL team, West Coast Eagles, next year, he’s playing his part on a winning team by getting involved with the Jesus All About Life campaign.



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