Well, it's been awhile since I've been here. I've
missed a lot, as I can see...<br><br>Hey Riverside --
You kill me, man ("HWRANG in there")...<br><br>As for
why God/Christ has to do with MA, my research has my
research has pointed me back to the first known true
civilization, which was in China around 2200 BC.
Coincidentally, Hinduism, the basis of all Eastern religions such
as Buddhism, Confusianism, Shinto, etc., dates back
to 1500 BC, meaning that there must have been
something previous to it. This ancient civilization in
China had records of fighting techniques and fighting
styles. What their extensive records also showed was many
similarities to other records found amongst the Egyptians,
Babylonians, and Sumarians, who also had records of fighting
systems. Three distinct similarities found amongst these
civilizations were the story of the great flood, a common
origin which pointed to the Middle East, and the worship
of a monotheistic god. The ancient Chinese symbols
are particular interesting in that they depicted the
story of Adam and Eve, their expulsion from the Garden
and the punishment of man, God's grace and plan of
salvation, the story of Cain and Abel, the Tower of Babel,
and the migration - stories all confirming the early
chapters of Genesis.<br><br>Piecing this together would
give a somewhat logical story and evolution of martial
arts: Man was created in the image of God, having no
distinct offensive or defensive weapons. But when sin
entered into the world, man was forced to defend himself,
his wife, his children, his food and other belongings
from thieves and raiders. Not having any natural
weapons, man was forced to<br>use the only real weapon he
had that other creatures did not: his analytical
mind. So he was able to create fighting techniques to
defend against his attackers.<br><br>As people migrated
east, to India and China, they took those fighting
techniques with them, and they eventually evolved into what
we see today. Concurrently, people also migrated
north and west, where there was the development of
fencing, boxing, and wrestling. Europe was also where
metal was abundant, thus giving birth to the knights,
which were in the same class as the<br>samurai of
Japan, where metal was scarce and technology and foreign
relations slow to develop.<br><br>Hope this helps...