The blog Martial Development posted a rather funny entry about SloFlo, the Christian alternative to Tai Chi. But MD posted a serious question at the end: Why do Christians NEED an alternative to Tai Chi? What is it that they have an inherent issue with?
It seems to me that the wheel is being repackaged as something else. In fact, Sloflo's website states, "SlowFlo is the Christian Alternative to Tai Chi using movements from the Yang Long Series combined with sentences of praise and worship in American Sign Language"
So Tai Chi is non-Christian, but it's okay to borrow movements from the Yang 108? And I got totally lost with the American Sign Language thing. Are all Christians deaf? But I digress.
I practice Tai Chi and Qi Gong. I am not 100% sold on the whole Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) thing. I believe in Chi, but not necessarily in all the great claims that are attributed to it. But does that mean I can't still do them and benefit from them? Does it mean I need to create something new because it doesn't quite match up to my religious beliefs? Despite my lack of complete acceptance of TCM, I do feel the benefits of my practice. I feel more calm and more energetic. But I didn't need to create a new system that aligned with my beliefs to do it. I just discount that parts that I don't necessarily agree with and move on.
So if anyone can enlighten me as to what it is about Tai Chi that is so scary, please do.
No comments:
Post a Comment