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Book Review: 'Prepare to Defend Yourself'
Sep. 1st, 2008 11:42 pmPrompted by an interesting point by my friend Restitvtvs on Roman Army Talk about Christians and Martial Arts training, I looked out my copy of 'Prepare to Defend Yourself', Colin Opie 1987 and thought it might be useful to very briefly summarise the main points for anyone interested. If I have oversimplified or misunderstood, I can only apologise.
He wrote as a Christian who got into Aikido and who went on to promote and teach self defence amongst the Christian community and that is the audience of the book.
( Click for the details )
Thus I believe, as a Christian, we should avoid militaristic or obsessive preparation but should be sensible about taking crime prevention precautions and would be justified in using non aggressive self defence to protect ourselves or others from material harm, remembering that ultimately our physical safety is not in our own hands.
"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men" (Psalm 59:1)
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12: 17-18)
He wrote as a Christian who got into Aikido and who went on to promote and teach self defence amongst the Christian community and that is the audience of the book.
( Click for the details )
Thus I believe, as a Christian, we should avoid militaristic or obsessive preparation but should be sensible about taking crime prevention precautions and would be justified in using non aggressive self defence to protect ourselves or others from material harm, remembering that ultimately our physical safety is not in our own hands.
"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men" (Psalm 59:1)
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12: 17-18)
