Most people, whether they are Christians, Jewish, Moslems, or members of any other religious faith, have no problem with learning Taiji or allowing their children to learn Taiji. They consider Taiji to be either a healthy exercise or a martial art or both, and independent of religion. However, some Christians find it objectionable to learn or practice Taiji, and do not want their church to be associated in any way with Taiji. They believe that Taiji is related to qigong and is tied to religious Taoism or Buddhism, and therefore is inconsistent with their Christian beliefs.
I think this type of thinking is simplistic and wrong. It is true that almost every style of Chinese martial arts has qigong as part of its advanced training to achieve the following martial arts/health objectives:
- Regulate one’s breathing to relax body and mind and improve one’s health
- Increase the power of one’s strikes
- Focus one’s qi (energy) when attacking certain vital points (usually associated with acupuncture points)
- Increase one’s ability to absorb hits
- Apply it to heal various illnesses or injuries
