Topic:  Is learning self-defense wrong?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: January 28, 2003

Moderator who originally posted this source: Father Phillip

Question:   I am a practicing Catholic and have recently started taking Martial Arts Defense classes. A friend I admire and respect believes that this is horrendously WRONG considering my religious beliefs. Is self defense or learning self defense MORALLY/CATECHALLY/ETHICALLY WRONG? Thank you for taking time to respond!

Answer: 

Thanks, Sara, for your question.

As with many things, your INTENTION is probably what counts most in the situation you identify.

If you are learning these skills for the purpose of protecting yourself and/or those you love AND if you have no intention whatsoever of using those skills to harm another person seriously or to cause death -- then, no, I don't think learning Martial Arts Defense is morally, catechetically, or ethically wrong.

If, on the other hand, a person wants to acquire the skills of martial arts for the purpose of inflicting serious injury or to cause death, then, almost certainly, to learn martial arts would be wrong.

Even a somewhat subtler sub-genre of those reasons would make learning martial arts potentially wrong. For instance, if a person were to learn martial arts so that she could make massive amounts of money by coercing people, that would raise significant questions about the moral rectitude of the decision to acquire these skills. Or, if somebody wanted to know martial arts so that she or he could be intimidating and by being so, that person believed that she or he would be more alluring to the opposite sex -- again, that would raise some questions about the 'right-ness' of learning martial arts. Or, if somebody had a vendetta against another person, and learned martial arts so as to exact revenge, that would be morally very questionable.

In short, we should always examine our motives; we should submit our intentions to prayerful reflection. If those intentions or motives are explicitly contrary to the teaching of the Church, then we must pursue careful and prolonged spiritual direction before we make any moves. But if the Church's teaching seems to be "quiet" on the particular topic (as it appears to me to be on the issue of learning martial arts), then our well-formed consciences should be our guide.

Good luck with your martial arts courses! And always keep praying!

Blessings,
Father Phillip