You and the UFC

First, Plugged In magazine published a cover story about the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the newest sensation in combat sport. Then Plugged In Online followed up with a two-part series exploring surrounding issues—such as what a Christian's role might be inside the Octagon. And we asked you, our readers, what you thought about the UFC.

We were impressed by both the quantity and the quality of the responses we got—which ranged from someone swearing off watching the UFC for good after reading our articles to a gentleman relaying the fact that his church uses UFC fight nights as a successful outreach tool. So, as promised, here's a sampling:

"I guess the most honest question to ask myself is if Jesus appeared in my home while I was watching UFC, would I first pick up the underwear off the floor or turn off the TV? I think I'd turn off the TV first." —Lorin Smith

"You asked if Jesus would get into the Octagon Himself—well, perhaps not. But on the other hand, would Jesus play football? Would He strap on some pads and sack a QB?" —Jerod Jarvis

"I think the issue with the UFC has a lot to do with our attitudes about God and how His people should represent Him to the world. ... Many of the great men of the Bible were not engaged in careers that many of us would choose as being great representatives of Christ. But yet they were." —Carlene E. Lawson

"It's hard to even stomach watching grown men beat the living daylights out of each other to a boisterous, drunk crowd. Mix in a few scantily clad women walking around the ring during the introductions and now that's real Christian entertainment." —Joseph Lollar

"Fighting, to me, is as meaningful as writing, reading, worship. ... I think [UFC fighters] are great representations of two opponents who have honed their skills ... submitted to a daily routine of training and have fought selfish and unnecessary temptations. Seems pretty parallel to Christianity to me." —Trenton J. Heaton

"You can't promote peace (as Jesus did) and be brutally beating someone up. Scripture wasn't written to use to accomplish our goals, but God's. There are too many people who are misinterpreting and twisting verses to justify their actions." —Steve Barbee

"It is a sport, it is entertaining and these people are in those matches fighting by their own choice. It really seems like an excellent opportunity for these Christian fighters to connect with people involved in this realm of society. ... If these Christian men can live out lives of integrity, discipline and most importantly their faith [inside the Octagon], then I'll encourage that." —Shaun Siemens

"Hey, I'm a man and I love sport and competition. I spent four years in the Marines and I believe that there are things worth fighting for and dying for. I can't and do not condemn any Christian who competes in the UFC, but I believe you would be hard pressed to say it pleases God." —John Campbell

"I don't think God would give someone the gifts or the opportunity to fight if He didn't believe that it would further His kingdom." —Chris Kah

"Let me turn the light back onto myself: As a new Christian, I was a member of a local, and secular, punk rock band, but I justified it by wearing a shirt with the words 'Jesus Saves' scrawled across the front. Could that shirt glorify God? Absolutely. But how well did it work? Sadly, it didn't." —Ryan Saffer

"Using [Plugged In's] logic, we, as Christians, could not condone, participate in or watch boxing, football, hockey, wrestling, rugby, soccer and possibly basketball. ... There is a double standard going on here that must be addressed. Either we, as Christians, cannot condone the violence of sports as a whole, or we must accept them as part of the sport." —Edwin Twitty

"I have a 16-year-old son who was watching [the UFC] with some regularity. As I watched with him I was stunned at the violence and lack of human decency that was being depicted. As a Christian woman and mother I cannot tolerate such intended violence on the TV screen in my home. Life has rules. Life has order. We are taught to love our neighbor. The greatest gift we can give to anyone is love. That love comes from Jesus Christ, my Savior. I would very much like to see this type of programming banned so our children don't grow up thinking it's OK. It is part of the numbing of our consciences and a numbing of our Christian faith, the numbing of our society to evil. Certainly, God uses bad for His good. But if these men are truly Christians, how can they justify such actions?" —Reasa Sturm

"Would Christ sit and watch a cage match? The question isn't what would He do, it's what did He do. He went to where the sinners were. He hung out where the righteous feared to tread, and as a result, people were saved." —Bethany James

"God has given us many, many things to enjoy. I am not so sure that beating the snot out of another person, for sport, fame and money, is one of those things. We can make anything into a witness for Christ and still send the wrong message." —Rachel Koehler

Thanks, all of you, for writing.

Part 1 | Part 2 | You and the UFC