Tonight’s fight had me thinking. If you didn’t know, Kimbo Slice was fighting on CBS along with lots of other Mixed Martial Arts fights in the Extreme XC league. So one time at one of our ENT staff meetings we had a big discussion about UFC and whether or not it was a redeemable sport. What I mean is that if everyone in UFC got saved would we still think its a way that we can honor God, by beating the living mess out of somebody.
The arguments were on both sides, some said well the NFL is violent and boxing and martial arts are violent so what is the difference with UFC? We reach people in those sports and we don’t tell them to quit but rather to use their platform to share Christ with the type of people that watch and play those sports.
The flip side was that we as a culture have become so depraved that it takes more and more violence to entertain us. Boxing isn’t enough anymore so we go to the next worst thing, UFC or Extreme XC in tonight’s case. We are so desensitized by the culture that the next step is basically fighting to the death in the ring. Some of the staff were comparing it to the Gladiator fights and I don’t think we would approve of that.
So I want to hear what you think. Is Extreme XC or UFC redeemable? Give your arguments for and against whatever side your on.
I thought Chuck Norris was Jesus. He roundhouse kicks people to the face all the time!
Well I guess we know where Fisher stands.
i dont know what the point is. so maybe if i got that, id have a more valid opinion…but i did see a little cage fighting tonight, not by choice…that man’s ear was flipping crazy enormous…
i don’t see how extreme fighting can be considered a platform for honoring anything. it’s two human beings beating the hell out of each other: for entertainment. it’s the most disturbing thing. i don’t understand how the christian right can be up in arms about war, gay marriage, etc. but then be silent about this kind of content. this shld be illegal. hey, even dog fighting is illegal.
Hmm…
Well, everyone fighting is fighting by their own will, which is different than dog fighting. Also, the fighters aren’t fighting til death.
Is it redeeming? I guess I don’t really get this point. It’s competition and entertainment. It’s no different than any other sport to me, just more blood involved (that ear was gross last night).
There are rules and regulations. There are people involved and they all chose to be involved. If they don’t have Christ in their lives, I would imagine someone would need to reach them. Maybe GOD can let them know what he feels they should do with their lives after being saved.
All that to say, I see no problem with it. I’m just glad it that wasn’t my ear.
People seem to be confused, my bad. All I’m asking is that is the sport the result of our depravity and constant need to be entertained by something more disturbing. or if every guy in the sport became a Christian, would the sport continue to exist? Would it be redeemable? Like many cultural practices are not right or wrong, they are simply amoral. Is this an amoral sport which could be redeemable or something immoral that isn’t redeemable? Hopefully that will help.
I feel that it would still exist but the attitudes and sportmanship would get better, hopefully.
the stakes just keep getting higher and higher. entertainment has to get increasingly violent to keep people tuned in. christianity would help this? well, christianity famously rules by church AND sword, as many colonies and former colonies can attest.
i offer my perspective:
http://blixity.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/mixed-martial-arts-elite-xc-live-fighting-on-cbs/
Would love to talk to you about Christianity and the sport of MMA!!
God bless….
-Kyle
Kyle, would love to chat.
This is not a sin. its a sport. people probably get hurt alot worse more frequent in football than UFC and others…UFC one dude gets a badly bloodied ear or cheeck or somethin or a swollen eye. football you see more broken bones alot more than ufc but when that happens no one says its bad…
i would rather have a bloody face that goes away in a few weeks than a broken bone with a surgert scar over it.
just my oppinion tho.
oh ya and people keep sayin that its gettin INCREASINGLY violent need to do research on UFC. Compare UFC 1 to the stuff they got out today…they used to allow hair grabbing, stomping and so on. Then john maccain came in and made them put ALOT of safer rules in UFC along w/ all the other MMA competitions in the USA.