By Jason Hess

Disclaimer 1:  I am a Protestant minister whose doctrine is close (but not completely the same as) to the Southern Baptist tenets as Mr. Adam Groza.  The church I serve is technically non-denominational.

Disclaimer 2:  I am not trying to proselytize with this writing.  I’m simply looking to add another view to think and muse about regarding UFC and MMA from the perspective of a person of religious faith.

My name is Jason Hess, and I am a 37 year old minister living in Houston, Texas.  I I recently read an article that Dave Meltzer linked in an Observer daily update by Mr. Adam Groza of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary that discussed why people of the Christian faith should not only dislike MMA and UFC , but should hate it.  I disagree with Mr. Groza’s viewpoint and wish to state that his view does not speak for all people of the Christian faith.

For disclosure purposes, I just didn’t attend UFC , I like UFC. 

I like MMA. 

I like WWE (when logical and good).

 I even like TNA (the house shows, not the TV). 

Further, I enjoy football, baseball, hockey, and basketball viewing.  What do the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, and even UFC have in common?

Violence.

More and more, thanks to hard-nosed reporting and possibly the need to fill television time, the impact of hits in the NFL has risen to the forefront in news coverage.  In fact, many “Plays of the Day” from previous years during football season have focused on bone-rattling and concussion-giving hits during sports recap shows.  Football is not exempt from blood or broken bones.  Furthermore, football contains 32 teams of scantily-clad cheerleaders who parade around during every game at every stadium.  Is football either pornographic or intentionally violent?  I would argue “no” on both accounts.  Does the possibility of violence exist in a football game?  Quite naturally, yes. 

 Ray Fosse and Pete Rose’s legendary All-Star collision was two years before my time in 1971; yet is frequently referenced anytime baseball players have violent collisions on the field.  Furthermore, the frequency of bench-brawls is still fairly high.  Combine that with more pitchers receiving specialized “Tommy John” pitching due to the demands placed on them for throwing a ball in excess of 90 miles per hour, a collision with which can either see that ball hit more than 400 feet or concuss a player with a batting helmet with roughly the padding of a UFC glove, and you have a sport where the potential for violence can run high, even with the best of precautions.

While Houston does not have the privilege of having an NHL team, we do enjoy the Houston Aeros.  One oft-repeated phrase in regards to the Aeros is “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.”  Local newspaper articles have stated that players, especially those wishing to be called up to the big leagues, are encouraged to be intense and aggressive in their play.  Often, that aggression overflows into a fight.   I do not have fast facts to back the following premise up; however all it takes is a few cursory looks at both the faces of hockey players and the impact board-checking and fights can have on the their bodies to surmise the following:  IF UFC is violent, the NHL is at best “Just as” violent, and potentially more so.  Yet hockey is not finding trouble clearing arenas and cities/states like MMA has in the past. 

The recent history of the National Basketball Association with violence in the stands and on the court has been troubling; however the overwhelming amount of coverage on the NBA is focused on where it should be:  on the game itself.  Basketball is not exempt from violent displays, or from copious footage of cheerleaders and/or dance squads. Nearly all of the ones shown are comprised of females in skimpy wear that rivals the “porn” Mr. Groza speaks of in regards to UFC presentations.  Does Mr. Groza advocate us not watching basketball because of the violence and small focus on provocatively clad dancers? 

I would hope not. 

I have had the pleasure of attending UFC live (April 2007), and recently Strikeforce (August 2010).  Was there blood?  Sure.  Were people hit?  Of course.  Did people cheer when Serra beat GSP and King Mo lost?  Absolutely.  Did either event cause me to want to beat up my friends (incidentally who were all Christians) in the parking lot after?  No.  Did I go home with UFC girls in my mind?  Honestly I didn’t know they were there. 

My point is simply this:  The aforementioned sports all have levels of violence as a part of their sport that is different than the violence Mr. Groza references in his article and from the Bible.

The Bible verse that Mr. Groza quotes from Psalm 11:5, “the Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.  He hates the lover of violence,” is dangerously mis-quoted.  When looking at any religious text, context is a key component to figuring out its meaning.  The violence Mr. Groza references in Psalm 11:5 deals with the exploiting and harm of others.  Within the ancient realm of the day that passage was written in and considering the modern realm of our day; one should think on slavery, sex trafficking, or child prostitution as examples of the violence described in Psalm 11:5. 

Not sports.

I have other issues with Mr. Groza’s article other than his premise.  He was not completely accurate in his research (stating UFC gate revenue was 2.8 million dollars), and made some assumptions about alcohol that not all people of faith (Christian or other) hold to.  Further, comparing UFC and MMA to the violence seen in the “Saw” movie series is wrong categorically.  UFC and MMA in general have never been “gory for gory’s sake.”

His article did not go deep enough in consideration of other views; only enough to develop a “straw-man” to attack and defeat……violently.  Further he states that UFC is the kind of graphic horror condemned in Psalm 11:5 and a “vehicle for lust.”  I assure you, we were not lusting at UFC or Strikeforce, for blood, girls or anything else.  Many of the near 9,000 fans there at Strikeforce were there to see the science and strategy behind it all, myself included.  Are there a few rowdy fans in any sporting event?  Sure.  However, in talking with different people from different backgrounds, most were there because of their interest in the sport of it….not because of blood, booze, or babes.

Also, I think Mr. Groza may be at odds with the Bible itself, as one of the New Testament writers, Paul, compares himself to a boxer (surely a display of graphic horror Mr. Groza feels is condemned in Psalm 11:5, and surely a verse Paul knew well given his Jewish upbringing.) in 1 Corinthians 9.  If ever there could be a sport that was violence for the sake of violence could we not use boxing, where many more have died participating than major UFC or MMA?  I would argue that St. Paul was thinking of the sport, not the violence.  Mr. Groza quotes Jesus as saying “Blessed are the peacemakers,” an accurate rendering of Matthew 5, but fails to mention that Jesus also stated five chapters later in Matthew’s Gospel that he had not “come to bring peace, but a sword.”  Further, the gospels describe Jesus with the imagery of a lamb (innocent, peaceful) and a lion (not so peaceful).  That is simply violent imagery, one type the Bible doesn’t condemn.

If Mr. Groza feels like MMA, UFC in particular offers un-checked violence and potential pornography, is he just as inclined to protest football, baseball, basketball and hockey?   If so, I respect his belief in the stance that he’s being consistent.  But I tried to find and reference other articles from him that stated that.  I found no such articles.  I apologize for not referencing them if he has written them, but there are no current missives stating his condemnation of other sports that have a much deeper, longer history of violence than MMA.

Mr. Groza needs to either cease speaking of UFC and MMA more fundamentally different in violence than other pro sports, or write up articles asking Christians to avoid watching the aforementioned sports.  Many fans of UFC and MMA, me included, are not checking their brains at the door, nor are they bloodthirsty and lustful as a result of repeated viewing.  If anything, my appreciation for the skill, technique, and training of such athletes has risen as I have watched their bouts.  Is God smiling when UFC is on?  I can’t say for sure.  But we can’t say He’s frowning either.

Respectfully, 

Jason Hess

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