Christian Pastors Bring The Pain: Faith And Mixed Martial Arts
Written by Craig Rogers, Posted on , in Section Therapy News
In the new documentary "Fight Church," a camera crew follows a group of Christian pastors who are also aspiring mixed martial arts fighters. This may seem like a novelty, but the attention that this film has brought to this small community has also created a great deal of controversy. Many critics see the actions of these pastors as incompatible with the Christian teachings they adhere to, but is there really any conflict between their beliefs and the sport they love?
Jesus Never Tapped Out
This is a motto that you continually hear repeated by these fighting pastors. They use it for motivation to push themselves to their physical limits within the cage. To some, this may seem like an offensive way of trivializing the suffering of Jesus, but it also offers an insight into the reason these men participate in MMA. It's a way of testing their limits, not mindless violence.
Is The Criticism Of These Pastors Fair?
It would be easy to jump on the band wagon with other critics and accuse these men of being hypocritical by fighting each other, but is there really anything wrong with what they are doing? Ultimately, we must remember that mixed martial arts is a sport. None of these pastors are entering the cage with the intention of doing lasting harm to anyone, they simply want to test their skills and enjoy the thrill of competition. In reality, this is no different than a Christian who plays a sport like football. While it's possible that someone might be hurt, the intention is not to do any real harm. One of the fighters is quoted in the film's trailer, saying that when he enters the cage with one of his opponents "We'll just be a couple of God-fearing men punching each other in the face." This attitude can be difficult for outsiders to understand, but is actually common within the MMA community. For example, you'll often see athletes hug and congratulate each other after a fight. This can seem strange, as they had been beating each other just a few minutes before, but really just shows how they view the fight as a competition that doesn't have to involve anger or hate. If we keep this in mind we can see these fighting pastors for what they really are, just people who are passionate about a sport.
