I really dislike when people use scripture out of context to make their point. Think of David giving thanks to God for giving him strength to bend a bow of bronze; Paul's references to persevering to the finish and how athletes train for competition; in the Garden of Gethsemene, remember how Peter cut off someone's ear? Jesus even told them beforehand to sell what they had so they could purchase a sword. And to say boxing trumps MMA is outrageous. Did you know wrestling is considered the oldest sport in history? And, wrestlers have been among the most successful fighters in recent past. Jacob wrestled the angel, or was it Jesus? Karate, kung-fu, judo, jiu-jitsu have long celebrated and revered histories, and the boxer among us chose to dismiss them as porn. Shameful! An adult volunteer vendor for the Boy Scouts at a UFC event told me the MMA crowd was much more civil and polite than the NBA crowd he usually serves. I saw more fan fights at football and basketball games. Craziness!

I belong to the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA), a non-profit in which combatants dress up in armor and hit each other over the head with ratton swords for the honor of becoming King (or Queen, depending upon your gender). Winning at all costs is frowned upon because honor is valued. For instance, when a fighter is struck, it is up to him or her to indicate whether the blow is injurious or fatal. Fighters who consistently fail to acknowledge a serious blow are ostrasized. My knowledge of WMMA is almost nil, but the few times I've been exposed to mixed martial artists' bouts, I was appalled by the contrast with SCA fighting. In cage fighting, the fighters pander to the misogyny and bigotry of the crowd; in SCA fights, the combatants are focused on one another. In cage fighting, the audience is uncivil and frankly crass; in SCA fights the audience is, for the most part, respectful. Am I wrong? Were my fleeting views of mixed martial artistry an aberration?

Boxing is for sissies and it has been dead for a long time. Comparing MMA to porn is about the dumbest thing that I ever have heard. You my friend are an idiot!

Overall, I was disappointed with the idle speculation, wild theorizing and overall ignorance displayed by much of this article -- particularly the first and third articles. Case in point -- MMA is akin to pornography because it lets viewers "live vicariously"? Appreciation of the skill and ability of the athlete is the point of every sport -- to make the leap from that to pornography is very odd and very illogical. Indeed, the entire article was riddled with logical fallacies and inconsistencies. I at least respect the second author for his intellectual consistency in not trying to create a non-existent distinction between MMA and other contact sports. I am a professional Mixed Martial Artist (which is the proper term -- not cagefighter), and God has used my profession to allow me privilege of sharing my faith in front of thousands of people. The sport of MMA is filled with sincere Christians who love the Lord and try to honor him through it.

"Boxing is the only legal activity with a specific intent to cause brain damage to another person". In fact there are two forms of boxing, amateur and professional and about neither is the above statement true. Amateur boxing, for example, has clear rules and equipment for the protection of fighters. Under the rules a referee can stop the contest at any time if, in his opinion, one fighter is outclassed, disadvantaged, hurt, or may be hurt by the other. Does motor racing have a 'specific intent' to cause crashes? Does football or rugby have a 'specific intent' to cause concussion? Does skiing have a 'specific intent' to cause broken bones? The vast majority of amateur boxing contests are won on points. This is because the emphasis is not on 'beating one's opponent senseless', nor 'damaging his brain', but exhibiting skill, technique and the ability to escape or execute a clean punch. Having an element of danger or risk, or players with evil intent, does not make a sport ungodly.