Although it isn't mentioned as much these days, there was a time when Christian clergy denounced the study of martial arts as a pagan or heathenish practice. I've met people who didn't want to study the arts because they thought it would force them to join an Asian religion and make them give up whatever deity they grew up with.
Is there any truth to these beliefs?
In a competition-oriented school, probably not. Arts that are popular with the NHB crowd, for instance, tend to very down to earth. You learn techniques, you learn tactics and you learn strategy. Then you practice applying them. For instance, there's nothing even remotely resembling religion in Brazilian jujitsu or Thai kickboxing.
There might be a bit of a gray area in some other arts, such as Taiji, Aikido, or some styles of kung fu. But since we're dealing primarily here with arts that originated in East Asia, it's important to first note what religion means to Asians.
In the West, religion typically means a deity (or, if we're talking about ancient civilizations, deities) that must be obeyed. In return, some external reward is offered - admission into a paradise-like afterlife or worldly advantages such as success or protection. It is a bargain: obey and worship, and collect your reward. In addition, though modern society has tempered this belief, most religions actively teach that all other religions are somehow bad or invalid and should be rejected.
But in Asia, religion and philosophy are hard to separate. A true Buddhist, for example, does not pray to Buddha or believe that pleasing Buddha will reap him any benefits. Instead, he strives to live according to a set of virtues and principals - not because Buddha cares one way or another, but because he believes it is a path to a harmonious life. Buddhism teaches practitioners to not be greedy; to be kind in both thought and deed and to avoid extremes.
While fervent Taoists might believe in any number of demigods and spirits, at core, what they really believe is that the universe follows certain principals, and once you understand how to work within the system and not fight against it, things will fall into place and you'll be happier and healthier. Taoists try to emulate nature - always keeping things in balance, never striving too hard for any one goal and reducing the importance of one's ego in one's actions and thoughts.
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