Rock Music ... Satanic?!!

[LavanZev]

Ok I luv rock, screamo, metal, and all that fun stuff. Really alot of people think electric guitars are satanic and really everything man made could be used or disorted by satanist! If you are listening to rock make shure you read the lyrics and look at there backgrounds. Like there bio and discography. Some good bands to listen to are A Day To Remember, Sleeping Giant, Confide, Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, and Family Force 5.
If you have questions about there band names or whatever either look at there bio or there discography. OH and also if you want to listen to some good christian metal and screamo check out http://hopecore.com/ .

[Pounce]

People should remember that Bach and other composers who are played "traditionally" on organs today in churches are "newfangled stuff" compared to christian history too...

Organs are highly technical instruments, compared to electric guitars they only differ in the use of electricity...

Invented long after any person named in the bible shook the dust of this earth of there sandals.

Most likely the first tunes heard at religious gathering in the beginning of christiany was atonal eastern music style, something modern european ears like to compare to tortured cats.

Compared to that rock and heavy metal is old as dirt.

And i am quite positive in that Bach was discussed as heated back in his days regarding the spitritual worthiness of his music.

[Gyp]

TORTURED CATS WHAT

I'll have to know that the Eastern Orthodox church still uses Byzantine music thank you very much. And it's awesome. So there.

As far as Christian rock goes, I'm all for it. Take what's popular and make it Christian, sure! but keep it outta church! And that goes for Bach too! that dude doesn't belong in church either.

[Sleet]

What do you believe should be in church?

[Gyp]

A capella chant, or polyphony. Basically, those forms of music which form ancient Christian tradition--mostly Byzantine and Gregorian chant, but there are other valid forms too. I'm okay with the organ as an instrument at Mass, and other instruments certain traditions use, but only so long as they're used within their own traditions.

Taking secular styles of music and putting them in church worship I believe only secularizes Christianity, rather than Christianizing secular culture. Rock guitars and drums, etc. at church is a wholesale sellout to our modern society, imho.

In traditional Christianity, music is all about serving the text. The texts come first, usually from the scriptures or very eloquent prayers, and the chant develops around them. In modern music the text is always subject to the music, as far as meter, rhyme, repetition, etc. Nowadays people come up with an awesome guitar riff and they're like "lets put words to it." Also I think most secular and pop styles of music have really shallow lyrics.

[UGuardian]

I have to agree; text first, song second. You're not there to have fun and party: you're there to worship Him.

[Sleet]

[Gyp]

I do really like hymns. I grew up in the good ol' CoC and we sang tons of hymns. They're near and dear to my heart... but they wouldn't be in the right place in, say, my Serbian Orthodox church, because they don't fit in the Serbian tradition. I think it's also important to keep pretty close to Christian tradition... obviously there will be organic change over the years (like going from unison plainchant to three or four part harmonies), but the idea is for that change to be organic, happening steadily and naturally, rather than being forced on the church, like I think rock music was. Hymns are part of the American tradition, however, and I think they're natural and organic enough for American churches... so long as the theology in them is good. (I think "holy, holy, holy" is my favorite hymn)

As for instruments, I'd rather not have any, but that's because I grew up in the CoC and am now in the Orthodox church, and neither group uses instruments. The CoC says instruments in worship are sinful, but I don't agree with them there. However, instruments MUST simply be in the background supporting the music, and not be the main focus. I've been to many churches where the "worship band" is basically on stage having a concert rather than actually leading the church in worship. The best place for a choir to be I think is out of sight, which is why many churches have choir lofts. In my home parish the choir stands in the back of the church behind all the people. If they must be in front for spatial reasons, they should at least be off to the side with the focus being on something else--maybe an icon, a crucifix, an altar...

"Really, Christian rock tends to neuter both Christianity and rock."

I totally agree here. Even outside of worship I can't stand most Christian rock because it usually fails at being both truly Christian and being good rock. Like that one Barlow girl song which is basically a ripoff of Evanescence, but not nearly as good. it makes me want to listen to Evanescence instead of God.

It's good to make Christian music in popular styles, though. Why shouldn't people who like the popular styles have Christian words to listen to and sing along with? But we have to be careful not to sell out too much to the secular culture around us, and also careful not to put our own personal musical preferences over true worship.

[Sleet]

At the Catholic church I go to at college we have a band (I think I might volunteer to play drums in it, as I heard their current one will not be consistently volunteer), but it is in a little area behind and below where the priests preach, and they never overtake the choir and the congregation. I think it's better than how my home UCC church is, where they put the "songleaders" along with the rest of the band where the pastor traditionally preaches like a concert and then has the pastor preach from in front of us and by the congregation. Added to the fact that our pianist (who is forgoing our nice baby grand piano and organ for a good but unnecessary electric piano) is not well-suited to modern music, I think it's way too heavily forcing modernity. I really think they need to take it "organic," as you put it.

[mrkrystal]

It's like...
"Hi. It's me, God. Here's a 2000 page book about what I expect from you and what I'm all about. Please try and follow my teachings, k?"

*Applies statistical analysis*
"If only I could decode this book! If I could do that, I could figure out the meaning of life and God's will!"

God:

[Pounce]

[Gyp]

[Pounce]

I think it is an matter of time, as soon rock is 300 years old it will be considerd classic.... given it developed from an mixture of african percussion and european folk too... nearly all music is based on two or three older "styles", even techno and rap has its classical roots.

For if i where that type of religious i would probably prefer the chants for churches too, they file for me under contemplary (sp?)

Maybe soft reggae too, it is pretty spiritual, just has its roots more in the african corner.

I hate organs though, the tunes it produces simply raises my fur.

[Gyp]

yeah, I'm not too fond of organs myself; I think they're generally too loud and to obtrusive. But objectively, I see the good in them. (for example, the pipe organ uses air blown through pipes, and has a "voice" like us, blowing air through our vocal chords, in a way no other kind of instrument does.) I think that they're all right when used in their proper context.

Rock though... well... I'm not sure that kind of music will ever belong in church. Rock is mostly instrumental, first off, and the words definitely serve the music rather than the music serving the words. Often you can't even understand the screaming words of rock songs belted out over the screech of the guitars and bass and drums.

JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZUS LAMB of GOHDDA *bass solo* Have MERCY (MERCYMERCYMERCY) on UUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSUH *drums solo*

ugh I can't even contemplate it...

[Sleet]

Worse is the breathy whining, because it takes priority over the instruments, but you can't understand it anyway so it defeats the point. Unnnnnnnngghh, Jesus yeaaaahhh, un-hunh, mmmmmmmjesus lamb of Gaaaawwwwd unnnnnh.