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17 November 2009 - 9:17pm
Hi Guys
My Dad spoke to me about this the other day and I thought I would post a forum and see what your views/opinions are.... So here goes :)
I play in a drums in a band run by Bedfordshire County and we play alot of metal/screamo, so alot of Metallica, Megadeth, Trivium etc. and I was wondering should I really be playing some of this music?
There are four 12 year olds (including me :P) who play in the band and the rest are all 13-17
My concerns are about playing this genre of music as a lot of it is violent and some of the lyrics arent very nice. Also some of the bands who wrote the music may have some weird stuff going on in them. Your thoughts?
Thanks
Godbless
Joel :D
Hi Joel
I probably agree with Ste.
The other thing to consider is effect on your character... if you are singing not-very-positive lyrics and hanging out with these guys, i'd venture to suggest that it may not be a very positive influence on your life, and that it takes a very strong and firmly anchored Christian character to be able to rise above it.
Philippians 4:8-9
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
I'd prayerfully consider that passage in light of what you're saying above and just think about whether filling your life with negative influences and lyrics is likely to help you in your walk of faith.
I think I agree. I think so.
The trouble is, I LOVE metal music but a lot of it is awfully negative (and some of it is even anit-Christian). It could be said that you're giving off mixed messages.
But there a lot of metal bands whose music is not negative, and they aren't Christian bands per se: Killswitch Engage, All That Remains to name just two. In addition, I'd start listening to some Christian metal like As I Lay Dying and Still Remains.
It's a tricky issue, because music has no inherent spirituality of its own and so it takes on the one we give it.
Just an after thought - make sure you don't listen to Slayer!! Not that you would, because they're not even a good band... :-P
Neil
I'm not sure I agree with the comment that music only has the spirituality that we give it... I think what the writers lend it has a big say. Just in a spiritual warfare kind of sense, I think the enemy uses any way to get in that he can, so i'd just be careful.
interesting post
Joe, I think that what Neil meant was that genres of music, in this case metal, does not have any inherent spirituality...
I agree with you that the songwriters impart a sense of where they are spiritually to the songs they write.
Alex
P.S: Where does System of a Down fit into all this? (I love their music, but not some of their lyrics...)
Joe, I think that what Neil meant was that genres of music, in this case metal, does not have any inherent spirituality...
I agree with you that the songwriters impart a sense of where they are spiritually to the songs they write.
Alex
P.S: Where does System of a Down fit into all this? (I love their music, but not some of their lyrics...)
Yeah, that is what I meant. Sorry for being unclear...
Not sure about System Of A Down; I wouldn't call myself a fan of theirs, so I don't know enough of their lyrics to give an educated opinion, but they do sound rather anti-God at times!
Fair enough... i'm just worried about some of the culture / ethos that goes with it. Without being funny at all, would it be possible for someone to post me some links on youtube etc to some 'positive' examples of Christian metal? I'd like to have a listen.
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Hi Joel,
I don't think the style of music is the issue here. There are a lot of Christian metal bands out there now and I think some of them play a very important part in reaching young people who would find the church difficult to relate to. The gospel needs taking to them on their own ground, that's what Jesus did.
However, the issue here is the lyrical content of the music that you're playing and what the bands, whose music it is, stand for. The question is, do you, as a young Christian, want to publicly perform songs which go against your core values and all that you stand for?
I don't think that I would want to publicly associate myself with songs and bands which go against my beliefs. This is going to give you a conflicing ministry and people who know that you are a Christian may be confused by it. People who you want to spread the gospel to may end up with a twisted view of what you, as a Christian, believe. You will also be resposible for helping to spread the values portrayed in the songs that you play. I don't think that God would want you to be doing that.
As I said at the beginning, though, there are a lot of Christian metal bands out there. It does not mean that you have to stop playing the music you enjoy. Are there other young Christians who you could start a band with and play music with lyric that are more positive (not even necessarily directly Christian)?
I hope this was of some help to you. I'm nearly 30 now but when I was in my late teens and early twentys, I had similar problems. I was also a Christian who liked metal, punk, etc and found it difficult to line that up with my beliefs. Thankfully there are much better Christian bands out there now so you have a greater selection of good music that is not going agains what you believe.
Now I've turned my passion for music towards worship leading. This is something that I never thought I would do because I thought worship music was dull and boring when I was younger. I could never get into that sort of thing. But all that I experienced back then has grown me into the person I am now so that God can use me for his purposes. Maybe you're on a similar journey.
Sorry if I've gone on a bit but I hope this is of some use to you.
Ste