I really want to take the time to examine music and Christianity at this time. The reason for this is because Christianity has played a major role in my personal feelings towards music. I was taught that music had a huge negative influence on youth. This is something that people hear all the time in the media, in church, in school, and at home. I do believe that some musicians and bands take their power (influence) too far but the majority of these people are just expressing themselves through song. We all have negative feelings, so why can’t people write about them. Sometimes it feels good to hear that people have the same feelings as you. It can be helpful. You can say to someone that you are so angry that you would like to kill someone but deep down inside you know you can’t and the people that are capable of killing someone are not going to get pushed over the edge because of someones lyrics.
Example: Charles Manson.
Charles Manson was influenced by both The Beatles and the book of Revelation (last book of The New Testament) Manson believed that the Beatles were prophets that were speaking to him through The White Album. The Beatles have a song named “Revolution no. 9” Charlie linked that song with Revelation 9
Revelation 9:13
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
Charlie believed the he was the “6th angel” who was going to sound the trumpet and release “the four angels” who would destroy the black people on earth. Charlie’s name for this event was “Helter Skelter”
I would like to think that people would be smart enough to realize that Charles Manson had deeper problems that went beyond Rock ‘n’ Roll. Unfortunately there are people in the world that believe Rock ‘n’ Roll was to blame for the massacres that Charlie was responsible for.
Rock ‘n’ Roll has always been about rebellion
Rebellion: resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition.
One thing that keeps Christianity alive is “tradition” when people challenge Christian tradition, Christians become very defensive. In the past people have been killed because they tried to change religious tradition. Even Jesus Christ was crucified for his rebellion, so when people challenge others to think differently they are put in the crosshairs of the church, Christians will do anything in their power to make sure you do not stray away from biblical teachings.
Deuteronomy 18
“ 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
The Bible itself tells you to put someone to death if they speak differently of the bible. Now I hope that you understand that Christians will stop at nothing to be damn sure that you believe just as they do.
Frank Zappa
“I don't think there's a problem. First of all, I don't think music turns people into social liabilities. Because you hear a lyric -- there's no medical proof that a person hearing a lyric is going to act out the lyric. There's also no medical proof that if you hear any collection of vowels and consonants, that the hearing of that collection is going to send you to Hell.”
Michael Greene
Music is a magical gift we must nourish and cultivate in our children, especially now as scientific evidence proves that an education in the arts makes better math and science students, enhances spatial intelligence in newborns, and let's not forget that the arts are a compelling solution to teen violence, certainly not the cause of it!
Music has an unbelievable effect on people. It is a fact that Music and sounds can alter moods. Different rhythms and sounds can make you feel good, angry, sad, etc. Does this mean that I believe that everyone who says “rock ‘n’ roll is evil” is justified?… NO! If you would like to say that because of the negative affect that music has had on a small percentage of youth in the world that I should now keep others from listening to music. You should take a deep hard look into how religion affects people. I am more likely to keep a bible away from a child then keep music away from a child.
Many People will say “How can you say such a thing” and I will reply with a long list of people who have murdered in the name of God and who have done it because the bible says so.
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