Can a Christian listen to Led Zeppelin

Did not your Christ eat and drink with sinners. Do you think he never listened to music that was just for enjoyment?

There is and almost always has been a perversion of Christianity that seeks to banish all simple joy and fun from life. My friend Screwtape is quite proud of that accomplishment.

[Mar 7:18-23 NKJV] 18 So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 "because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, [thus] purifying all foods?" 20 And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

I enjoy a bit of Led Zeppelin, along with The Who, Pink Floyd, and a number of iconic British rock bands, the formation of which I've jokingly considered to have been incentivized by the Church of England to promote one of England's biggest exports. I don't personally believe the stories about Page, and I don't think it matters. I knew a lot of goths, punk rockers, ska punks, metal heads, cholos and a variety of others in school with a wide range of experiences. Some had a brush with the darker side of things, the lighter side of things, and all had unique stories to tell. Whether I enjoy or value a song it's on its merits alone, not on a person's history. That's the way I'd have it because I have religious convictions regarding the way I interact with others, and it's not to treat them as unclean for breaching containment.

But, if you have OCD, you have to do what you have to do.

That would depend if you’re judging the music, performer, or both? And since God is no respecter of persons, do you apply the same to Christian artists? Including fallen ones? Do you stop listening to tracks and sermons of backslidden believers? Judgment begins with the House of God. If you don’t have a standard for your own, why do you judge the rest?

~bella

Blaise N said:

Hi everyone,I’d like to ask a question?,I have little anxiety today,I may ask another question later;thankfully!,but this question is a curiosity question,I love to listen to Led Zeppelin,and as many people know,those old classic rock bands used to drink and do drugs,also I know a disturbing fact about the bands guitarist,Jimmy page-who once messed with the occult,which I don’t dare try to mess with,but my question is can I as a Christian listen to Led Zeppelin?

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Always loved music and we know not all music is evil/bad it just does not give praise glory to God so has no life in it. Gonna put this out there. When I was young..oh is that not a song? HAHA.. when I was young use to go to this bible study well one night as they were praying for me said "I see all these black albums you need to brake them and toss them out". I never told anyone.. had Kiss, Stix, Boston, Kansas on and on.

In this world its all about who? Not God. Yet ALL creation is praising Him singing to and about Him. The more I still grow in the lord I found.. why would I ever want to listen to anything hear anything that is not praising giving glory to my Father? You know GOD never said one word. I was saved for years listening to Acid rock.. I loved it. I remember being at work listening to it and.. that desire? It just vanished.. it was gone. See it HAS to be your choice yet He never will force you. We are to be praying to Him about everything in our lifes..in this world its very easy to be deceived.

So all that to say yes you can listen to anything...not all lol music is a door way to SATAN! Yet some can open a door..and its not always that ACID rock music.. can be so peaceful music you never saw it coming. To some thats LA LA Land.. there you go.

Don't you ever wonder why you don't want to just listen to music that praises Him, worships Him? Some really great rock, rap you name it..

durangodawood said:

Led Zeppelin called Gollum "the evil one".

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Actually:

GreekOrthodox said:

“’T was in the darkest depths of Mordor
I met a girl so fair
But Gollum, and the evil one
Crept up and slipped away with her.”

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Whoever the evil one is, it isn't Gollum.

zippy2006 said:

Actually:

Whoever the evil one is, it isn't Gollum.

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Never knew it was even slightly dumber than I'd thought.

durangodawood said:

Never knew it was even slightly dumber than I'd thought.

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Actually when you said that I remembered the line as, "But Gollum, at the evil wall..." I listened to it again and I think my memory is more accurate than these newfangled lyric websites. Pretty sure it's a wall. So your comment was even dumber than I'd thought.

zippy2006 said:

Actually when you said that I remembered the line as, "But Gollum, at the evil wall..." I listened to it again and I think my memory is more accurate than these newfangled lyric websites. Pretty sure it's a wall. So your comment was even dumber than I'd thought.

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They dont call you Led Zippylin for nothing.

Blaise N said:

Yep ok,I’ll definitely give it up.

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I gave up on a lot of music. Anything that disrespects the Lord's name or His ways, or contains profanity will get zapped off my playlist in a blink. I like youtube music, it's aroung $4 a month and you get categorized playlists, for focus, relaxing, workout and so on. I like artists such as Simon o Shine. Some nice lively instrumentals that help me focus quite well. Sometimes, I'd come up with lyrics that praise the Lord and sing along.

GreekOrthodox said:

Hey, a number of their songs are based on Middle-Earth, "Misty Mountain Hop", "Battle of Evermore", and "Ramble On" Cant be too bad in my book!

“’T was in the darkest depths of Mordor
I met a girl so fair
But Gollum, and the evil one
Crept up and slipped away with her.”

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Sounds like sour grapes

zippy2006 said:

Actually:

Whoever the evil one is, it isn't Gollum.

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I always heard it as "evil orcs," but it seems likely they're actually referring to Sauron. Either way, not particularly illuminating but not sinful, unless you count heresies against LOTR canon.

Blaise N said:

my question is can I as a Christian listen to Led Zeppelin?

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Of course you can. And maybe you'll be buying a stairway to heaven.

jayem said:

Of course you can. And maybe you'll be buying a stairway to heaven.

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I once heard a preacher rant about that line. Somehow Christians seem to take things completely out of context. In this case completely ignoring the line just before it.

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven

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Of course not all that glitters is gold!

And also All that is gold does not glitter!

But it does seem many Christians are lost (even if they do not wander) and easily touched by frost!

I cannot answer your question OP - I don't know many of their songs. Learn to be a more discriminating listener of material from any music group, rather than a consumer, and pray about it.

I listened a lot to another group called Dire Straits when young and I didn't understand many of the songs and so I didn't always absorb the content. I think it depend on one's faith - if you have prayed and still have doubts about some of their songs then give those songs a miss.

I think its OK to be selective - for instance in our house when I was growing up, we had a wee suitcase record player - and some 45s a neighbour passed on to us. One was Tom Jones - on side A was The Green Green Grass of Home, on side B was - Promise Her Anything! We listened to Side A a lot - but my mum discouraged my playing Side B (needless to say I did play it sometimes) actually now listening it hasn't as worldly a message as my mum perhaps assumed from the music style.

But my point is it may be OK to listen to some of their songs, you have to take it to the Lord in prayer though. Be prepared to give it up however if it would grieve the Lord.

However - I feel worse after I have said some stupid stuff, or got carried away in foolish chat, moreso than I would feel after listening to a song. Words and music do affect our souls and mood, but its what comes out of our mouth that can do more damage. Just talk to the Lord about it and see how you feel led, be prepared for God to guide you and be ready to obey if he says listen to something else.

We also have to be careful about "weaker brothers" - those who might copy us because they respect us, but whose conscience is weak, and by copying us they sin against their conscience. So we cannot say "Everyone should listen to [insert name of band here]" Which is also rather annoying and an imposition on others - the equal and opposite of saying no one should listen to [insert name of band here].

Also we need to be careful about spiritual influences that may come to us through music and lyrics.

Just take time out if in doubt and grow closer in your relationship to the Lord Jesus, so you become more alert to any promptings from the Holy Spirit.

-

Blaise N said:

Hi everyone,I’d like to ask a question?,I have little anxiety today,I may ask another question later;thankfully!,but this question is a curiosity question,I love to listen to Led Zeppelin,and as many people know,those old classic rock bands used to drink and do drugs,also I know a disturbing fact about the bands guitarist,Jimmy page-who once messed with the occult,which I don’t dare try to mess with,but my question is can I as a Christian listen to Led Zeppelin?

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If it's occult stuff you're concerned about, you can split Led Zeppelin's music between before Page got into it and after. He got into it between the releases of Led Zeppelin III and Led Zeppelin IV. So if you want to be extra careful about that, nothing after Led Zeppelin III. Though I haven't experienced spiritual issues from hearing (and enjoying) many Led Zeppelin songs from IV and after. Some of the lyrics are problematic, such as in Stairway To Heaven (which may have more of an occult connection than other songs), and Houses of the Holy. But I don't know how much the occult really got connected to their songs. I say this as someone who took art classes in college, some of my fellow students were into occult things and we'd draw in the same classroom, no demonic activity there. Granted, a studio for a band might lend itself to being more inviting since they can bring more occult items into that environment, but we don't really know what was going on when they recorded their songs.

zippy2006 said:

Actually:



Whoever the evil one is, it isn't Gollum.

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In the context of Tolkien's Middle Earth, it's probably Sauron or Morgoth.

Sketcher said:

In the context of Tolkien's Middle Earth, it's probably Sauron or Morgoth.

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Morgoth was long dead before Smeagol (who later was called Gollum) was born. It is doubtful that Sauron would be involved in any joint venture with Gollum.

Shelob on the other hand had an understanding with Golum and was still alive when Gollum fell to,his death and ended The Third Age.

keith99 said:

Morgoth was long dead before Smeagol (who later was called Gollum) was born. It is doubtful that Sauron would be involved in any joint venture with Gollum.

Shelob on the other hand had an understanding with Golum and was still alive when Gollum fell to,his death and ended The Third Age.

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Right, but this was the band who was inspired to write Kashmir from traveling in Africa.