Can certain types of music be "ungodly"?

[different_now]

I agree with everyone that it depends on the lyrics and the music. If it promotes anything negative than it shouldnt be listened to. Any type of music, as long as it sends a positive message I listen to.

POD (payable on death) is a good rock band in my opinion. Check out their main website. They speak of inspiring people and positive messages. I also like U2 which is sometimes considered as Christian music as well. I dont think Christian music has to talk directly about God, but to inspire a positive message and thats why some bands like this can sometimes be put in the Christian category.

 

[Daniella]

Originally posted by Mr.Cheese
It's absolutely true. Rock music is evil. That heavy metal music is from the devil himself. When I was five years old i accidentally heard KISS and it ruined me. I listened to it ever since then...all that rock and heavy metal music. Now I am locked in a world of darkness. I study New Testament Greek and actually like it. I think I want to teach it when I get through seminary. Don't be like me. Don't listen to rock music. Repent now! Listen to southern gospel quartets played with an out of tune piano. Hang up Bill Gaither posters in your room.
God help me I read my bible.
There is no hope.

guess i am evil then cuz i listen to rock music.. OooOoo

 

[shout2thelord]

i think its important to look at the lyrics and whether the music brings you closer to God or take you further away from God. I would prefer to listen to worship music rather than anything else cos it brings me closer to God.

 

[EJO]

Originally posted by Andrew
Hey Sunstone,

since you r familiar with Christian rock are u familiar with the group called Pod?

I heard its a Christian rock grp but when I saw them on MTV, I just cldnt find anything Christlike abt them. I mean they were screaming, so I cldnt hear the lyrics, looked angry and were covered with tattoos, piercings and long hair. In one of their stage performances they had these huge ugly looking faces/statues flanking their stage.

Is that another group altogether??

Does that mean that people(guys) that have long hair, and tatoos are not loved by Jesus?
What if they shave their heads?
If I am angry, and look angry, does God love me less?
The members of POD do love Jesus, and they proclaim Jesus in their lyrics. God loves the hearts of believers and cleans us of our sins.

If I came to your church w/ tattoos and long hair, would you let me sit next to you in your church?

Would you let me worship God with you?

Would you let me pray for you and with you with my long hair, tattoos, shaved head, earings?

I would look on the internet for lyrics for these bands, and then judge how much they love Jesus.
Start here: http://songbook.manueladam.com/xm/0/display.menu

take a look at Skillet, or POD.

Peace...

 

[EJO]

This is a song off the album Fundamental Elements Of Southtown
by POD:
The song is called "Follow Me"
click to listen to this evil sample: http://www.christianbook.com/Christ...?item_no=CD96722&event=ESRC&item_code=WW#curr


Reign, Most High
Almighty Reign, Most High
Almighty I, Most High
What good is for a man to gain the whole world
Yet lose of forfeit his very self?
He must deny himself and
Take up his cross daily and follow me
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words,
Then I will be ashamed of him
When the time comes, in his glory, we will rise

I tell you the truth, some of you who are standing here
Will not taste death before they see Jah
Creation come with his power
What can a man give in exchange for his own
Soul he cannot save?
When the time comes, in his Glory, we will rise

Reign, Most High
Almighty Reign, Most High
Almighty I, Most High
What good is for a man to gain the whole world
Yet lose of forfeit his very self?
He must deny himself and
Take up his cross daily and follow me
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words,
Then I will be ashamed of him
When the time comes, in his glory, we will rise

When the time comes, in his Glory, we will rise

 

[Knight]

This is just what I've come to expect from these forums. Once or twice a week we need to dredge up a "disputable matter" for debate. And there are always those who will say: "You're sinning if you don't agree with me!"

This is an issue that kind of bothers me. It's right up there with the debate over contemporary vs. traditional music in a worship service. Well here's my $0.20:

What makes music Godly or ungodly rests solely in the lyrics. Everything else is a matter of preference. Granted, not everyone can understand them with some of the louder stuff. Trust me there are those who can.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with Christian rock music. (My current favorite is Steven Curtis Chapman.) I've never gotten into Christian heavy metal but that's strictly a matter of preference. However, I don't care for Christian rap. Does this mean that it is ungodly? No, just unKnightly.

 

[The Simple Plan]

I would like to add something. Music is a lot more than lyrics. Students of music can tell you that the rythm, melody and structure of the instruments in a song can affect your mood. Fast, racy music raises your blood pressure and pulse. Slower music soothes and calms you down.

Certain drum beats, guitar riffs, etc do affect the mind. From classical to punk from jazz to gospel from rock to praise and worship the mood can affect you. Walk into an upmarket department store and the music is soothing and inviting coaxing you to spend more in luxoruious surroundinfgs where as in a clothing shop aimed at the youth the music is a lot more uptempo, rocky, poppy and even without lyrics the marketing men know what they are doing.

Let us not be fooled that it is only the lyrics. I remember once playing a certain rythm on a drum kit with a band and an African gentlemen walked up to me and said "that rythm is used in my home country to waken the spirits of the dead". Please do not be fooled music is both instrumental, vocal and lyrical and God needs to be present in all three


Let everything be done decently and in order and to the praise of God.


Agape

 

[Susan]

Everything should be done to the glory of God, however we are not to avoid everything simply because it may have a "superstitious" connotation.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Originally posted by The Simple Plan
Let us not be fooled that it is only the lyrics. I remember once playing a certain rythm on a drum kit with a band and an African gentlemen walked up to me and said "that rythm is used in my home country to waken the spirits of the dead". Please do not be fooled music is both instrumental, vocal and lyrical and God needs to be present in all three


Let everything be done decently and in order and to the praise of God.


Agape

 

In some churches that might not be a bad thing. 

In Phil 4:8 it says, "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these thing".

It does matter what we think.  If what we are listening to causes us to let our minds wander into areas that are ungodly, then we should choose something else to listen to.  

Music is the area God uses me the most.  So I'm pretty careful what I listen too.  Most of the time I don't listen to anything that does not glorify God.  Even if you don't have words and there's only music your inner man is catching the spirit behind it. 

I like rock, R & B, jazz, pop, ragae (spelling?), rap, just about anything that lifts up the name of Jesus.  We've got a good Christian radio station here in Orlando that plays a variety of positive Christian music.

You already have several scripures that tell you what your supposed to set your mind on.  Now what you should do is ask Holy Spirit what He wants you to listen to.  Ask Him to bring conviction whenever you're listening to something that is distructive to your inner man.  And then whatever He says, do it.

 

 

[SUNSTONE]

Originally posted by Quaffer
 

In some churches that might not be a bad thing. 

In Phil 4:8 it says, "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these thing".

I does matter what we think.  If what we are listening to causes us to let our minds wander into areas that are ungodly, then we should choose something else to listen to.  

Music is the area God uses me the most.  So I'm pretty careful what I listen too.  Most of the time I don't listen to anything that does not glorify God.  Even if you don't have words and there's only music your inner man is catching the spirit behind it. 

I like rock, R & B, jazz, pop, ragae (spelling?), rap, just about anything that lifts up the name of Jesus.  We've got a good Christian radio station here in Orlando that plays a variety of positive Christian music.

You already have several scripures that tell you what your supposed to set your mind on.  Now what you should do is ask Holy Spirit what He wants you to listen to.  Ask Him to bring conviction whenever you're listening to something that is distructive to your inner man.  And then whatever He says, do it.

 

I agree, I like the different styles.   Z88.3 FM

 

[paulewog]

By the way...

Rhythm is not bad in and of itself. It can stimulate, yeah... and does Sometimes, people just can't resist tapping their foot. It "speaks" to humans, perhaps more than words sometimes.

But that does not make it bad atomatically either....

Abotu the Africian man - see, to him, the rhythm had a bad connotation. So, if I was around him, I would try to refrain from playing something like that (which would be a stumblign block of sorts, I guess )...

*stops rambling*

 

[eldermike]

Something to consider.
The whole discussion about music is about preferences, ours, not Gods.

With that in mind consider that less than 4% of 21 year olds and under are "born again Christians" (stats from Promise Keepers)

Now consider that music is a universal language that is accepted in places where speeches are not allowed.

Add this all up and you can see what our preferences are accomplishing in this present age.

It's time for us to stop having church for us and begin to gather together to bless God and seek His lost lambs.
That is going to require that we get over some of our ideas about music.

Blessings

 

[SnuP]

What music is of God or not of God? What music glorifies God, satan, or nothing, or the flesh?

Do you really think that we should be taking on the responcibility of judging music? I heard lyrics that seemed to glorify God but were written by evil men who surrounded the song with songs that glorified satan.

Do you really think that you have the ability to know if something glorifies God based solely upon content? This seems foolish to me. W e know that there are many false prophets and that satan perades aroung as a angel of light.

Sure there are some songs that are obvious, but for the majority of music it is impossible to tell whether God would approve.

So why don't you ask God what He thinks about each group?

I garruntee that you will be suprised at some if not most of His answers.

The true is that music, all music carries a spiritual signature. You must have discernment to recongnize it. This signature is often refered to as the annointing when applied to Godly things. It is something that is tangable to those who have their spiritual sense exercised. Did you know that your spirit can see and hear and touch. The visions of the prophets are good examples. But you won't recognize these stimuli if you never exercize your spirit. If you are so rapped up in what is going on around you in the natural you may never understand that there is a spiritual reality. Are you so carnally minded that you are no spiritually good?

Every song that is of God carries the signature of God in the form of the annointing. If there is no annointing then it is not of God. But you must have spiritual discernment. How do you know what the difference is between an angel coming to comfort you and a song from God with a comforting annointing unless you have discernment?

In the end you always have to turn to God for the answer. Stop trying to figure everything out. Allow God to just teach you the true. His ways are higher then you can ever figure out.


Proverbs 3:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.

 

[reeann]

It is true that rhythms affect people, but the heart of man is what counts here. Holy Holy Holy brings me to the very throne of God as does a rather catchy contempary praise song called Celebrate Jesus. These two songs are definitely different from each other. I don't understand the heavy metal music, including the christian ones. I have a tendency to think that heavier rhythms and screaming lyrics just don't have a place in a comtemplative worship of Christ.

Can a christian enjoy music of that sort (i'm talking only that which has lyrics that are biblical) and still be Godly, I would have to say yes.