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Is it wrong for a Christian to listen to secular music?

sanctifiedband

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I want y'all's imput on this. Being in a Christian band, I obviously have some pretty strong views on this subject and would be more than happy to share them with you if you would like to discuss it. But I posted this topic for y'all to post your thoughts on this.

And we can even throw in music that has been "edited" but is still by a secular artist. Is this "OK"?

Give your thoughts.

Peace,

Caleb
SANCtIFIED
 

AndrewCS

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I want y'all's imput on this. Being in a Christian band, I obviously have some pretty strong views on this subject and would be more than happy to share them with you if you would like to discuss it. But I posted this topic for y'all to post your thoughts on this.

And we can even throw in music that has been "edited" but is still by a secular artist. Is this "OK"?

Give your thoughts.

Peace,

Caleb
SANCtIFIED

Ahh Brother,

You have touched a subject close to my heart.

Before I respond let me ask you if you are happy with me to reply quoting scriptures ?

Blessings..:clap:
 
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asianchexmix

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I won't quote scripture but basically my philosophy is what comes in comes out. What you put in your body is the things that you will produce. Secular themes can only produce secular things. No way can secular themes produce Godly behavior and vice versa.
 
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AndrewCS

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Mathew 4

1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
3
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.



Look at the stages here.

Even Jesus was tempted by the devil.

Jesus puts the flesh under by fasting for 40 days

Satan continues to temp, and where does he choose – the weak point, during a fast he remind Jesus that he can just turn the stones into bread. Jesus knows that that would be the shortcut and satan winning. Jesus resists and what does He do?

He speaks the Word over the situation. This is why the Word is the Living Word, for IT IS WRITTEN, satan knows this and can not stand it. The scriptures are powerful and we can speak them out.

Most secular music is written in “altered “ mind states and such states are usually induced through drugs and / or alcohol. I know, I have played in a few secular bands and worked in a few studios. So in these “altered” mind states who is controlling the source of the music, in other words what spiritual force is being tapped into? With Praise & Worship ( true Holy Spirit Worship music as there are lots of counterfeits) the source is God via the Holy Spirit. Therefore the music will re-create the spirit as music is “spiritual”

Read this article : http://www.christianforums.com/t5631697-more-to-music-than-meets-the-ears-part-1.html

Therefore your spirit is being subjected to the spirit that influenced the composition of the music. This is why SO MANY musicians become serious drug addicts, because they are not writing the music, they are “tapping into” a source that they can only reach through drug induced states and in the process most musicians have wrecked and lost their lives. Do you think that is the fruit of God. Certainly not and we know where that comes from.

Look at the scriptures and see how many times the devil came at Jesus, not just once and when he didn’t succeed with the hunger temptation what does the devil do, tries another angle. Offers Jesus power ( which He has the greatest power) so look how the devil operates here.

Then the next thing he is trying to get Jesus to prove Himself and prove the power of God.

Jesus comes back with – “it is written”.

Look at this part v 11 , the devil leaves and the angels came.

I said that music is a subject close to me heart. This is because I am a musician, a writer, engineer and produce ( not bragging here).

There was a time in my life where music was my first love and I listen to music. I used to listen to a track 20 times/ 50 times over to really listen to the detail. I would focus on the hi-hat and then the interaction with the bass or the voice arrangement or the production or whatever it was and I would lose myself in the music.

When playing I have experienced a telepathy that happens between musicians whilst playing live, it doesn’t happen with all musicians. There is a knowing that takes place what the other musician is going to do. This form of listening and playing and foretelling was almost a trance like state. There is immense power in music and of course Lucifer was created to be music, he was a living instrument and he fell because of – pride. Gee, does that make sense.

Satan uses music and is the prince of darkness and master of deceit. All too many times Christians make light of situations and being “on guard”.

It is all way too REAL to be just coincidence. Satan is using music as a platform to seduce the world today and just too many Christians LET IT HAPPEN.

If you go to a concert, you feel that unity – all these people in the collective worshipping some pop idols ( yes worshipping). When you are exposed to that power it WILL influence your spirit and you WILL be taken with the tide.

Why do you think armies have used music for centuries ? Why do many sports teams chant or whatever you call it before a battle with their opponents. Why do glasses break ( for real) when a particular pitch is sung?

Don’t be fooled, there is a HUGE relation between music and everything around us, that is why God made the birds to sing. The Creator created music as He did all living things. Music was created for worship, Lucifer perverted it.

That is why I asked God to take it away, and He did. I haven’t bought any CDs for years. We have a really good hi-fi system in our lounge, I can not remember the last time I sat and listened to music. I didn’t lose anything I have drawn closer to Christ. I need Christ in my life and know He cares about me to the extent ever hair on my head is numbered ( wow). Therefore it is a relationship. Worshiping pop idols is a waste of life and most of them have zero interest in you except you buy their CDs.

I write and produce music and lately that s all worship and it gives me the greatest feeling of peace and awe.

I did warn you that I am passionate about this subject.

God Bless
 
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sanctifiedband

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I appreciate what you had to say about it. I will agree that music (at least for myself) is quite addicting. I love listening to all sorts of music- rock, metal, classic, rap, hip-hop, and R&B. In the past I found it hard to keep my listening habits clean because of who i would hang out with and this was before I joined a Christian band.

I have found that with most Christian music, unless you ARE a Christian, that style of music just won't be as a appealing as secular music. Secular artists do find a way to tap into your innermost feelings by producing music that has a certain appeal to it- drugs, alcohol, gangs, and sex play a huge role in secular music. And because of the fall of man, this sounds better to most than Christian music.


However, secular music (i have found with my non-Christian friends) plays a huge role in their everyday lives. A couple of my friends were going to jail because they had gotten in a fight and there were weapons involved.

Naturally i was inclined to find out was caused this behavior in them because I hadn't seen it before. When I asked them what made them want to do this, they replied, "it's how 50 Cent solves problems".

I know that secular music can't make someone do this by itself but it most certainly played a major role in their decisions.

In this day in age, fighting, getting high, having sex out of marriage, and drinking unlimited amounts of alcohol is a focal point. So naturally the secular artists play on this by focusing their music around those subjects.

Even after I had given up mainstream secular music, I was still purchasing the "edited" version believing that it would be "ok". I quickly found out that even with the "edited" mark on it, it still has the same message, just less bad language. Still, the editing job isn't quite as good as one might hope, and occasionally you will catch the beginning and end of the F-bomb.

So in my music listening habits, I have found that Christian music for a Christian person is the ONLY way to go. I don't think I have heard one "secular" song that doesnt mention at some point in the song- drugs, alcohol, sex, bad language, using God's name in vain, fighting, some problem with a girl friend/boy friend, or anything else immoral. It's just not there.

Anyway, those are my feelings on the subject
 
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AndrewCS

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Naturally i was inclined to find out was caused this behavior in them because I hadn't seen it before. When I asked them what made them want to do this, they replied, "it's how 50 Cent solves problems".

I know that secular music can't make someone do this by itself but it most certainly played a major role in their decisions.

These are the references that need to be in BIG HUGE WARNING LIGHTS TO "ALL" PARENTS.

More important - Christians.

Satan knows the spiritual mechanics of music and is reaching the majority of our youth and destroying thier lives because no one wants to listen.

IT IS TIME ...................... NOW

It is our duty and all our ministries as God's people so that our brothers & sisters will not be tempted into sin.

We Christians need to start standing up for the filth that is so-called acceptable.

IT IS NOT and we need to pray God in on all this. His MIGHTY POWER to stir-up the hearts of the Christian leaders and make a stand for God. :clap:

Blessings to you brother.
 
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HeyHomie

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Are Beethoven's symphonies secular?

How about Mozart's?

How about Janacek's?

Beethoven was a devout believer, Mozart was a nominal Christian, and Janacek was an out-and-out atheist. But think long and hard about your answer, because of the three I've mentioned, Janacek is the only one to produce music with overtly Christian lyrics. And by the way, some of Beethoven's works contain references to pagan gods.
 
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sanctifiedband

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Yeah I understand what you are saying. Not all secular music is "bad".. I guess I am thinking more along the lines of what do the secular artists stand for? They may produce perfectly good music with great lyrics but their everyday life style is not one that praises God in all things. I do not have to buy their stuff so I probably won't because I would be supporting someone that does not follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Take The Fray for instance. Their music has been on the Christian radio station here in Colorado. However, I did some research on them and they are not outwardly Christian in their beliefs. Now, their music has made it to Christian radio, but what do these guys stand for? What kind of lives do they live? Am I supporting a group that makes music for the sole purpose of worshiping God, or am I supporting a group that has made some songs that have a Christian "feel" to them but overall is not a Christian band?

Basically what I am getting at is is that should you listen to music by a band that has created some if not all "Christian" type songs but does not call themselves a Christian band and therefore probably does not live a Christian lifestyle?

I guess it is a matter of opinion and in the long run, if listening to secular music is a conviction of yours, you probably shouldn't be doing it. That statement could really take us to another topic in a hurry =)..

Anyway, I do want to add one thing. You have to be careful with most music and most bands these days- Christian and secular.

I was just listening to a song by P.O.D that actually used a "bad" word in it. To some, it may not be a bad word. TO others it is a word that should not be expressed through a band that calls themselves "Christian".

But like I said before, what you listen to, how it makes you feel, and the convictions you have are between you and God.

I agree that the Christian community should probably take a better stand against secular music but we must remember to sort out the bad music from the good, whether it be Christian or secular.
 
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sehad

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Here is my thought on the subject, take it for what it's worth. I am a youth pastor raised in church but have not always been in church. I can tell when the youth in my church start listening to secular music all the time just by the way they act in and around church services. Usually when they start acting withdrawn from the services and GOD I can get around their cars after service and hear something other than Christian music coming from the radio. On the other extreme, usually when they are in touch with GOD and sensitive to the spirit moving, I can hear some type of Christian music playing in the parking lot. Secular music has a spirit associated with it, whether you believe it or not. I do not think it is "wrong" per say, but if that is all you listen to it begins to rub against your spiritual person and soon it leaves a callus that makes it harder for GOD to penetrate. Pretty soon it is thick enough that he cannot penetrate at all.
 
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sanctifiedband

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Once again, that is why I say what you listen to is between you and God. I think things effect people in different ways.. Some people may not feel a conviction about the stuff they listen to but for myself I do feel a conviction. Therefore I shouldn't continue to listen to it but it is not my place to tell the other person not to listen to it either just because I feel bad bout it.
 
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Eleknar

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All I can say is that I was a Satanist before I got saved and guess what led me into that dark place. At the same time though I know for a fact that there is a lot of secular country music that, in a sense, edifies our King. But then again many times I have heard one of these great songs and then the next song on the CD is all about getting drunk or cheating on someone. So really I would say it depends on the artist but make sure that you know all about that artist.
 
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AndrewCS

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Yeah I understand what you are saying. Not all secular music is "bad".. I guess I am thinking more along the lines of what do the secular artists stand for? They may produce perfectly good music with great lyrics but their everyday life style is not one that praises God in all things. I do not have to buy their stuff so I probably won't because I would be supporting someone that does not follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Take The Fray for instance. Their music has been on the Christian radio station here in Colorado. However, I did some research on them and they are not outwardly Christian in their beliefs. Now, their music has made it to Christian radio, but what do these guys stand for? What kind of lives do they live? Am I supporting a group that makes music for the sole purpose of worshiping God, or am I supporting a group that has made some songs that have a Christian "feel" to them but overall is not a Christian band?

Basically what I am getting at is is that should you listen to music by a band that has created some if not all "Christian" type songs but does not call themselves a Christian band and therefore probably does not live a Christian lifestyle?

I guess it is a matter of opinion and in the long run, if listening to secular music is a conviction of yours, you probably shouldn't be doing it. That statement could really take us to another topic in a hurry =)..

Anyway, I do want to add one thing. You have to be careful with most music and most bands these days- Christian and secular.

I was just listening to a song by P.O.D that actually used a "bad" word in it. To some, it may not be a bad word. TO others it is a word that should not be expressed through a band that calls themselves "Christian".

But like I said before, what you listen to, how it makes you feel, and the convictions you have are between you and God.

I agree that the Christian community should probably take a better stand against secular music but we must remember to sort out the bad music from the good, whether it be Christian or secular.

Hi there,

Read this article on POD .(see link) Their latest album has caused a huge stir and Christian stores have refused to stock or sell it due to their blatant occult symbols used on their albums.

The entire Gospel genre is one of the biggest selling music genres and do you think that record companies care about the ETHICS and MORALS of the band .
They are mostly interested in $$$$

Anybody know what the bible says about tattoos ?

http://www.av1611.org/crock/crockex1.html

If we as Christians wish to draw closer to God we NEED TO BE fully aware that the enemy will use whatever tactics to lure Christian off the path that LEADS TO CHRIST. :clap: :clap:

The Bible tells us that the path is narrow.

Blessings.
 
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AndrewCS

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Here is my thought on the subject, take it for what it's worth. I am a youth pastor raised in church but have not always been in church. I can tell when the youth in my church start listening to secular music all the time just by the way they act in and around church services. Usually when they start acting withdrawn from the services and GOD I can get around their cars after service and hear something other than Christian music coming from the radio. On the other extreme, usually when they are in touch with GOD and sensitive to the spirit moving, I can hear some type of Christian music playing in the parking lot. Secular music has a spirit associated with it, whether you believe it or not. I do not think it is "wrong" per say, but if that is all you listen to it begins to rub against your spiritual person and soon it leaves a callus that makes it harder for GOD to penetrate. Pretty soon it is thick enough that he cannot penetrate at all.

Amen

Amen

Amen :amen: :amen: :amen:

Blessings to you
 
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AndrewCS

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All I can say is that I was a Satanist before I got saved and guess what led me into that dark place.

Lucifer was an instrument, he was created to worship God and was castout of Heaven because of his pride.

Do we think the enemy doesn't know how to lure people by using music in whatever shape or form?

Blessings to you my brother and thank you for sharing that with us. A powerful message. :preach:

God Bless you
 
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WashedBytheSon

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I want y'all's imput on this. Being in a Christian band, I obviously have some pretty strong views on this subject and would be more than happy to share them with you if you would like to discuss it. But I posted this topic for y'all to post your thoughts on this.

And we can even throw in music that has been "edited" but is still by a secular artist. Is this "OK"?

Give your thoughts.

Peace,

Caleb
SANCtIFIED

I know that it was a process for me to be able to listen to Christian music because I was so into secular music. Actually for a while it made my head hurt to listen to Christian music. Now it is pretty much all I listen to. Sometimes, I do listen to secular music, but it doesn't take precedence at all. I can't totally leave behind my old favorites :) I would much rather go to the Sonshine Festival that we have yearly in my state, than go to a concert done by a secular musician. I like the way I feel when I listen to worship songs much more than when I listen to secular music.
 
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sanctifiedband

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Hey everyone I appreciate everything y'all have to say about this. I just know that I have a lot of friends, both Christian and non-Christian, that have questions about how music effects them. The majority of my Christian friends that listen to that sort of music claim it does not effect them but when approached about it by a "Godly" person, they become all defensive about it then change their minds and claim they will give up listening to secular music. The fact is, is that these kids do feel a conviction about it and they cover for it by lying.

My Christian friends feel bad about listening to that music and will not listen to it when their parents are present.

Originally Posted by sehad
The best way to think about it is this: Would you listen to the same music if Jesus was sitting there in the car/room with you? Because GOD is!


This statement clearly shows what my friends are thinking concerning the music. I have one friend that says he dreads the time when his parents come back from vacation because he will no longer be able to listen to his "secular music" out loud.

These people are ashamed to have that music playing and are afraid of who might hear it. I was in that place before. I was constantly trying to hide the music i had. Most of my music I would buy off the internet, so I had a ready stock full of blank cds so that i could burn the songs and delete them from my comp..

I also learned how to "cheat" the songs so that my parents wouldn't know what I bought. They would see the title as something different than what it really was. I also spent around $20 a week just buying cds. And then add on all the money spent on songs that shouldn't even be available to mankind.

These songs not only made me feel bad when listening to them but they also made me lie and hide them from my parents so that I wouldn't get in trouble. And on top of that, buying them was a HUGE addiction for me.

I personally believe that one that claims to be Christian should stay away from those songs that can bring us down and cause us to be something that we are not. These songs, whether we want to admit it or not, most secular songs DO NOT bring us closer to God, but rather further away.
 
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