Is playing Electric guitar in the blues/rock genre a sin?

[Ceallaigh]

You said they are Christians, and tried to use them as examples of why secular music is ok. I'm just asking for evidence that makes that statement true. Public figures like those two should have no issues finding some proof that they are in fact believers. Private/less known people like myself I can make all sorts of claims about my salvation that unless you know me wouldn't be verifiable. Jesus said you'd know them by their fruit, no? So what fruit do they bear that proves they are Christian and thus examples of why secular music isn't bad?

It sounds like you're saying that I should assume you're a false Christian until I get proof that you're the real deal.

 

[Ceallaigh]

Alice Cooper interview about his faith -

Bono interview https://www.npr.org/2022/10/27/1131678023/bono-memoir-book-surrender-faith-u2

Heck, Sunday Bloody Sunday ends with the following verse regarding the 1972 Bloody Sunday incident in Derry Ireland.

And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)

The real battle just begun (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
To claim the victory Jesus won (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
On Sunday, Bloody Sunday, yeah
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Based on something my pastor and his wife said once, it sounds like they knew Cooper pretty well and maybe even attended the same church with him. Maybe I'll ask them what they think about it.

 

[Halbhh]

It seems there has always been a stigma that rock music is the music of the devil. While I see some bands, especially heavy metal bands choose to use demonic lyrics and symbols, many do not. I particularly enjoy playing blues solos and pieces from the band Pink Floyd. Is this a sin ?

No, it's not sin to practice guitar and/or music, melodies/etc. just as pure music/melody itself, in order to become able to play better where you might well use that skill for the Lord sooner or later.

Of course actual lyrics of various rock/blues songs can be good, bad or neutral also. Definitely we've all heard particular rock/blues songs that are harmful in their lyrics, even while others are helpful/good in lyrics. There's no blanket rule about the genre.

We are called to focus on Christ, which will mean that we use our talents to serve others in accord with all He taught for us.

But it's quite easy to make rock music to serve the Lord:

There are many such songs, even rock songs where most of the lyrics are just repeating scripture, like this:

(I can annotate lyrics for people that need it, if requested)

And plenty of other Christian rock songs that use broad Christian ideas.

 

[Aaron112]

It sounds like you're saying that I should assume you're a false Christian until I get proof that you're the real deal.

Not quite right.
However, even the Apostles said to test everything ,/ everyone?/ every message, BEFORE accepting it as truth.
Jesus said there a lot of false teachers and false prophets, not many true.
All must be tested and proven as Scripture says Before Believing ....

 

[Aaron112]

To wit: Watchman Nee - The Mind Behind the System
excerpts from
The Mind Behind the System
By Watchman Nee

"Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted from the earth, will draw all men unto myself" (John 12:31, 32).
"The earth" is the scene of this crisis and its tremendous outcome, and "this world" is, we may say, its point of collision. That point we shall make the theme of our study, and we will begin by looking at the New Testament ideas associated with the important Greek word cosmos. In the English versions this word is, with a single exception shortly to be noticed, invariably translated "the world." (The other Greek word, aion, also so translated, embodies the idea of time and should more aptly be rendered "the age.")

It is worth sparing time for a look at a New Testament Greek Lexicon such as Grimm's. This will show how wide is the range of meaning that cosmos has in Scripture. But, first of all we glance back to its origins in classical Greek where we find it originally implied two things: first a harmonious order or arrangement, and secondly embellishment or adornment. This latter idea appears in the New Testament verb cosmeo, used with the meaning "to adorn," as of the temple with goodly stones or of a bride for her husband (Luke 21:5; Rev. 21:2). In 1 Peter 3:3, the exception just alluded to, cosmos is itself translated "adorning" in keeping with this same verb cosmeo in verse 5.

(1) When we turn from the classics to the New Testament writers we find that their uses of cosmos fall into three main groups. It is used first with the sense of the material universe, the round world, this earth. For example, Acts 17:14, "the God that made the world and all things therein"; Matt. 13:35 (and elsewhere), "the foundation of the world"; John 1:10, "he was in the world, and the world was made by him"; Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the world."

(2) The second usage of cosmos is twofold. It is used (a) for the inhabitants of the world in such phrases as John 1:10, "the world knew him not"; 3:16, "God so loved the world"; 12:19, "the world is gone after him"; 17:21, "that the worldmay believe." (b) An extension of this usage leads to the idea of the whole race of men alienated from God and thus hostile to the cause of Christ. For instance, Heb. 11:38, "Of whom the world was not worthy"; John 14:17, "whom the world cannot receive"; 14:27, "not as the world giveth, give I unto you"; 15:18, "If the world hateth you ..."

(3) In the third place we find cosmos is used in Scripture for worldly affairs: the whole circle of worldly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures, which though hollow and fleeting, stir our desire and seduce us from God, so that they are obstacles to the cause of Christ. Examples are: 1 John 2:15, "the things that are in the world"; 3:17, "the world's goods"; Matt. 16:26, "if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life"; 1 Cor. 7:31, "those that use the world, as not abusing it." This usage of cosmos applies not only to material but also to abstract things which have spiritual and moral (or immoral) values. E.g., 1 Cor. 2:12, "the spirit of the world"; 3:19, "the wisdom of this world"; 7:31, "the fashion of this world"; Titus 2:12, "worldly (adj, kosmicos) lusts"; 2 Pet. 1:4, "the corruption that is in the world"; 2:20, "the defilement's of the world"; 1 John 2:16, 17, "all that is in the world, the lust ... the vainglory ... passeth away." The Christian is "to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).​

The Bible student will soon discover that, as the above paragraph suggests, cosmos is a favorite word of the apostle John, and it is he, in the main, who helps us forward now to a further conclusion. "

much more , though a short book, follows in the link, Scripturally Revealing many problems today, that are sin/ sinful/ misunderstood/..... yet important to anyone keeping pure in Jesus.

 

[Aaron112]

Excerpt:
"
What, we have to ask ourselves, is the motive that activates us in relation to these things? It may be nothing sensuous but altogether innocent, aiming by the use of tone and harmony and perfect matching merely to gain an effect that is aesthetically pleasing. There may be nothing intrinsically wrong in doing this; but do you and I see what we are touching here? We are touching that harmonious system behind the things seen, a system that is controlled by God's enemy. So let us be wary.

The Bible opens with God's creation of the heavens and the earth. It does not say that he created the world in the sense that we are discussing it now. Through the Bible the meaning of "the world" undergoes a development, and it is only in the New. Testament (though perhaps to a lesser extent already in the Psalms and some of the Prophets) that "the world" comes to have its full spiritual significance. We can readily see the reason for this development. Before the Fall of man, the world existed only in the sense of the earth, the people on the earth, and the things on the earth. As yet there was no cosmos, no "world," in the sense of a constituted order. With the Fall, however, Satan brought on to this earth the order which he himself had conceived, and with that began the world system of which we are speaking. Originally our physical earth had no connection with "the world" in this sense of a Satanic system, nor indeed had man; but Satan took advantage of man's sin, and of the door this threw open to him, to introduce into the earth the organization which he had set himself to establish. From that point of time this earth was in "the world," and man was in "the world." So we may say that before the Fall there was an earth; after the Fall there was a "world"; at the Lord's return there will be a kingdom. Just as the world belongs to Satan, so the Kingdom belongs to our Lord Jesus. Moreover it is this Kingdom that displaces and that will displace the world. When the "Stone not made with hands" shatters man's proud image, then the kingdom of this world will "become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ" (Dan. 2:44, 45; Rev. 11:15).

Politics, education, literature, science, art, law, commerce, music-such are the things that constitute the cosmos, and these are things that we meet daily. Subtract them and the world as a coherent system ceases to be."

 

[stevevw]

It seems there has always been a stigma that rock music is the music of the devil. While I see some bands, especially heavy metal bands choose to use demonic lyrics and symbols, many do not. I particularly enjoy playing blues solos and pieces from the band Pink Floyd. Is this a sin ?

Funny you ask playing Pink Floyd music is a sin. The German government was calling for Roger Waters concert to be banned because of the songs “In the Flesh,” where he acts like a facist dictator. They think he was promoting facism when his sone has always been about bringing down facism for the past 50 odd years lol. Shows how Woke the world become.

I think each person derives something personal out of music. A secular song can have Christian values or a message or revelation. Obviously if the words are clearly denouncing God or promoting immorality then thats different.

I believe there is a fair degree of what would be classed as secular music that has been inspired by people who believe in God. They just don't express it in words. I have been surprised to find out that certain well known muso's have been Christians. Cat Stevens for one. Dylan as well though maybe not initially.

But Dylan was into the Folk and Blues which is basically the traditional music of a culture. Much of that culture for the West at least stems from the Church and Black gospel music.

In some ways you could say the Blues grew up and matured to become Rock music but it got out of hand a bit during the 60s revolutions just like society. But Blues, Rock, Folk music are not evil in themselves I don't think.

 

[juanwood]

Not quite right.
However, even the Apostles said to test everything ,/ everyone?/ every message, BEFORE accepting it as truth.
Jesus said there a lot of false teachers and false prophets, not many true.
All must be tested and proven as Scripture says Before Believing ....

OK, then lets turn this onto you. You claim to be a Christian, give us the evidence. Where is your proof that you are Christian? Well? we are waiting....

 

[AlexB23]

Playing a musical instrument in itself is not a sin. But if you play songs with explicit lyrics or innuendoes, then playing the guitar or any instrument is a sin. I don't play guitar, but did play a bit of piano from ages 7-12.

 

[jep0233]

Paul said some things that are acceptable to one is not to another. Have your faith to yourself. Don't harm the younger, newer weaker in the faith. I believe that most churches that go with amplified bands and hyper-contemporary music do not care (maybe wrong but doubt it) do not care what the overall consensus is in the congregation. Once they get into this rock style they seem to go with it head strong. Leaving a lot of folks out of feeling comfort and peace in church. Don't mistake, I like some of the newer contemporary, but not all. I check the lyrics before my soul can be moved. Usually the newer believers are more acceptable of this new loud music, mostly. I was in a rock band in the early 70's and I've always had a sensitivity to the music in church and the spirit it emits. Most of these new praise bands are too loud for many. They say the Bible says "make loud sounds on the cymbals ... etc" but the temple singers didn't have bazillion amp amplifiers stacked one on the other back then. They had their raw voices and a few instruments, un-electrified I might say. Often this overpowers the congreation, they can't hear themselves sing, so they gradually get quieter and quieter until they are just reading the words on the screens or whatever. The Lord SPECIFICALLY wants to hear the people's voice, not electrical intstruments. Instruments are not the focus. To me then it becomes a stage and the praise band performers. But, I press on and worship in spite of it. In fact, I've broken one of my cardinal rules of late. In stead of coming and being early, I come in about the music service is winding down. I've also used ear plugs. It's been witnessed visitors and visiting young families leaving with their hands over the child's ears, frowning. I like soft jazz. Not intense jazz but soft jazz. No lyrics. Is it a sin to the musician? Well they have to be judged by another. Do they realize they might be having a negative effect? Well if they did realize that ... then it's sin. IMHO

 

[ByTheSpirit]

It sounds like you're saying that I should assume you're a false Christian until I get proof that you're the real deal.

Lol all I said was a Christian should show some proof of their faith. It shouldn't be hard for a public figure like Alice Cooper to show some fruit of faith.

I get it, I seemingly insulted someone you probably IDOLIZE, but this will pass

 

[Ceallaigh]

Lol all I said was a Christian should show some proof of their faith. It shouldn't be hard for a public figure like Alice Cooper to show some fruit of faith.

I get it, I seemingly insulted someone you probably IDOLIZE, but this will pass

I already said I don't really know anything about either of them. That was my whole point.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Playing the instrument is not a problem. It is the words of a song that matters. use common sense.

 

[Canuckster]

This don’t sound like sin to me… neither do the lyrics

 

[Mercy Shown]

Playing the instrument is not a problem. It is the words of a song that matters. use common sense.

The sin is already rooted in our hearts if we like words and lyrics that are antithetical to the Gospel of God. The lyrics are not the sin but they are the fruit of the sin in the heart.

I we abide with Jesus, He will cleanse our hearts and finish the good work in us.

 

[ViaCrucis]

St. Paul's statement "all things are lawful for me, not all things are beneficial for me" is worthy of reflection here. As is to remember the statements on Christian conscience and freedom of conscience more generally.

No, rock music, blues, and playing the guitar are not sinful.

Listening to music of a particular genre is not sinful.

However, not everything is equally beneficial.

It's not sinful to eat cake. But it's probably not healthy to eat nothing but cake.

Music is just music--it's up to us to use our own discretion and use of conscience to choose what we listen to. And it can be good to ask if some songs might be unhealthy--perhaps unhealthy for our mind or our emotional health; and that can have an affect on our spiritual health as well.

But for one person a song might trigger dark feelings which are harmful; but that same song could for another person remind them of the darkness that others are going through and how we, as followers of Jesus, are to be light in the dark places.

That's the thing about human creativity--art--it reflects the human condition. Not only the lovely aspects of being human, but the dark, painful, and even downright ugly aspects of our humanity.

Even the Psalms themselves present a multifaceted expression of the human condition; often in raw and dark ways (example Psalm 137). But that raw, and often dark humanity of ours, is called and brought before the light of Christ, that in Christ we can be healed; and that we represent Him tot he world.

I'm not saying anyone should listen to anything; but we also can't create new and novel commandments to moralize what we listen to. Art is complex, and each person has their own stuff going on. A person who struggles with intense depression probably isn't going to be helped by listening to really depressing music; on the other hand, for some it can be cathartic, and for others it can be helpful to have the insights into the human psyche to see what other people are going through in their lives. There's no universal right or wrong in cases like this.

Speaking for myself, I have my own struggles with mental health, and I find that really dark and/or depressing music--when it expresses a very pessimistic outlook--doesn't provide any catharsis for me. Instead I find catharsis in music that reminds me that that life is lovely--that pain gives way to healing. So whether it is religious music or non-religious music, I tend to listen to music that is emotionally uplifting. That's me though. It'd be wrong to use myself as an objective standard and tell others what they can or can't do.

In the Lutheran tradition we remind ourselves that there is what God has commanded, there is what God has forbidden, and then there's everything else. Everything else is often going to be very subjective; and it would be wrong to claim God has spoken when He hasn't. That's where Christian conscience matters.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Stephen3141]

Is making a joyful noise, before God, a sin?