Hi Princess, welcome to CF, fellow Joisey boy here!
1.Can you still listen to death/black metal (among other metal)?
2.Can you read the Satanic bible just for fun?
3. Is it okay to like Marilyn Manson?
4. Does it mattter if you are gothic ?
5. can you pray to god even if you are not sure you believe in him ?
i want you guys to give me some feedback on this
Others have hit on the important part, but my .02 adds that He
LOVES US! He actually
enjoys our company, and no part of the Gospel removes our personality. So YOUR contribution (apart from sin of course) will become a vital aspect throughout Eternity.
Yeah, let that sink in.
My first Pastor sometimes wore a baseball cap that said "Let God change you." He had quite a knack for knowing when to just SHUT UP, smile, and call attention to it, for whoever was asking him an important question such as this. Make sense?
There's a difference btw
knowing righteousness from sin (Biblical Wisdom) from actually
choosing the right path. (Understanding, per Proverbs) I personally am curious how much of Jesus' own prayer time, for Himself, not as instruction to those around Him, was spent on this very thing. I expect nearly ALL of it! He is, after all, the One who said "the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." So actually making any change in our life will require G-d's Spirit, His life, His energy - which is quite different from just "His help." He's not a crutch but a stretcher!
So as a musician born-and-raised, and a convert to Christianity for some 30 years now,
my own personal observations are:
1. Style of music is not forbidden, but do be aware of what affect(s) it may have on you, and use wisely. Lyrics? HUGE! Personally I ADORE the lead singer of Sacred Warrior and wish I could sing like that.
Very heavy metal. Pretty old stuff by now though. "Screamo," w/ heavy distortion added to the voice I have heard used effectively a total of ONCE. Some of it was garbled noise, but out of that din came an intelligible section of horrible Judgment. It was 100% Biblical, and extremely musical as well; i.e.,
effective. Good for more than just "getting you going in the morning!" Struggling against sin, adding conviction, it could be a very useful tool as long
as you're not drawn into loving Spiritual darkness.
2. I would say no. NO.
Hell no. But again, these are
my convictions. For me, just watching fear movies opens the door to evil. Even cheesy old ones. OTOH, G-d uses me as a musician to reach out to others, primarily other musicians, in situations most Christians simply couldn't do anything
but sin.
3. Marilyn Manson I have a great deal of respect for. Wish I had the cool technology he has now when I was your age, I sure would've experimented with a lot of the things he's recorded. Realize he is motivated by pretty much 100% flesh, and that is our most commonplace enemy. Be honest about if it tears you down, etc.
4. Goth. "I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some." 1 Cor 9:22 Also we are called to remain in whatever facet of life we were in when we were first saved, not to drastically uproot our lives. So your history becomes important here. Were you unsaved, and on the goth scene? Well, your testimony is within that circle. Do learn the difference between Spiritual light and darkness, as it's a VERY central Biblical element! The 2 are NOT equal yet opposite, as yin / yang proclaims. Job deals with this right in the beginning. If you just wear black, that's quite different from some other things certain gothic practices signify. A lot of is simply appreciating art and architecture, and has MUCH overlap with the Baroque period, Handel's Messiah, etc.
5. This "not sure" stuff takes many forms. Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." If you read the context here, you'll see this is one of the more effectual prayers any of us could ever pray.
