A Warning About Music

[Miri]

Spiritually speaking there are all sorts of types of songs,
songs of worship, songs of battle, songs of proclamation,
prayerful songs, songs of salvation, songs of humility,
even songs of crying out to God and prophetic songs.

Many psalms start of quite depressing and dark as David cries out with
real emotion.

Each can have its own tone and sound. Just because a song
sounds somber rather than light and springy it doesn't mean
it is demonic. Song is a way of expressing emotions and not all
emotions are positive.

Expressing distress for example through song and using it as a way
of praying to God can be a great release and bring valuable answers
and blessings.

This one for example.

[video]https://youtu.be/th601d6s66o[/video]

Incidentally hymns and songs are really a form of prayer set to music.

 

[posthuman]

i do not think that judging music as "from Satan" because you feel certain emotions is right.

OP seems to be saying if you feel sad, or angry, or uncomfortable in some way when you listen, then the music is evil & straight from hell. that only music that makes you feel happy is from God.

OP does not seem to have read the Psalms.
all of these emotions, even despondency, hatred, and extreme anxiety, are expressed in the scripture's own book of hymns.
so what is the premise?
that music should always be upbeat and joyful, even when the subject is dark or even antagonistic?

look at this for just one example --

Lord, you are the God who saves me.
I cry out to you day and night.
Receive my prayer,
and listen to my cry.
My life is full of troubles,
and I am nearly dead.
They think I am on the way to my grave.
I am like a man with no strength.
I have been left as dead,
like a body lying in a grave
whom you don’t remember anymore,
cut off from your care.
You have brought me close to death;
I am almost in the dark place of the dead.
You have been very angry with me;
all your waves crush me.
Selah
(Psalm 88:1-7)
​

should this be sung to the tune of "shiny happy people" ?

no, dude.
it should not.

 

[posthuman]

Yep, I've had countless times where i've heard music that I didn't feel right hearing or listening to so I turned it off or walked away.

yeah me too!

even music that was joyful and upbeat and high-spirited.
music that ((on a carnal level)) made me feel happy and positive.

not because of the mere appearance.
not because of the tenor or the mood.
but because of the message in the lyrics.

 

[posthuman]

Lord, you are the God who saves me.
I cry out to you day and night.
Receive my prayer,
​

and listen to my cry.​

My life is full of troubles,
and I am nearly dead.
They think I am on the way to my grave.
I am like a man with no strength.
I have been left as dead,
like a body lying in a grave
whom you don’t remember anymore,
cut off from your care.
You have brought me close to death;
I am almost in the dark place of the dead.
You have been very angry with me;
all your waves crush me.
Selah
(Psalm 88:1-7)
​

so Psalm 88 is one example of a scriptural hymn expressing such emotions as deep sorrow and anguish, and tormenting inner struggle.
((emotions some of us apparently think are sinful to experience, even though we could show you Christ going through the same emotions Himself))

it is a very "goth" song, in modern terms.

well since you've opened the door to me with this thread, have a look at this, too, please:

Arise, O LORD, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.
The LORD judges the peoples;
judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous —
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.
(Psalm 7:6-16)
​

and what emotions and feelings are being expressed here?
anger.
wrath.
violent antagonism.
judgement.
righteous indignation and hatred.

i quoted the ESV above, but look at what the KJV says in verse 11

God is angry with the wicked every day

​

still think an 'angry-sounding' song is evil and straight from Satan himself?
purely on the basis of the emotion, anger?

this Psalm is in modern terms, lyrically very "metal"
so how can you tell me this should be sung to the tune of 'blessed quietness' ?
the sounds that express the content of this Psalm are the sounds of war and struggle, pounding and oppressive and strong, angry and violent and sure.

quite frankly, IMHO you can take your religion of emotion to the trash bin, mate.

 

[posthuman]

The LORD is a warrior;
The LORD is His name.
(Exodus 15:3)

He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief
(Isaiah 53:3) ​

 

[posthuman]

Some hymns scare me with their misleading lyrics. Here's one: On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand.

Full Text

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]


Check out the words slipped in here. Are you unsure? Do you keep your fingers crossed that on that final day you will finally know if you are one of Christ's? These very words belie the title of the hymn. If you are standing on the solid rock of Christ, you ALREADY know in whom you will be found.

This is only one of many songs that express just the opposite of what we have been told by Christ in the Bible. Don't kid yourself that some kind of rhythm or openly "nasty" words will make you start feeling bad. You could already be proclaiming and professing to disbelieve the promises of God in the very songs you sing in church.

this is more spot on.
we ought not be judging spiritual songs by the way the music sounds.

i don't care if this is sung to the music of harps and golden bells or to the clanging of scrap metal, grinding rocks and the shrill overtones of a fire alarm -- the content of the message is the the thing that is at the heart of the song.

. . . although in this example i agree with Lauren -- i think the intent in the lyrics is simply that on that day, let me be found in Him, not because i wasn't found in Him before, but at the time of judgement is the time that i need His righteousness most. let me endure in faith to the end, in other words.

but similarly i keep thinking of the popular Newsboys song, "God's Not Dead" -- a song that many churches sing even in their worship services ((though i think that's being phased out)) and is so prevalent and well-known among believers you may as well call it a hymn of this decade. in the chorus there's the words "my faith is dead, i need a resurrection somehow"
what????
how can i believe God and sit and sing "my faith is dead" ??
and the music -- all the while upbeat and joyous.


we certainly shouldn't sing or listen as mindless drones, who will dance to anything.
but we need to look closely at the theology in the content of songs, not at whether they make us "feel good"
"feeling good" is appealing to the flesh. that's judging by the flesh.
Christ is very clear; this is not how we ought to judge.

 

[wwjd_kilden]

*considers posting a few songs by Vaakevandring and Extol*

 

[Demi777]

Okay brother lets get real.. Satan was in charge of the music in heaven. He knows what hes doing and also we know that.. everyone who uses a living brain cell can imagne that. And surely many of us notice with our self or others how some music manipulates people and how it gets abused. Especially in the new age movement.

But it's waaay more than that.
Music embodies the emotion that it is made with.
For example: A joyful positive person who is thinking in a positive way, will create happy music if that is his focus.
But in the very same way, a deceptive worshipper of Satan can create music that SOUNDS happy but also is written with evil intentions. All followers of Christ have been given the Holy Spirit, and with it we can discern the energy of the music. Music CAN carry dark vibes even WITHOUT lyrics or a video.
But WITH lyrics, the level of influence over one's mind can become much more powerful.
There is much to watch out for here in this world.

 

[Kenmil]

Hymns and lyrics are written by man.thus even old time words can be used to sway away our devotion to God
One hmyn writer used Jesus blood was spilt .our pastor changed it to shed.
His blood was not spilled. It was shed in atonement for our sins.
Satan uses music and lyrics to manipulate emotion and take our eyes off devotion to God.
I once believe CCM was okay. Now i can see clearly Satan using it to take glorifying
God and twist it to entertainment and self enjoyment

 

[Faith37]

Thanks for sharing the Santos video Willie-T. Put a big smile on my face! Talented guy. Will have to look him up. And I love it when worldly songs are "resurrected", if you will... When lyrics are changed to truth. Also, when I hear love songs, I sometimes think of the Lord and sing them to the Him.

 

[Whassup]

I'm amazed how many of those that say they are Christian who listen to secular music... especially among folks that like hard rock have no problem listening to Dio, Black Sabbath and other such satanic bands.

While no band playing Christian rock is perfect, there are many good bands with decent lyrics where the members don't appears to be drug addicts and at least claim to the following the Lord.

I first look at the lyrics and then as I listen I also listen to the Holy Spirit to see if the Lord has any objections.

 

[Miri]

God gave us music and singing to enjoy as a form
of worship. (Just look at all that singing in Revelations).

Many skilled musicians were apparent in the OT, whole tribes were given the role of
leading the worship. Maybe the music gene was more apparent in certain tribes, I know
that in Wales it is renown for the high number of fantastic singers for example.

Think of all that talent going to waste because thousands and thousands of musicians
and singers don't know who gave them their talent and they don't use it for its true purpose.

By the way I don't actually think there is anything wrong listening to secular music
as long as discretion is used.

 

[Whassup]

By the way I don't actually think there is anything wrong listening to secular music
as long as discretion is used.

2 Corinthians 6:17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you

Can you imagine King David buying the latest CD from the hard rock band.. the Rockin Philistines? Or Jesus tappin His toe to Holy Diver by Dio???

I tro not...

 

[Miri]

2 Corinthians 6:17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you

Can you imagine King David buying the latest CD from the hard rock band.. the Rockin Philistines? Or Jesus tappin His toe to Holy Diver by Dio???

I tro not...

Never heard of any of the above, maybe I exercise more discretion.

 

[BeyondET]

2 Corinthians 6:17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you

Can you imagine King David buying the latest CD from the hard rock band.. the Rockin Philistines? Or Jesus tappin His toe to Holy Diver by Dio???

I tro not...

Ahh man really no tappin to holy diver Arrrg...

 

[Socreta93]

I'm amazed how many of those that say they are Christian who listen to secular music... especially among folks that like hard rock have no problem listening to Dio, Black Sabbath and other such satanic bands.

While no band playing Christian rock is perfect, there are many good bands with decent lyrics where the members don't appears to be drug addicts and at least claim to the following the Lord.

I first look at the lyrics and then as I listen I also listen to the Holy Spirit to see if the Lord has any objections.

Most the youth in my church are the same. None listen to satanic music like Sabbath but they all listen to worldly mainstream pop (all mainstream music sucks nowadays). I try to only listen to Christian music

 

[Demi777]

If one of you went through my mp3 player youd get a heart attack LOL.
Stone me for my 60s and mainly 80s music. I dont only listen to Christian music. And fact is, Satan also uses Christian music to lull in people as well.
Only because someone also listens to some more aside, doesnt mean they have a problem. Most of the time I listen to Messianic and Farsi Worship. But I also listen to ''worldly'' music. If you make a cult out of music,just like jewelry and anything else, you have just as much of a problem as a person that listens to Kayne West all the time.
I notice for myself that theres some music that when it comes near me it makes me cringe and leave. Listening to a few hip hop songs every once and a while wont make me a bad Christian nor demonized. Listening to the same thing all day over and over again that it writes into your brain does. And it dont matter if its gospel or rocknroll. The music industry is taken over in every area.
And if the teens were to listen to that stuff all day and a lot. If give them a 1 week no music challenge. And then see what they'll do.

 

[Socreta93]

If one of you went through my mp3 player youd get a heart attack LOL.
Stone me for my 60s and mainly 80s music. I dont only listen to Christian music. And fact is, Satan also uses Christian music to lull in people as well.
Only because someone also listens to some more aside, doesnt mean they have a problem. Most of the time I listen to Messianic and Farsi Worship. But I also listen to ''worldly'' music. If you make a cult out of music,just like jewelry and anything else, you have just as much of a problem as a person that listens to Kayne West all the time.
I notice for myself that theres some music that when it comes near me it makes me cringe and leave. Listening to a few hip hop songs every once and a while wont make me a bad Christian nor demonized. Listening to the same thing all day over and over again that it writes into your brain does. And it dont matter if its gospel or rocknroll. The music industry is taken over in every area.
And if the teens were to listen to that stuff all day and a lot. If give them a 1 week no music challenge. And then see what they'll do.

I like your taste in 80's music better than all the crap out now

 

[Demi777]

lol. Yeah I am completely out of date and the folks in college always ask me stuff like ''did you know about this new album and this new song by so and so'' and im like...I have no idea what the heck your talking to.. Im still listening to my Abba happily ever after..LOL

I like your taste in 80's music better than all the crap out now

 

[Socreta93]

lol. Yeah I am completely out of date and the folks in college always ask me stuff like ''did you know about this new album and this new song by so and so'' and im like...I have no idea what the heck your talking to.. Im still listening to my Abba happily ever after..LOL

I'm the same as you, I don't know any new song out. I'm not with Abba though