My first post here. I'm am atheist, raised Catholic, so a different perspective from most on here, perhaps.
There is a lot of untrue statements throughout this thread. I'm not going to point out anything in particular out, but this post is on the right track.
The repetitiveness of the lyrics, the chords, and the tone is boring and honestly quite unappealing, to say the least.
If I'm not mistaken, there are clues in the Bible, particularly the OT, where the crashing of cymbals (percussion) and blowing of horns is promoted by your god. These are clues that music is NOT supposed to be boring, repetitive, etc. It's actually almost depressing.
Take "Ode to Joy" as an example. It is upbeat, runs up and down the scales, has a very heavy almost rock-and-roll (African)-style beat and is very celebratory in nature. It is entirely uplifting, and as an atheist, one of my personal favorite pieces of music of all time. It's an absolutely beautiful peice of music.
As for the "Homoerotic" nature of CCM music, it is also extremely selfish. It's always "me," and "I." How "I am saved," etc. That gets very old very quickly, and is in all honesty, shallow.
The very best, most inspirational pieces of music is NOT about the self, but rather about unity, peace, and understanding between different people. John Lennon is a great example;
I know this is a Christian forum, but many posts in this thread have basically been trying to downplay secular rock as being unfulfilling. John Lennon's "Imagine" is a great example of what I'm talking about in the previous paragraph. It is the opposite of selfish. While that particular song almost sounds like CCM-style: boring, repetive, limited chords, the lyrics are actually inspirational. He's not bragging about how he was "saved" and having a homoerotic narrative with Jesus. Instead, it is very much along the lines of what Jesus was actually trying to say throughout most of the New Testament;
Tolerance, love, acceptance, and peace.
As for hard rock style, again, it can be inspirational with the correct lyrics. "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Idol.
This is one of my all-time favorite peices of music as well. The lyrics about the horrors of the 20th century, connect with the grungy, angry nature of the music.
Anger is an entirely natural emotion, that even the Bible promotes. No Christian should ever deny the legitimacy, power, and righteousness of anger. Billy Idol in We Didn't Start the Fire was RAGING against the injustices of the world. Expressing that rage, and trying to turn it into righteousness in fighting against it, and resisting the evil. Racism, murder, rape, genocide, torture, starvation; the strongmen imposing their will on the world. Anger is a high emotion that music, secular or otherwise, is easy to tap into. It doesn't have to be Christian in nature to be just, and Christians can certainly use these various styles for their purposes as well. For isntance:
Jesus supposedly preached about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the poor, and forgiving the sinner, correct? Instead of making the 5,789th CCM song about how you were personally saved with the same boring three chords....why not instead write songs to promote the actual nature of Christ? Nobody wants to hear about your moment of being saved. They want to hear more inspirational topics.
and finally...
most of the music most Christians call "Satanic," (like heavy metal), have been all directly inspired by the great classics like Beethoven, Bach, etc.
sorry about a long first post.
Why does thou be an atheist for it does not make sense.
Isa 41:21 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.
Isa 41:22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.
Isa 41:23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
Isa 41:24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
Isa 41:26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words.
Isa 41:28 For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
Isa 41:29 Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
God challenges all religions and people to prove that their religions and god are true by showing the end from the beginning.
God already showed us the end from the beginning which He told us the whole history of mankind.
Told us of all the kingdoms that would come one after the other with the next kingdom to come is the world split in to ten sections with a leader in each section which is possible today which the world will come together as one because of the problems of the world especially the threat of nuclear war.
It is all planned out and controlled conflict brings about controlled change.
The next kingdom is the New Age Christ kingdom which will deceive all people who do not love God.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
chi xi stigma
khee xee stig'-ma
The 22nd, 14th and an obsolete letter (G4742 as a cross) of the Greek alphabet (intermediate between the 5th and 6th), used as numbers; denoting respectively 600, 60 and 6; 666 as a numeral: - six hundred threescore and six.
stigma
stig'-mah
From a primary word στίζω stizō (to “stick”, that is, prick); a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), that is, (figuratively) scar of service: - mark.
The mark will be a device that is put under the skin for the definition is to stick, prick, which can be a hypodermic needle that puts the mark in the person, and a mark incised or punched which is referring it to be put in something which is under the skin for the mark is given to people.
The mark of the beast has to do with technology for the beast's agenda is there is no personal God to help mankind, and benefit them, but mankind's technology and devices can help to achieve peace on earth.
Which will be a microchip just under the skin linked to satellite with all information about the person on the chip including finances for no person can buy or sell without the mark, and to cut down on crime for if a crime happens they will know who was in the location and how close they were to the crime scene, and can locate lost people or whoever they want to locate.
Going along with the beast's agenda and worshipping the beast precedes taking the mark of the beast, and when they take the mark then repentance and salvation are no longer available to the world, and God can end sin on earth.
The New Age Christ, beast, will be of the occult, and the occult believes in the power of numbers for they are about the power of nature, and the adding, timing, and grouping of numbers which they believe will give them more power through nature.
The number 6 is the number of a man, or the soul of a man, so the New Age Christ assigned himself the number 666, a triple 6, for he believes it will give him more power through nature to evolve to be greater and spiritual, and to establish his kingdom.
The New Age Christ will work in the world for three and one half years and push the agenda of the new age movement to condition the world to accept him when he claims to be God.
The coronavirus will be an excuse to give people a microchip to identify who has been vaccinated and unvaccinated and only those with the chip can buy and sell.
Continued,
