The Devil's Music

[Thegodthatfailed]

When you were still believers did any of you give up listening to secular music to please Jay-zus?

 

I gave up listening to rock music in about the mid 90's to early 00's when I was in my twenties.

I feel that I missed out on some great music during that time period when bands like Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, and even

Metallica during their Load & Reload years were creating good stuff. Also Tupac, Biggie Smalls, and Snoop Dog for those of you into that kind of music.

 

I did listen to some Xain rock/pop like DC talk, Jars of Clay, and Carmen(he looks like the Papa John's pizza guy) for a few years.

Then I even stopped listening to that because I thought they were using the "Devil's beats" because of a book that I read called "What's wrong

with Christian rock", I think.

 

Anyone else feel this way?

[GraphicsGuy]

I listened to NO secular music at all. Nothing but contemporary and Xian rock.

 

As a result, my musical knowledge is REALLY limited now and it annoys me. There's just too much to catch up on.

 

I know of Huey Lewis, Billy Joel, and a lot of country crap from my marriage, but that's mostly it.

 

It doesn't help now that I mostly listen to European-based metal groups that hardly anyone has heard of, but oh well.

 

Guitar Hero World Tour is helping me learn some stuff, but they have a lot of oddball songs in the mix too...

[Abiyoyo]

Anyone else feel this way?

 

I love music and did go through that phase where I threw all my CD's away, listened to only Christian stations, even quit watching alot of TV. Needless to say, that didn't last long, as I love all kinds of music. I am liberal I guess, almost heretical with my Christianity. I listen to anything now, but try to avoid alot of profanity, which is still limiting my music, but better than before. I listen to everything from RAGE, to 2Pac, to Toby Keith, to Mozart on occasion.

[Raul]

Yes. Yes I did. It was a year of classical music for me. Fuck "christian rock".

[Thegodthatfailed]

And how could I forget Nine Inch Nails and Alice in Chains!

 

Started listening again about 4 years ago when I first deconverted but still feel like l'm catching up.

 

Really don't follow much of the contemporary top 40 pop music now, mostly rock bands that have been around 20 years or so.

 

YoYo, I went through a phase of throwing out all my secular collection too, but it was mostly crappy stuff like Poison, and other hair metal bands,

so no big loss, thank goodness.

 

Also, listened to classical in my Xain days to replace the other "evil" music. But, I still like classical to this day also.

 

Fuck "christian rock".

 

My sentiments also Raul! What could they possibly know about Rawk? That is some of the cheesiest shit ever!

[Vendredie]

My church "encouraged" us to listen to Xtian music.

 

The closest I've ever come to enjoying Xtian music was Evanescence, which I was REALLY into when I was 12-14.

 

I actually don't think I've heard Xtian rock. I've heard Xtian pop, *pukes* god that's the most annoying shit EVER. But I've never particularly enjoyed Xtian rock, even when I was a Christian, because it creeped me out-- love songs about Jesus? No thanks...keep romance OUT of my religion!

[Kathlene]

When I became a christian in 1995 I was 22 and gave all my cds away and became suffocated and closeted into christian music only. I have no idea what sort of secular music has been around since then. I only walked away 4months ago and I feel like I have stepped out of a time machine. Im trying to discover what I do and don't like now. I remember in 1998 my sister telling me to listen to the Titanic song at my Mum's one day and she freaked out because I hadn't heard it before. I didn't even listen to the radio. There is a whole world out there I am coming to learn about.

[OpheliaGinger]

I couldn't stand listening to Christian music,so no, I never did. I listened to mainly New Age since the lyrics were mostly neutral on anything religious. As I waned, I grew to listen to more rock and metal.

[Vixentrox]

When I was still living at home the music I could listen to was restricted to Christian and Country for the most part (funny how my parents thought country was ok because THEY liked it) though classical and some lighter rock and 50s music was ok. But other things were right out and I remember burning albums, casettes, and 8 tracks from the Eagles, Iron Butterfly, Led Zepplin and others. After I left home I didn't listen to as much Christian music since it was often just plain aweful but felt guilty about listening to a lot of pop/hard rock stuff.

[♦ Fuego ♦]

I had a ton of classic 60's rock and hippie music, because I inherited it from my older siblings. I still have the records, but went through a period of trying to give them back to my brother. He was worried that I was going to literally drink the punch or something, but I was trying to be serious about not doing anything "worldly". I listened to old-people gospel music, and then found a Xian band "Allies" that had some good rock sound. The band didn't last long though. The main singer is now famous for "Butterfly Kisses" (gag...) I loved Petra, Randy Stonehill, Leslie Phillips, and a bit of Larry Norman and Mylon LeFevre.

 

I never lost my taste for oldies (50's & 60's) but was afraid of the heavy metal, hated hated hated disco, didn't care for the urban cowboy era, and now that I am free I really enjoy heavy metal from my teen years. I regret missing out on all the metal chicks that were at my high school. Could've been fun. I did grow up on Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Beatles, and a few hundred 50's songs. I like a small amount of the thrash metal today, but I couldn't find the name of who was playing (the guy at the restaurant either couldn't find it or didn't want to tell me for some reason).

 

Me and my brother both got into classical music during our teens, and our parent had dozens of classical records that we listened to for years. We'd crank the 1812 overture on the stereo system my folks had.

 

So the only "devil's music" to me was the heavy metal, but now I enjoy it. I do remember being surprised years ago at "Don't Fear The Reaper" and how beautiful the song was. I always had expected it to be some heavy metal freak fest. But it was the tail-end song in some movie I rented and I remember just stopping and listening when it came on.

[gypsy79]

When I was still living at home the music I could listen to was restricted to Christian and Country for the most part (funny how my parents thought country was ok because THEY liked it) though classical and some lighter rock and 50s music was ok. But other things were right out and I remember burning albums, casettes, and 8 tracks from the Eagles, Iron Butterfly, Led Zepplin and others. After I left home I didn't listen to as much Christian music since it was often just plain aweful but felt guilty about listening to a lot of pop/hard rock stuff.

 

Wow, Viventrox. I could have written the same post, especially the part about parents being okay with Country because THEY like it. LOL. My parents were the worst about music. Wasn't allowed to listen to Christian rock because the beat was evil, as TGTF mentioned. I once was banned from talking to a friend because he wore an Iron Maiden T-shirt. Even worse, I got my radio taken away forever (yes, you read that correctly) when I was 11 because I listened to one rap song. Granted, it had a lot of sexual lyrics that were probably inappropriate for my age, but I had NO idea what they even meant and didn't even know the song was sexual. Parents didn't believe me and just ripped the stereo out of my room. Never had a radio in my room again until I moved out on my own, but luckily there was a radio in my car when I turned 16, so things weren't awful music-wise as long as I remembered to turn the dial back to country before going home. I still felt guilty about the rock and metal music until my mid twenties, though, because I still believed it was evil.

 

Our Youth Group had us burn all our secular cassette tapes and CDs one Wednesday night. I thought it was a little creepy at the time and think it is a LOT creepy now, but did it because I truly believed it when they told me the stuff was evil. They also made us watch some stupid video called Hell's Bells about how evil heavy metal music was. Jeebus. Gag me. I am pretty sure they did it at the request of my parents, which makes me hang my head in shame and want to call my fellow Youth Groupers and apologize. :-)

[bdp]

Before I became a Xtian I was a record collector, had some 500 lp's of stuff from the 1950's on up to what was current, some of it rare and worth a lot of money. I sold all I could when I converted and gave away what I couldn't sell and became a Xtian record collector, then Xtian CD collector when those appeared. I had some 500 lp's and another 200-300 CD's of Xtian music of all kinds, at least when I deconverted I was able to sell the CD's on eBay and make about $5000 on them.

 

Actually though I never did fully let go of the 'secular' stuff completely - I went through three different vinyl and a couple of CD copies of Lou Reed's 'Berlin' before finally getting and keeping a CD of it, and the first vinyl copy I had was a first pressing with full illustrated lyric booklet that would probably be worth a small bundle to Lou Reed fanatics today.

 

When I was in Bible college I was in a car with the deacon of a church and he said 'Christian and rock - there's something about them words that just don't go together' and that summed up the attitude about the denomination I was part of. And the Christian rock I liked they would have branded as un-Christian anyway. Ugh, all that stuff just makes my head hurt.

[Thegodthatfailed]

I only walked away 4months ago and I feel like I have stepped out of a time machine. Im trying to discover what I do and don't like now.

I really don't even try to stay current anymore as far as music goes. Just listen to a few songs on the radio and watch a few music videos on Youtube.

But mostly I just listen to what I like no matter how old it is. It's not like you are missing too much now-a-days. I mean Nickelback or Saving Able? Not that there is not any original, thought-provoking music being made today, but it is hard to find.

As far as staying current I couldn't even pick the Jonas Brothers out of a line-up. Not that I care. Unless said line-up happens to be for the crime of

making bad music.

 

(funny how my parents thought country was ok because THEY liked it)

 

Don't get how some Xain country music fans think it is o.k., with all the songs about drinking, fighting, and fornication.

Never liked country music except Johnny Cash and maybe Willie Nelson. The rest is unlistenable to me.

[AKR]

I wasn't even allowed to listen to secular music until I was about 9, and even then, it was fairly closely monitored. Once I heard it, I never stopped wanting more. When I was 14, I was old enough to go bike around town and buy music on my own, so I asked my friends what were some good secular groups because I was so out of the loop. I ended up getting a bunch of rap from Ice Cube, Onyx, Snoop Dogg, etc. I hid them under my bottom drawer in my room. After my mom found them because she was always a damn snoop, I cut a hole in the drywall next to the floor in my closet and stuck a poster over it and stashed my tapes there. I never gave up a single tape or cd. One of my friends at the Christian school I went to would burn his in the burning parties one of the teacher's would have. His brother and I would just laugh at him because we knew he'd go buy them again until he was shamed into trashing them again. I never felt guilty. I didn't see the big deal and by my teen years, I was growing skeptical of the religion.

[chefranden]

... to Mozart on occasion.

 

MOZART!?!?? Fuck, you are doomed.

[Guest Marty]

...and even Metallica during their Load & Reload years were creating good stuff...

 

Anyone else feel this way?

 

They created good stuff during those years? Metallica died during the Black Album.

[Vomit Comet]

Metallica died during the Black Album.

 

Fuck yeah they did. They peaked with Justice (though some would say it was with Master), and that was fucking it. They've been dead to me for a long, long time. The OG Metallibangers understand, the 'normals' who had the Black Album next to Candlebox and MC Snow in their cassette deck never will.

[Vomit Comet]

One of my friends at the Christian school I went to would burn his in the burning parties one of the teacher's would have. His brother and I would just laugh at him because we knew he'd go buy them again until he was shamed into trashing them again. I never felt guilty. I didn't see the big deal and by my teen years, I was growing skeptical of the religion.

 

I shamefully admit that I fell prey to that once. I sacrificed all kinds of good shit: (old school) Metallica, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and any number of other odds and ends. I wince to this day.

[Thegodthatfailed]

 

They created good stuff during those years? Metallica died during the Black Album.

 

I mean good stuff relative to the soulless cookie-cutter crap being put out today by some of emo bands for example.

Definitely not their best music. And I actually like the Black Album. I know it was sort of soft and commercial compared to their glory days, but

I like it anyway. Maybe because it came out when I was in high school it still has some emotional appeal to me.

 

Also, I think "Death Magnetic" is their best since Justice. At least they are not completely dead yet. More like on life support.

[Guest RATIONAL EYES]

SLAYER!!!!

[Robbobrob]

I do have to say that it was probably my love of music, especially heavy metal (Anthrax, Metallica, Iron Maiden) that kept me from ever fully buying in.....plus growing up in a time when the Jim Bakkers of the world were made it easy to take a critical look at religion and what it really meant.

[Brutal Brian]

I didn't listen to anything Xtian when I was that way, but my parents did have a habit of destroying and misplacing all the cd;s I had of secular stuff. I got over it by moving out of their house.

[Evolution_beyond]

Metallica died during the Black Album.

 

Fuck yeah they did. They peaked with Justice (though some would say it was with Master), and that was fucking it. They've been dead to me for a long, long time. The OG Metallibangers understand, the 'normals' who had the Black Album next to Candlebox and MC Snow in their cassette deck never will.

 

Ride the Lightning's their best

[Evolution_beyond]

I was a teenaged heavy metal fan - I was also a teenage christian.

 

I actually felt that music by the likes of Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne was quite christian anyway. I even took Slayer as a warning against Satanism.

 

This is probably why, even as a christian I was very anti-fundamentalist.

 

But I was always turned off by satanic seeming bands. Now I'm an atheist I can enjoy them - I'm especially enjoying the anti-christian and blasphemous sentiments of early Morbid Angel at the moment.

[Guest Marty]

I too, was a metal fan at the same time I was a xtain. Robbobrob, I think you said it best, in that my love of music also kept me from fully taking in the bullshit. I remember being told over and over how metal will send me to hell, and I could never understand how music can make you do things you didn't want to do. They were so bat-shit crazy about heavy metal, even Stryper and Whitecross, but had no problems with the sex laden pop artists that are always around. I think this single issue could have very well kept doubt in my mind as to how serious this music threat was.

 

I also sometimes wonder if Metal itself was a form of therapy for me. I pretty much stopped listening to it after I de-converted, and began listening to things like Pink Floyd and the Beatles. Metal was a rebellion from the church, it mocked a lot of the rituals and symbols of xtianity, and the sound really pissed off my parents and teachers. But once that all dried up, Metal became boring to me.

 

I was also learning music and theory at the time, so it may have also had something to do with how Metal is very repetitive and narrow in it's scope. Bands like Floyd and the Beatles had a much wider palate to paint from. But I will still crank up the iPod when an old Motley Crue song or anything pre-Black Album from Metallica. I also still have some old Testament albums. I was never big on Megadeth, except for the Countdown to Extinction album...in fact I'm gonna pop that on right now!