It is said, today of many trusted leaders in our community that “Contemporary’ Christian Rock” is acceptable and that those who disagree are being legalistic or old fashioned. However, as I asked the question “Do good words really make this type of music right?” I found answers to the real issue of rock music and why the Rock beat is evil in any form.
God himself gives us clear examples in scripture that good words do not always make something right. A Demon gave testimony of Jesus saying, “I know who Thou art, the Holy One of God.” Jesus rebuked and silenced him. The clairvoyant girl proclaimed of Paul and Silas “These men are servants of the most High God, which show unto us the way of Salvation,” Paul was grieved and rebuked the spirit within her. The demons were speaking truth but their words had no place in the plans of God.
A survey cited that teenagers didn’t know what about 37% of 622 rock songs were about ~they just liked the music. I believe this should prevent us from looking at the value of Contemporary Rock Music based solely on the words. So what is unique about “Rock Music” and its effect on millions of people? Why do those who listen to it become touchy when Christians question its value?
Addiction = a physical or psychological dependence, or both. In 1993 a survey of 2,750 young people between the ages of 12 and 26 were asked if they believed that Rock music was addictive. 99.3% said “yes!”
Rock music is addictive because it causes the release of adrenaline which creates a high, explains a Psychiatrist. He says that one of the most powerful releases of the “fight or flight” adrenaline high comes from music which is discordant in its beat or chords. If you have ever watched intense movies you can identify with this. Music is used to create drama and suspense, or relieve stress. The reason it can be used to do this is because music follows patterns. Good music follows exact mathmatical rules which causes the mind to feel comforted, encouraged and safe. Musicians have found that when they go against these rules the listener experiences an addicting high.
Think about this high in terms of music sales. Like the unscrupulous “diet” doctors who addict their clients to amphetamines to ensure continued dependence, musicians know that discordant music sells and sells. As with all addictions victims become more tolerant. Which means the same music which once created a pleasant tingle of excitement no longer satisfies. Thus the music must become more jarring, louder, and more discordant. One generally starts out listening to soft rock, then rock -n- roll, and eventually moving on to heavy metal music.
Even without an addiction to the rock beat there are health concerns to look into when listening to music. It is important to listen to music at a sound level this being safe at decibels of 20-65. In most Rock concerts even “Christian concerts” the music is kept at decibels from 110-140. Exposing yourself to this level of sound for more than a minute can cause permanent hearing damage.
Turning the volume down may keep hearing loss from being a problem but even if you don’t listen to your music loud you should consider the next few things I have to say.
A study in New Jersey proved that the brain cells of animals actually become deformed if they are placed under the constant rhythm of the rock beat. Scientific studies show that the rock beat, on the 2nd and 4th beats of the measure, actually interfere with the normal human heart beat. This problem occurs regardless of whether the words are Christian or secular.
Another reason for not listening to Rock music is found in Romans 14:21. This verse says that it is not good to do anything that would cause another brother to stumble, to be offended or to be made weak.
A Christian man named Stephen Maphosah who had been trained to use beat to worship the demonic in his life prior to meeting Christ, evaluated ten individual “Contemporary Christian” music sample tapes and classified them all as being unacceptable to be listened to because he said the tapes all contained a demonic beat which he was accustomed to using in his old ancestral worship of Evil spirits
A Christian brother in Russia, who was imprisoned 15 years for his faith explained that Rock music was used against him day and night to destroy his faith. You can imagine how he felt when Christians from America brought “Christian Rock Music” into his country in our attempts to appeal to the young people of Russia. The music became so much of a problem that in 1993 the Russian Parliament passed laws restricting western missionaries from coming to their country because of the use of this kind of music.
Because of Scriptural examples-
Because the “rock beat” is a proven addiction-
Because the rock the rock beat damages hearing, brain cells, and heart function- and because it damages other believers, I exhort you to remove rock music of any kind from your life and to appeal to your church leaders to remove it from your church.
For more information on this subject I would suggest you read:
Why I left the Contemporary Christian Music Movement
~Dan Lucarini
How to Conquer the Addiction of Rock Music
~Written by Youth Who have Found Freedom
Music in the Mind ~I can't remember who wrote it!
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3 comments:
can I borrow or excerpt this post on rock music sometime, I think it could be useful to a firend or my kids.
yes I am still a dead- head an dlove Jimi Hendrix albums, but i see the difference in my mood when I listen to some thing of quality like classical.
Yes sir,
You may borrow or do whatever you wish with this stuff. This was part of a speach written for a toastmasters meeting one year. I am sure that not all the material or the ideas are mine.
They came from the sources listed. There might even be a few unlisted sources but by the time I decided to add it to my computer collection it had been years since I had written it out and I couldn't remember where I got all the information.
I basically just put the ideas together. Feel free to share it with whoever you wish. One of these days I may rewrite it a bit so that it is more explanitory without as much kick.
I was rather passionate about things when I wrote that! :)
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