Are you listening to the very things that God hates?

akcooper · **NRTeam Beginner** Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 104

I'm talking about secular music and "Christian" music. Not all music listed as Christian music, is actually talking about the God of the Bible. So this kind of question usually gets a lot of people mad. You may say "Well the music I listen to isn't bad" but who's standards are you using? The world's? Or God's?

joanna · **NRTeam Junior** Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Posts: 461

Does it have to be talking about God all the time? Not even all of the bible is about God or what we would deem "spiritual" content. It talks about love, sex, work, food, emotions and heaps more subjects. Song of songs makes most of our christian songs look real tame! Provided the songs do not go against what the bible teaches i don't see the problem

mercury · **NRTeam Moderator** Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 988

I also choose to stay away from secular music for "food-sacrificed-to-idols" reasons. However, I am not inclined to criticize a Christian band that doesn't provide a praise and worship song on every track, or even every other track.

Like Joanna mentioned, there are topics that we need to discuss (and the Bible does discuss), if we are to understand how are faith applies to these areas of our lives. So the question is not one of content (exclusively), but of context as well. Do the songs take a scriptural approach to worldly topics?

akcooper · **NRTeam Beginner** Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 104

Phil413 · **NRTeam Beginner** Joined: 25 Dec 2007 Posts: 128

akcooper · **NRTeam Beginner** Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 104

ichiben · **NRTeam Pro** Joined: 14 Jul 2007 Posts: 979

Life is certainly to be lived completely for God and for this reason I primarily listen to Christian music. However, the idea that non-praise music must never touch your ears is absolutely ridiculous. When you say that we eat food in the morning to glorify God, I don't see how the food specifically praises God, besides the fact that He created it and gave us intelligence to develop into a meal. In that way, music is no different. He created sound waves and gave us the ability to convert them into wonderful music. In that way, secular music is just as focused on God as many everyday forms of sustinence (don't even get me started on entertainment). For this reason, if it doesn't oppose God or is otherwise offensive, I see it as completely harmless.

akcooper · **NRTeam Beginner** Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 104

Food does not have the ability to sin. In this way music is different when words come out of a person's mouth.

You said if it doesn't oppose God its harmless. Who said secular music doesn't oppose God? Anything that is not for God, opposes God. Isiaiah 64:6 says "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." Before salvation, all we knew was sin, and the Bible tells us apart from Christ we were haters of God. Why would you want to listen to and sing with the music of one who hates God?

carrtoondragon · **NRTeam Expert** Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 2199

James 5:3-12

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

That's one reason why it's important to make sure if your music is honoring God or not. Because if you listen to it: it will influence you.

tru2u4eternity · **NRTeam Newbie** Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 45

For the most part not and I'm happy that about 97% of the music I listen to is faith centered and uplifting. I call my christian music my 100% guilt free music because I hate that feeling when I listen to something that just is not good and deep down I know My father Heaven isn't a fan of it either. So i've cleaned up so much of my music and I'm very happy about it!

kylealan · **NRTeam Newbie** Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 29

A song does not have to specifically be talking about God to glorify Him. What about classical music that has no lyrics at all? Is this wrong? Of course not. Any music that can be honestly labeled as good music (it doesn't condone sinful activities or worldly ideas) glorifies God.

ichiben · **NRTeam Pro** Joined: 14 Jul 2007 Posts: 979

thank you, kylealan. perfectly clean and innocent music ( or movies or any other form of entertainment) can be made by one who does not follow God or who does, but simply chooses not to show it in his/her lyrics. I can't believe some of you think that all entertainment has to directly praise God or it is evil and poisons those who listen to it. akcooper, do you watch secular movies or read secular books? I'm sure you have had to read school textbooks that did not praise God. Since they contain words that do not praise God, are they deserving of your condemnation as well?

John_11-44 · **NRTeam Newbie** Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 8

Didn't Jesus condem the Pharises because they were so tied up in "The Law". I don't listen to much secular music although I used to. I don't condem anyone for listening to it, but I choose not to most of the time. Mostly I got sick of all the negativity.

I am finding a lot of bands who are Christian, but not "Christian Bands" and I enjoy them because I don't have to worry about all that negativity. They don't get all preachy, but they are positive and provide a positive influence in the world.

You will not "Win anyone over" by being selfritious and condeming everyone. But if you Live your christian life, and people see Christ reflected in you they will want to know what it is you have.

BEK2500 · **NRTeam Pro** Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 859

I listen to Christian music and I try my best to stay away from secular music.

One time I was at my friends house and her mom's bf had some music playing that was very quetionable. I had to leave and I did. I told her why(it was because of the music). She understood and we are still really good friends to this day. She knows I'm a Christian and I didn't think it was very safe for me to be listening to music like that.
For me music is very very powerful and when used in the worng way(not used to glorify God) it can possibly be dangerous.

Oh, and one more thing. I can't stand it when people say that they're just listening to the beat/tune of a song and they don't think that the beat/tune can do anything(like be dangerous or safe). Well let me tell you what it can and it does do a lot.
In fact I found myself just yesterday doing it. I heard a(not so bad but not so good)song and I couldn't remember the lyrics but I could remember the beat and the tune. After a while I was singing the lyrics. All of them.
Oh what the human mind can do.

I don't think that its right to condem people for the kind of music that they chose to listen to, but that does not mean that we just let it go and listen along with them. I believe that God wants us as Chirstians to listen to music that glorifies Him and Him alone. I also believe that what makes music "good" or "bad" is the heart of the person writing it.

Siobhan · **NRTeam Novice** Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 63