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Mar. 6th, 2006 04:03 pm
christian bands
Here's my thoughts on christian "rock" bands.
First of all, you have to know that i used to be very Christian. I went to church every sunday, participated in youth group every wednesday, sang in choirs and played bells in the bell choir. I was at church 3 days a week, if not more (not that going to church implies some level of Christianity).
My first venture on the internet was my Christian rock website, called Jesus Freak Central. I was into all of the tooth & nail and solid state records bands. Mxpx was my favorite. I was also into dc talk, newsboys, five iron frenzy, and the supertones.
These days, Christian bands just annoy me. Besides the fact that I've 'had it' with organized religion, the whole idea that a band is labeled by its religious beliefs isn't very welcoming. But I do think there is a two-way street...
Raised in a small town, it's no surprise that i was very religiously involved. The true reason i listened to these bands was because i wasn't allowed to listen to mainstream music. The first CD I ever had was Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish. I recieved it as a gift. My overly religious dad took it and it threw it out, claiming it was mainstream and from the devil.
Yes, Hootie and the Blowfish. From the devil. I was also homeschooled to protect my precious Christian mind from the evils of .... my peers.
But that would all change for me. After my dad's weekly conservative-biased newspaper went under, my brother, sister and I would leave the small town life and move to our mother's house in Indianapolis.
I found myself in a completely different environment. I moved from a town with very little diversity (I knew of one black family, and nobody that wasn't Christian) to the city - where diversity flourishes. Plus, my mother actually trusted me. She let me listen to whatever music I wanted. I didn't have to go to church if I didn't want to. I was free to make my own decisions.
So I did. I very slowly gave up on my Christian bands because I found better music, and was even allowed to listen to them (!!).
I've learned that the more religious an area is, the more likely it is to be unaccepting and judgemental. And don't get me wrong - I'm not blaming religion. It just so happens that when everyone knows each other, you get a lot more judging going on. Everyone might get the message "though shalt not judge" in church, but even the church judges these days. Judging is in their best interests to keep moral elitists on their side.
But back to Christian rock. It sure does annoy me these days, but it gave me an outlet in that small town. Music is extremely diverse. There are so many scenes of music because there are so many kinds of people. I can tell you as a DJ that not everyone feels the same beat.
Christian rock gave me the ability to feel the beat I needed to at that stage of my life. It was either that or listen to church music all the time, and that just doesn't fit the mood of a 14 year old very well.
Do I hate Christian rock? No, it's just not my thing, nor my beat.
PS: the idea of Christian Hardcore is just rediculous. They're trying to market the idea that being Christian is a hardcore thing to do...kind of like how hardcore it was of Jesus to die for our sins. Yeahhhh. I think it's just silly. But um, I promise I'm not an asshole.
First of all, you have to know that i used to be very Christian. I went to church every sunday, participated in youth group every wednesday, sang in choirs and played bells in the bell choir. I was at church 3 days a week, if not more (not that going to church implies some level of Christianity).
My first venture on the internet was my Christian rock website, called Jesus Freak Central. I was into all of the tooth & nail and solid state records bands. Mxpx was my favorite. I was also into dc talk, newsboys, five iron frenzy, and the supertones.
These days, Christian bands just annoy me. Besides the fact that I've 'had it' with organized religion, the whole idea that a band is labeled by its religious beliefs isn't very welcoming. But I do think there is a two-way street...
Raised in a small town, it's no surprise that i was very religiously involved. The true reason i listened to these bands was because i wasn't allowed to listen to mainstream music. The first CD I ever had was Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish. I recieved it as a gift. My overly religious dad took it and it threw it out, claiming it was mainstream and from the devil.
Yes, Hootie and the Blowfish. From the devil. I was also homeschooled to protect my precious Christian mind from the evils of .... my peers.
But that would all change for me. After my dad's weekly conservative-biased newspaper went under, my brother, sister and I would leave the small town life and move to our mother's house in Indianapolis.
I found myself in a completely different environment. I moved from a town with very little diversity (I knew of one black family, and nobody that wasn't Christian) to the city - where diversity flourishes. Plus, my mother actually trusted me. She let me listen to whatever music I wanted. I didn't have to go to church if I didn't want to. I was free to make my own decisions.
So I did. I very slowly gave up on my Christian bands because I found better music, and was even allowed to listen to them (!!).
I've learned that the more religious an area is, the more likely it is to be unaccepting and judgemental. And don't get me wrong - I'm not blaming religion. It just so happens that when everyone knows each other, you get a lot more judging going on. Everyone might get the message "though shalt not judge" in church, but even the church judges these days. Judging is in their best interests to keep moral elitists on their side.
But back to Christian rock. It sure does annoy me these days, but it gave me an outlet in that small town. Music is extremely diverse. There are so many scenes of music because there are so many kinds of people. I can tell you as a DJ that not everyone feels the same beat.
Christian rock gave me the ability to feel the beat I needed to at that stage of my life. It was either that or listen to church music all the time, and that just doesn't fit the mood of a 14 year old very well.
Do I hate Christian rock? No, it's just not my thing, nor my beat.
PS: the idea of Christian Hardcore is just rediculous. They're trying to market the idea that being Christian is a hardcore thing to do...kind of like how hardcore it was of Jesus to die for our sins. Yeahhhh. I think it's just silly. But um, I promise I'm not an asshole.
