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[Baron of Beef]

It's in many 80s films, and is a something that alludes to extremely devoted and orthodox Christians for comedy relief in media like TV, Movies and other things (watch King of the Hill s02e04 for example). While I do know that christian rock is a thing, there are still those that maintain their view that Rock music is the devil's music. So, what is the reasoning behind these remarks, and does it still get tossed around among the Christian community"

[jimwalton]

Well, rock music isn't the devil's music. We look back at that stuff now (the preaching of the 80s) and just snicker. Silliness.

It was said at the time that the backbeat (emphasis on 2 and 4) came out of African animism, and therefore was a rhythmic pattern inspired by Satanic pursuits. But that's ridiculous. Rhythms aren't "satanic."

It was said at the time that the tempo of rock music (at about 70 bpm) was set to coincide with the human heartbeat, and that's why we like it so much, so much so that it "takes control over us." But that's ridiculous. Lots of music is set at about 70 bpm, and it doesn't take control over us.

It was said at the time that the lyrics were sexualized, encouraging thoughts that aren't godly. Well, a lot of that was true. The music of the 60s and on did have a lot of sexual innuendo and drug references. Rap music had a lot of violence and misogyny in it. Pop and rock music still does have a lot of ungodly stuff in it. But in that case it's not the "rock" that's the problem, but the lyrics.

When it comes right down to it, the making of good and beautiful music is not the sole prerogative of Christians while the making of ugly music is left to the wicked. As much as some Christians try to make this out to be the case, it's just not true. No one can say that certain kinds of music are good or Christian, and other kinds of music are "the devil's music". Music is morally neutral. There is no such thing as moral music or immoral music. It all depends what you do with it that makes it like that. The real issue is with us, not with the music.

[Baron of Beef]

Yeah, as far as christianity in the 80s is concerned (and maybe decades before that), they didn't exactly treat anything culturally foreign with respect. You can ask them about halloween and they would scream it's satanic right there and then. It's a shame that some of these people are still around but it's a very small population. Today different things are said to be possessed by the devil which brings up the question how do they get the impression that they are. Other than going to a church whose pastor misinterprets the bible in the most bizarre ways, or he just says some crazy stuff off the top of his head. These days it's video games, porn, homosexuality, action movies, pokemon, yu gi oh, digimon, and hinduism lol.

[jimwalton]

Yeah, some Christians always have to find some kind of cultural whipping boy to point their finger at and say, "SEE???? That's the DEVIL, all right..." I agree that it's a very small population. That's not to say that Satan is not alive and well (which I believe he is) and active in the world (which I believe he is), but to say that rock music is the devil's music is, well, as I said, just dumb.

[Baron of Beef]

I am not a believer in the devil as an actual entity that orchestrates all the evil in the world and gladly takes credit for it, but believe him to be more of a symbol, of different meanings to different people. Satanists, LaVeyan Satanists which are non-theistic, view the devil as a symbol of what humans truly are—animals. It also serves as a reminder of how similar we are with the other animals that inhibit the earth, and Christians who view him as a figure that is responsible for all of the evil in the world. I have an understanding of both views, but I am not a believer in him as an actual entity, and I think the symbolic take isn't a hundred percent true. Allow me to explain.

Noted author H.P. Lovecraft wrote "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest type of fear is fear of the unknown." I couldn't have framed it better myself. Humans are curious creatures and we hate it when our curiosities go unsatisfied. Because of this we have created beings and entities to explain the world around us from the oldest of times. We often ask ourselves why so many bad things happen in the world. It's a scary thought since many of us don't understand how evil works and what makes people do evil deeds in the first place. We invented the devil and his many other incarnations to blame for these events. Having something to attribute to evil, in this case the devil, makes these events less scary since we have an explanation for these acts instead of a blank slate that keeps us scratching our heads and afraid because we simply don't understand. I study evil (to an extent; I have a deep interest in psychology) and have a keen understanding of it and I am not as terrified as I used to be when I find myself faced against an evil person or a scary event. I believe we shouldn't be questioning why a deity allows so much evil to happen, but instead ask how evil works, what its on switch is so we know how to turn it off, and how to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

[jimwalton]

Thanks for sharing what you believe. I agree with what Lovecraft said in your quote. Fear is both a devastating emotion as well as a force for survival in a hostile world. Fear has as many beneficial components to it as it does disadvantageous ones. And while fear does motivate people to manufacture both sources and reasons, allowing them to cope with their insecurities, we have no evidence to convince us that all spiritual beings, thoughts, theologies and explanations are the fictitious fabrications of fearful folks (oh, I just LOVE that alliteration!!). That's a conclusion of yours, but there's no evidence to back it up. While I agree that people make up stuff to try to live with their fears, we can't always prove what is made up and what has actual substance to it, especially in the spiritual realm. I happen to believe that Satan is a real entity, that demons are real, and that there are both spiritual beings and spiritual realities. You don't believe in those things, and that's your choice. I also agree that we should try to understand how evil works, its "on" and "off" switch, and preventing it as much as possible. Those are humane and rational pursuits.