I'm taking a detour from my initial idea for this blog to simply be a metal debate forum, so that I can write on a topic that has long been on my heart. I love music, I mean, I freakin' LOVE music. This is good and bad. It's good because God created music and we can use it to praise Him and show Him how much we love Him and are grateful for what He has done for us. It is a key component in worship. On the other hand, Music for me has often been and idol that I replace God with.
So here is the core of my topic today: Every time I have begun to worship an artists and idolize them, it has been a secular artist. This fact has caused a great and terrible internal debate that I have struggled with and not yet gained peace about. On the one hand it seems like a simple fix. If secular music is the object of my idol worship, stop listening to it; instead only listen to Christian music. Then I think though, I know it isn't a sin in and of itself to listen to secular music, and most of my favorite artists are secular. The spiritual side of me then reminds me that this life is fleeting, and that I'm not going to take my music with me to heaven anyway, so I just need to steel myself and give it up even though I would rather not. OK, I can understand that it's God who fulfills me, not music, and I need to trust in Him that my innate desire for the music styles I like will be met if I only obey Him in giving up secular music. So I go ahead and "give it up," (although I've never actually gotten rid of every last bit of secular music I have, I usually just don't listen to it).
Immediately I run into logistics problems: what do I mean when I say "secular music?" Do I include instrumental music? That has never been a problem for me, nor has most classical, most of which is instrument too, so do I include it? Should I just stop listening to the artists that I'm idolizing? And what about my two cover albums by Christian bands that cover secular songs. Do I count those albums as secular or Christian? It's a lot to iron out, so I come to some usually muddled conclusion on these questions and try to be obedient.
My next thought is that it would be easier to listen exclusively to Christian music if I could find Christian alternatives to my favorite secular bands. A recent example would be the bands Slipknot and In Flames. My search for a Christian alternative lead me then to Demon Hunter; Demon Hunter has elements of both bands but they aren't exactly like either, and the truth is I've never been able to truly give myself to full fandom. As a replacement for the aforementioned bands they fall short, and even when I listen to them for their own sake I just don't care for them that much. And it goes that way anytime I try to find a Christian replacement for my secular favorites: they fall short for not being exactly the same, and often I realize that I'm forcing myself to listen to a band I don't like just because they're Christian. It just doesn't work.
So then I've tried letting myself listen to some secular music, but make the majority of music I listen to be Christian. It work to a point, but as I said, most of my deepest favorites are secular, so even that little taste of secular music feels like temptation to just go back to listening to it fully. That doesn't feel right.
This is where I need you prayers, and advice. My goal in life is to serve the Lord and worship Him alone, so I want to serve Him in my love of music too. I don't want to worship any artists, Christian or secular. So what do I need to do to get peace on this matter? Maybe if I actually go to the extreme of getting rid of every bit of secular music I will find the peace I am looking for. Or maybe I am being way too tough on myself, and I don't need to stop listening to secular music. Instead maybe I just need to grow as a Christian and work with the Holy Spirit specifically so I don't worship any band, but my conscience just can't commit to that idea. I also have to remind myself that I already gave up listening to all secular rap and did get rid of it all, and I have done it successfully. But then rap is not my favorite style and I only had to give up one group that I really liked, so it was not too hard. Also, I have given up listening to certain artists that were in styles I like more just because I was idolizing them, and I have succeeded and had peace about those bands, with minimal temptation. If I step out in faith and actually get rid of it all, will God make it OK for me? I just want to be able to listen to the music I like without it being such a major issue in my life.
So I ask you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, what are your thoughts on this struggle of mine? Also, have any of you had any similar struggle, maybe not with music, but where it was an idol to you? How did you overcome it? All thoughts are desired.
