Go for gospel music

Rev L Simon Raomai *

Gospel musicial festival at MBC Centre Church on May 26 2013 :: pix - TSE

Rock music is in the air virtually everywhere today. It is a captivate music culture which originated from western world. It is popularized from packed sports arena to advertisements that peddle everything from movie sound tracks and television programmes to the pulsating rhythm that reverberate within the four walls of our own homes.

Rock Music is the most underestimate influence on young people in the music industry. Star TV which enjoys a viewership of about 8 millions people in India has been rightly accused of instigating violence and sex related crimes. We ought also to realise that music of the present generation has an equally harmful effect on our youth.

Increased drug abuse, sexual immorality, religious infidelity and violence are partly due to the impact of new forms of Rock music that have become the crazy of the young present generation.

It is sad fact that what we have today are only perverted forms of Rock music that originated in the mid 50's in the US and west Europe. By the end of 1960s, the electronic technology brought in highly amplified musical instrument which replaced the pianos, saxophones and homes that were in common use. Rock music thus transformed from mild to moral harsh tunes.

The blatant of the rock musician disregard for religion is manifested in the various occult practices, they practice free sex, homosexuality, and also used hallucinogues like LSD, marijuana, hashish, and masculine which serves as social catalysts. They also practice witchcraft, necromancy, necrophillo and even satan worship. These people came to be popular known as "Hippies".

The Hippie culture spread so fast that Rock groups began to adopt elements of their life-styles and even propagated them through their sough, though the Hippies became less known as the years rolled by, rock groups like Eagles, Kiss (Knight in Satan's Service) and MDC (Millions of Dawn Christians) began to assimilate much of the 'hippie culture.They even professed alliance to satanic cults. Some rock performers became numbers of the church of Satan in San Francisco.

There are two types of Western Music becoming increasingly popular in our land. Hard Rock and Heavy Rock. The former consists of incessant beats on the drums for protracted periods of time while the latter gets its name from the sharp metallic sound produced most rock groups seek to revolutionize the world with their gospel of free sex, drug abuse and rebellion.

Our youth may argue that mere listening to such music does not affect them. But the fact is it does. Dr. Adam Knieste a musicologist who studies the effects of music upon people states, "it is a powerful drug, music can poison you, lift your spirits, or make you sick without you knowing why! Rock fans may be also surprised to know that since the 1970s a new technique entered the field of music backward making.

A technique by which subliminal messages are reversed and these led into the main music track in such a way that when the tape is played on reverse a totally different message is conveyed. And what are these messages? Praise to the Satan, blasphemy to the Church and Christ and so on. James Yaroll, a noted Brain researcher holds that the human brain has the ability to scan. Pick up an translate any message in reverse, even at subliminal level, eventually incorporating them into the conscious sector of the brain automatically.

There is a growing evidence that certain forms of rock music have a negative influence on one's ability to think and learn. People can be unconsciously manipulated by music. The well known rock genius Jimi Hendrix himself testifies to this fact, 'I can explain better music. You can hypnotise people to where they go back to their natural state, and when you set people at their weakest point, you can preach in to their subconscious… "Music is also a very powerful 'encoder' a term is psychology which refers to that which helps us determine the way one perceives and thinks of the world. More precisely, music has an impact on the subconscious strata of our mind.

If foul language has become common on school and college campuses, it is largely due to the influence of rock songs which have them in high concentration. The indecent fashion of rock stars are being emulated by our youngsters which is why we see tattoos on their bodies andwe also see any sporting crosses on their ears.

A closer look at these crosses may reveal a satanic symbol on the reverse. There are some youth who minimized their clothing to arouse sexual feelings in others like their rock stars do. There are some groups like the Frogs that propagate homosexuality.

The growing infidelity among young Christians is due to the impact of some rock groups like the Thrill Kill Kult, which at times create an assault on the spiritual realm of the mind by their lyrics and music especially if listening to for long at high volumes.

The son of Jesus' by Jefferson Airplane is filled with sacrilege suggesting among other things that Christ was involved with the occult while MDC's album compares the Blood of Christ to a popular liquor. If Satan could sing, he'd probably sound like Mick Jagger articles. Time Magazines (August 8, 94).

MTV (Now VTV), the music channel of star TV, with a viewership of over 3.4 million people in India (mostly youth) has given further impetus to the dangerous in Heavy metal and Hard Rock Music through graphic obscenities. A new category of music called the 'Head Bangers Series, promotes banging heads on something while listening.

The American Academy of pediatrics consisting of 36, 000 pediatricians claims that the average teenager listens to and watches 11, 000 hours of rock music and rock videos, which of rock music and rock videos, which is twice the time they spend in class. If this is the glaring reality of the Western world, it may soon be the case in our region too.

What have we done to check this will influence on our youth? Virtually nothing. During a talk to a prominent Christian leader on the subject, I was surprised to learn that practically most of the Christian leaders and pastors had the slightest idea of the impact of such forms of music.

There were some teachers who even claimed to have unknowingly encouraged their students to use audio tapes of this sort school functions. It we elders, educated leaders, and parents are unaware of the threatening realities of music, we cannot hope to guide the younger generation to safe listening and watching of such audios and videos music.

Our Christian schools and private schools will do well to alert their students on the harmful effects of 'present generation rock music'. Beside they should nurture in them a deeper sense of reverence for Christ the Church and its teachings for it is because of our 'little faith' that we become easily susceptible to this growing evil. Children should be strongly discouraged by the parents and elders from becoming 'rock fans'.

This could be done only by keeping a constant check on the amount of any rock music and rock videos they listen and watch. Mere discouraging them from listening to such music will not solve the problem. Rather, alternative form of music like gospel music, country music, indigenous music should be encouraged to sing or listen.

Inorder to cope with the rock music culture some Christian societies/Churches have produced hymns and choruses in Rock forms. We must teach our children to seek only that which is "honourable, just, pure, lovely, whatever is gracious if there is anything worthy of praise…" (Puill. 4:8)

This is the reason why the Manipur Baptist Convention Centre Church is organizing a Gospel Music Celebration, a musical Fest on Sunday, the 26th May, 2013 to provide a platform and to promote the promising young Gospel singers and choreographers inorder to drive them from pop and rock to Gospel music. Let us go for Gospel Music!