Is it ok for a Catholic to listen to these musicians / bands?

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ag11 said:
Is it ok for a Catholic to listen to these musicians/bands? Is it sinful to be a “fan” of any of these? :
  1. Bob Marley (although he references Rasta-ism a lot – I find it hard to “sing along” to some lines)
  2. Jimi Hendrix
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. The Eagles
  5. The Who
  6. The Beatles
  7. Guns N Roses
  8. KISS
  9. Pink Floyd
  10. AC DC (i really dont know about this one)
  11. Metallica
  12. Aerosmith
  13. Bon Jovi
  14. U2
Yes or No? Your thoughts?

Thanks
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  1. I personally don’t find Bob Marley as sinful because his music good, I have a few albums myself, but I’m not sure how to to say that Bob Marley is good to everyone. So I would say that if you have any personal objections to his music or can’t listen to his lyrics for religious or moral reasons than don’t listen to his stuff.
  2. As a musician, I find his music good. He does sing about drugs I think but I just ignore it.
  3. No
  4. No
  5. No
  6. No
  7. I don’t know.
  8. I’m not sure.
  9. No
  10. What makes you not sure about this one? There are some things that might be offensive to some Catholics so you’re not sure then I wouldn’t listen.
  11. I don’t know but for me I don’t listen because I’m not a fan.
  12. I’m not a fan of Aerosmith bu I do like a few songs of theirs. I don’t think those few song are sinful but they might be to others.
  13. Don’t know.
  14. No.
 
truetofaith said:
What Kool-Aid are you drinking? :eek:

I just listened to “Highway to Hell” - AC/DC…How can this song “carry you away to God?” It calls on satan, the singer wants to be in hell with his friends, he headed for the promised land…
I must admit, the devil is slick…the song has a catchy tune & driving beat that lures you right in.
Definitely not on a religious person’s play list! :tsktsk:
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Because music can produce overwhelmingly strong emotional responses in people. Music can fill you with joy and music can make you feel alive. People have different tastes is all. I don’t listen to AC/DC simply because heavy metal is cheesy and contrived, but to each their own. I’m not a superstitious person and I never have been, and I would like to encourage OP and let him or her know that it’s okay to explore music and literature and art and not feel ashamed for doing so. We’re Catholics and we have that freedom. I say go for it, OP, find out what it is you like and enjoy it!🙂
 
truetofaith said:
Some of those groups, for example The Beatles & The Eagles have songs with questionable lyrics & some songs that are perfectly innocent. If the song is offensive to me like “Hotel Calif.” I concentrate on the music & not the words.
If the lyrics are not influencing you to follow a bad lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any sin in enjoying the music. :whistle:
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What’s offensive about “Hotel California”? :confused:
 
VeritasLuxMea said:
What’s offensive about “Hotel California”? :confused:
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There is a certain idea long floated about that Hotel California is about Satanism. Some people still believe that, even though it has no foundation in reality. 🤷

For me, that’s the only Eagles song I like. 😛
 
Joe_5859 said:
There is a certain idea long floated about that Hotel California is about Satanism. Some people still believe that, even though it has no foundation in reality. 🤷

For me, that’s the only Eagles song I like. 😛
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Same people who probably still think KISS stands for Knights in Satans Service :rolleyes:
 
There are several factors her to look at concerning the spiritual realm. First of all, any songs that go directly against God and glorify evil actions should be avoided. This is common sense. No Christian worthy of the name would go around singing, “I’m on a highway to hell” or “Hey Satan payed my dues.” The song was written about touring and partying. Not an exemplar of Christian virtue.

It is also very well known that many of these bands were involved in the occult and satanism. Jimmy Page for example was a huge fan of Alister Crowley, as the Beatles were. Their music is also tainted with their fascination with this stuff. This does not mean that you must shun all of the songs from these bands, but it does mean you should be selective about what you let enter into your mind.

Secondly, choosing what music one listens to matures as one grows in the spiritual life. Listening to your favorite bands becomes less and less important as time goes on. You begin to desire more peaceful and virtuous music such as Chant and classical music, which raises the intellect and does not arouse the passions. I thought that the writer above who said that if you can’t sing it with Jesus, its probably not worthy of listening to, is a good place to start.
 
Joe_5859 said:
There is a certain idea long floated about that Hotel California is about Satanism. Some people still believe that, even though it has no foundation in reality. 🤷

For me, that’s the only Eagles song I like. 😛
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Tequila Sunrise is nice although is about waking up with a hangover, I guess.
Desperado & Peaceful Easy Feeling are pretty tame.

Great group! 👍
 
ag11 said:
Is it ok for a Catholic to listen to these musicians/bands? Is it sinful to be a “fan” of any of these? :
  1. Bob Marley (although he references Rasta-ism a lot – I find it hard to “sing along” to some lines)
  2. Jimi Hendrix
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. The Eagles
  5. The Who
  6. The Beatles
  7. Guns N Roses
  8. KISS
  9. Pink Floyd
  10. AC DC (i really dont know about this one)
  11. Metallica
  12. Aerosmith
  13. Bon Jovi
  14. U2
Yes or No? Your thoughts?

Thanks
Click to expand...
It all depends. If you’re listening to music for the appreciation of the song and its artistic merits, then one could argue that nothing is really off limits. There are countless examples of songs that are incredibly well-crafted from a technical standpoint but whose lyrics don’t convey messages that mesh with Christian living. As a musician myself, I will listen to songs I don’t agree with in order to study the way in which they were constructed. But I won’t use those songs as means to entertain myself.

I am a strong believer that we have a duty to not entertain ourselves with impure things. What we feed our ears and eyes will make its way into our heads and hearts and Jesus did warn us that it is what is in our hearts that makes us unclean.

A previous poster talked about how if a song moves you to just go with it. That, no offense to the one who said it, is horrible, dangerous advice. Feelings and emotions can be very deceiving. So, just because something moves you doesn’t mean you should be going with it.

As for the particular artists you have mentioned, while none of them promote clear Christian messages, I can say that I find artistic inspiration in the songs of The Beatles, Hendrix, The Who, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. Among those bands and artists there are songs that should probably not be listened to, but there is also a lot to be studied and enjoyed.
 
truetofaith said:
Tequila Sunrise is nice although is about waking up with a hangover, I guess.
Desperado & Peaceful Easy Feeling are pretty tame.

Great group! 👍
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Take it to the Limit is also a great (and really underrated) song. I think it was only one on which Randy Meisner sang lead.
 
AsceticHermit said:
There are several factors her to look at concerning the spiritual realm. First of all, any songs that go directly against God and glorify evil actions should be avoided. This is common sense. No Christian worthy of the name would go around singing, “I’m on a highway to hell” or “Hey Satan payed my dues.” The song was written about touring and partying. Not an exemplar of Christian virtue.

It is also very well known that many of these bands were involved in the occult and satanism. Jimmy Page for example was a huge fan of Alister Crowley, as the Beatles were. Their music is also tainted with their fascination with this stuff. This does not mean that you must shun all of the songs from these bands, but it does mean you should be selective about what you let enter into your mind.

Secondly, choosing what music one listens to matures as one grows in the spiritual life. Listening to your favorite bands becomes less and less important as time goes on. You begin to desire more peaceful and virtuous music such as Chant and classical music, which raises the intellect and does not arouse the passions. I thought that the writer above who said that if you can’t sing it with Jesus, its probably not worthy of listening to, is a good place to start.
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Wait, doesn’t Classical music arouse the passions though?
 
AsceticHermit said:
In general, no it does not as rock music does. No comparison.
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Um, yes, actually, yes there is a comparison to be had. For one thing, Hitler was a huge fan of classical (Wagner, anyone?) For another, a quick Google search of key words “classical music, sex” yielded numerous results: among them, a list of “Top 5 Sex-Obsessed Movies Scored to Classical Music” - Eyes Wide Shut, Age of Innocence, The Piano Teacher, Closer, and the forthcoming 50 Shades of Gray adaptation.

“Rock” music isn’t “romantic,” for lack of a better word. If it’s not “romantic,” it’s not going to arouse any passions. Classical, OTOH and clearly - clearly - is demonstrably romantic which lends itself to all the wrong passions in all the way “rock” doesn’t.

🍿
 
AsceticHermit said:
In general, no it does not as rock music does. No comparison.
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I was wondering if you are serious with this statement. Classical Music has been used as emotion long before rock was even dreamed of. Wars have been won because of it. Movements started, anthems written propaganda spewed, and tears shed.

Do you know the history of musical influence in political areas? It makes “rock the vote” look like the joke it is.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
I was wondering if you are serious with this statement. Classical Music has been used as emotion long before rock was even dreamed of. Wars have been won because of it. Movements started, anthems written propaganda spewed, and tears shed.
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+1.** Classical music is Satan’s war horse.** The fact that ADULTS tend to like classical music more than KIDS doesn’t negate that the fact that classical music can arouse sinful behavior in ADULTS the same way, if not more sinfully and shamefully, that rock music (supposedly) arouses those passions in KIDS.
 
randomuser said:
+1.** Classical music is Satan’s war horse.** The fact that ADULTS tend to like classical music more than KIDS doesn’t negate that the fact that classical music can arouse sinful behavior in ADULTS the same way, if not more sinfully and shamefully, that rock music (supposedly) arouses those passions in KIDS.
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Satan can & does use everything to cause us to sin! He used scripture to tempt Jesus.

Classical music can arouse sinful behavior but it doesn’t have lyrics, which is a big factor in leading us astray.
 
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