Doesn't your belief compel you not to listen to music like
Dream Theater? I'm sure you will not agree with some of
DT's lyrics. Look at Lie and Scarred carefully.
Or Scenes From a Memory's theme of reincarnation.
Just was curious. DON'T STOP LISTENING TO DT. THEY RULE!!!!!
W____________
My
Answer:
Dear W________,
No, my belief does not forbid me to do this at all. Of
course, I don't agree with all of DT's lyrics from a theological
perspective, but from an artistic perspective, I think they
are great! And believe me, I look and listen to all their
songs carefully -- primarily because they are my favorite
group of all time. I do think that I can learn something
from everyone and from every experience -- even from the experiences
related in songs like Lie and Scarred. Indeed, it is my
Christian belief in sin and its overpowering effects in
human lives and relationships that makes these songs even
more appropo and compelling!
And of course, I believe in resurrection rather than reincarnation.
But even though DT is not giving the right answers does
not mean they are not asking the right questions. They are
surely asking the right questions! For example, the words
from The Spirit Carries On:
"Where do we come from? Why are
we here? Where do we go when we die?"
I'd much rather listen to a band singing about these issues
of monumental importance than listen to some teeny-bopper
talk about the gal he'd like to lay!
Anyway, rest assured, I won't stop listening to DT. They
do rule!
If you'd like to know more about my beliefs concerning
the Christian's role in engaging with culture, art, and
the world check out my RealAudio sermons entitled "Creation,
the World and Christ" at my website. I know it is a lot
to wade through, but it does clearly express my opinion
and defend my appreciation of great skill and talent in
everyone -- whether Christian or not. I also express my thoughts
concerning the Christian
Ghetto in another Ask the Pastor letter.
Finally, there is a great book entitled "What in the World
are We Doing?" by John Fischer that presents my perspective
in a clear and cogent fashion.
do you know of any other similar christian bands. ive been looking for some for a while, but without much luck. any help?
Posted by: dashrike at June 25, 2003 4:55 PM
Alright I found a band called Balance of Power. They have a kinda similar sound to DT (closer than anything else I've heard). Just thought I'd let you know.
I do not care about the lyrics just the music. I listen to Japanese music all the time and they might say F**k Jesus and I won't care because it has good music.
Posted by: mcc at January 2, 2005 4:21 AM
Come on people.
Step back and think, if you still can,
or were ever taught how.
God belief?? It's a silly, silly concept;
born of ignorance, fostered through hope and fear, and more ignorance.
Do you worship Zeus? Ra? Thor? Baal?
If not, realize that you and I are BOTH atheists.
I simply believe in one fewer invisible man in the sky than you do.
It's music. It stirs us emotionally, lots of stuff does. Neural chemistry folks, our perception depends on it. In fact our perception changes when the chemistry changes. Sleep, drugs, alcohol, injury, trauma, even aging.
Just remember that no complete description of the observation can be made without a description of the observer as well.
Enjoy the music, along the journey of your one mortal life. You're born, you live, you die.
Very simple. All else reflects the hopes and fears of the ignorant. Hope is fine, fear has it's uses. But ignorance? Not a worthy state of any living brain. Faith? Have faith in yourself, and in your deeds here on Earth, and their bearing on the status of your fellow man and all life on this one small planet.
The meaning of life is to get one.
Rock on. -99-
Posted by: Rational Man at February 3, 2006 4:51 AM
hey i think its great to here this issue i always listen to alot of non christian music not like satanic or anything but alot of metal (some christian ones are the crucified and believer are my favorites). any who id like to here more from the writer of this jsut to talk to if you can jsut about this subject cause i know alot of bands that are not christian yet have faithful lyrics and such my favorite band that has alot of this actually is korn if you listen and know the lyrics anyway if you ever get this comment i know the artical is very old but if you can get back to me id like to talk about it thanks. Rich: I'm grateful to hear that the short piece was encouraging to you. I believe that music, in general, is a gift from God, and that many artists glorify God through their work without even knowing it. Also, I especially appreciate the "God-haunted" bands who sing of issues that reflect upon God's presence/absence/hiddenness/mysteriousness or simply the question of God's existence in general and its relative significance. Finally, I also appreciate artists who are able to sing of the dark side of life with authenticity and passion. Too much Christian music is just too bubbly for my tastes. A good touchstone for Christian music is the wide variety of musical expressions and human emotions displayed in the Psalms. Hope this brief rant is mildly encouraging to you. Keep the faith... and God's richest blessings to you!
Posted by: Justin at April 18, 2006 10:23 PM
John Petrucci, DT's guitarist, from what I understand is a believer. Look at some of his lyrics, especially, "I walk beside you" and several of the songs off the new CD. In addition to, most likely, being the best guitar player in the world, he also is very clever at weaving very Christian principles into his lyrics. Sometimes you have to look a little deep and sometimes they are very explicit. I would most likely listen to DT anyway, but knowing there is a beliver and that Portnoy hangs out with Neal Morse, makes the listening all the better. Rich: Rock on, Robert! The new album rocks as well. It's impossible to listen to "Repentance" without thinking of the destructiveness of sin and the need to come clean.
Posted by: Robert Turner at June 13, 2007 2:11 PM
PETRA, that`s all there is to say. I have all the albums, and I like every song I listen to. They go from ballade do hard rock ^^ It`s Goooood
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