God Condemns Rock Music

Rock Music should never be employed in any worship service or fellowship group meetings, not only because it fails to be beautiful and holy, but as a matter of fact, Rock and Roll is not even music!

Leonard J. Seidel in “Face the Music – Contemporary Music On Trial,” pp. 46-51 says "True godly music will be composed of three elements - all in perfect balance with each other. They are: melody, harmony, and rhythm. Rock "music" has NO MELODY only fragments of melody endlessly repeated (ie. Anapestic beat). Since there is no true melody, there is no real harmony. There is ONLY RHYTHM. And rhythm in and of itself is NOT music." If there is no true melody or harmony in Rock music as Seidel suggests which qualifies Rock music as music, then what IS IT? Technically, Rock and Roll is just NOISE and NOT MUSIC. Who said it? Mick Jagger of Rolling Stones, a popular Rock and Roll star in the 80s and 90s, proudly asserts, "It\'s a NOISE we make. That\'s all. You could be kind and call it music." (Roy Carr, The Rolling Stones - An Illustrated Record, p. 37)

If Rock Music emphasizes that HARD, driving BEAT, which it does, what instrument do you hear more than any other in Rock Music that pounds out that heavy BEAT? It is the DRUM. Does the Bible specifically give us a green light for the Drum to be used for worship? Psalm 150:3-5 gives us a list of very complete musical instrument used for praising God in the worship setting: “Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals” (ie. there are 8 different music instruments mentioned).

One may search the Scriptures through and through, but he would never find Bible mentions about using of DRUMS for worship. Some may argue, “It is because DRUMS was NOT invented yet or NOT popularly used during those days – then you are wrong. Drum was a very common instrument in Egypt and the lands around Israel during the days of king David, and yet the DRUM is NEVER mentioned – WHY? Well, get ready for another blow! Because drums have always been associated with occult or Shamans (ie. tribal pagan priests) for summoning evil spirits. Does this sound too farfetched and hard to accept? Then read the following quotations:

Miranda Bruce-Mitford in “The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols,” 1996 p.80 says, "[The drum] represents the beat of the heart and is played to summon up magic powers."

Danny Sugerman in “Appetite for Destruction,” p. 208 says, "The shaman was the original \'long hair\', the first rock star draped in leather, dancing POSSESSED to a rhythm banged out on A DRUM."

Louise Tythacott in “Musical Instruments,” Thomas Learning, 1995, p. 37 says, “In Siberia, in northern Asia, drums are used in shamanic rituals to heal people. It is believed that the shaman can communicate with the spirit world THROUGH DRUMMING.”

Lowell Hart in “Satan\'s Music Exposed,” Salem Kirban Inc., 1980 p.71 says, "Pagan dances and rituals are always accompanied by the incessant BEAT of DRUMS. Rhythm plays a major role in these demonic activities."

Some may still argue, “These are all probably quotations taken from people who are Christians or pro-Christians.” This is not true. Most of extracts above are quoted by people who are NOT even Christians (i.e. Danny Sugerman, Louise Tythacott, Miranda Bruce-Mitford). Just to further silence the objection that some may have, here is one more testimony of a Shaman (i.e. one who summons evil spirits), which reveals further chilling truth about the use of Drums relating to shamanism and occultism. The following is taken from an episode from the occult, new-age magazine, New Age Journal, describing the "possessing" power of drums. In the following quotation, it is reveled that even the devotees of the occult stay away from those drums: "….If I ever really gave in to those DRUMS, my life would change in ways I\'m NOT prepared to take on,\' he had added. I knew what he was talking about. It was all there in the drumming. Listen long enough, and some energy field, some kind of interconnectedness, became palpable. I was hungry for those drums. Yet I still ran from them." (Taken from “A Shaman\'s Story,” by Elizabeth Hanly (A Vodoun priest leads the author on a journey of understanding, New Age Journal, March/April 1997 pp.56-57)

If you are still NOT convinced about what the writer says about usage of drums, here are three more testimonies from the Rock and Roll world which also testify of the shocking and quivering truth: 

Robert Palmer is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone and other rock magazines who in “Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History,” Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.46 says, “Bata drums [drums used in voodoo], sacred to the Yoruba people of Nigeria and Cuba: Their push and pull provided a template for the inner rhythms of rock and roll.”

Danny Sugerman, another authority on rock music, and author of several books on rock in Appetite for Destruction p.208 and 181 says, “The shaman was the original ‘long hair (ie. rock stars)’, the first rock star draped in leather, dancing possessed to a rhythm banged out on a DRUM. . . To these people, communication with the gods was synonymous with DRUMS . . .the body can become the conduit for a deity, a deity NOT necessarily the same sex as the worshiper, and DRUMS are the catalyst for the whole process. The trance of the RHYTHM then begets the hysteria, which begets what Westerners simplistically call ‘possession’.”

Little Richard, the self-professed “architect of rock ’n roll”, readily admits Satan’s control and influence in his life and rock music:  “My true belief about Rock ‘n’ Roll — is this: I believe this kind of music is demonic . . . A lot of the BEATS in music today are taken from voodoo, from the voodoo DRUMS.” (Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, p. 197) 

It is quite obvious that God disapproves Rock and Roll music to be employed by Christians either in worship or in fellowship group settings because Rock music is closely associated voodoos, shamanism and occultism. To conclude that Rock and Roll Music is of the Devil and is condemned by God is not an overstatement. Therefore, let us offer to our God music of sweet melody, not the fleshly rhythmic beat that pleases human flesh or glorifies the devil. Having mentioned some of the negative aspects about the rhythm of the music, it must be noted that rhythm is needed in music. Despite this, rhythm should never be the dominant component that drives any piece of music, including sacred music. I shall end with Leonard J. Seidel saying again, "True godly music will be composed of three elements - all in perfect balance with each other. They are: melody, harmony, and rhythm.” May God help us and grant us the wisdom and discernment to praise and worship Him with spiritual music that glorifies and honours Him alone, the most Holy and Sacred Creator of the Universe, the King of kings and the Lord of lords who alone is worthy of all our worship!

Pastor Weng

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