Ecclesiasticus I: Introducing Eastern Orthodoxy
Ecclesiasticus II: Orthodox Icons, Saints, Feasts and Prayer
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The
subject of rock ‘n’ roll has been controversial and a source of conflict
between parents and children ever since it first appeared on the scene
in the mid 1950’s. When Elvis Presley performed on the Ed Sullivan Show
for the first time in 1956, the cameras only showed him from the waist
up, because adults were offended by the way he shook his hips. The kids
loved it!
When the Beatles arrived in the mid 1960’s, parents were shocked
again this time by the mop-top haircuts. But young people were swept away
by the infectious enthusiasm of their music. After the Beatles, more shocks
were in store as groups like the Rolling Stones and the Animals popularized
a more coarse, gritty, and vulgar style of blues-influenced rock.
Still later, the psychedelic explosion brought new controversy
to the world of rock. Bands such as the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful
Dead openly lived a hippie lifestyle and freely admitted to the use of
drugs like marijuana and LSD. This was a new source of alarm for parents
as young people adopted hippie ways and the abuse of drugs became epidemic.
In the twenty years that have followed, rock ‘n’ rollers have continued
to try to keep the shock waves coming with the violent aggressiveness
of “heavy metal” rock, the open rebellion of “punk” rock, and music advocating
sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, drug abuse, and finally, Satanism,
the worship of the devil.
However, one thing has changed over the 30+ years of rock history.
People aren’t shocked much anymore. Parents aren’t alarmed much anymore.
Rock ‘n’ rollers are still putting in a mighty effort to keep the shocks
coming, but the fact is that rock has become accepted in our society.
Rock music that I would have considered radical when I was a teenager
is now commonly heard on commercials. Even an old rocker like Eric Clapton,
who spearheaded the group “Cream” in the 60’s, is shown playing live on
a beer commercial on T.V. Many parents are now content to keep their kids
quiet by letting them stay glued to MTV at home.
The question for us is, how should we, as Orthodox Christians,
and especially, as Orthodox parents, approach the subject of rock ‘n’
roll? Should we be in a continual state of alarm? Should we, as some preachers
and churches do, condemn rock as evil, forbid our children to listen to
any of it, and burn the records or tapes we might have? Or should we simply
accept rock? Should we just figure our children are good Orthodox young
people and music can’t have any bad effect on them?
How about “none of the above” for an answer?
Before we get into this, let me point out one thing. It is nearly
impossible to generalize about rock ‘n’ roll. If someone says
“rock is this,” someone else can always show an exception, and say, “no,
rock is that!” So I cannot give you a lot of easy absolutes about rock.
I can only indicate general trends in rock music. But my observations
do come from 25 years of watching the rock scene. So I’m not just “shooting
from the hip” on the subject like some preachers do, which unfortunately
only encourages rock enthusiasts to casually dismiss their criticisms.
So how do we approach rock? If we can just use one word, that word
should be “honestly.” We must be honest and unprejudiced as we attempt
to analyze it.
Viewing rock honestly means, first of all, that we can say there
is some good in rock music. The person who cares to listen closely to
rock can find examples of deep human sensitivity, elevated poetry, valid
social criticism, inspired performing, and expert musicianship. And all
of these are things that an Orthodox Christian can and should appreciate.
But more than this, occasionally in rock music, we find themes that are
genuinely biblical and Christian.
When I was a teenager, a group called the “Quicksilver Messenger
Service” did a song called “Pride of Man” about God’s judgment on sinful
human pride — full of material from the Bible. More recently, a group
called “Mister Mister” did a song called “Kyrie Eleison” — right out of
the Liturgy. Other groups like “The Call,” “U2,” and several others have
distinctly Christian and Biblical themes to much of their music. Several
groups have even done modern renditions of old hymns. So there are things
in rock music that even the strictest of us can appreciate.
But while there is some good in rock music, there is much evil.
(However, most rock music falls somewhere in between. It is not completely
good or totally evil. Like most of life, it contains some of each). And
just as we can enjoy the good, we must recognize and reject evil. I would
list some of the wrongs in rock under the following categories:
1. Sex and Lust — While male-female attraction has always
been a part of music, art, and literature, and rightly so, because it
is a normal and healthy part of life, much rock music serves to celebrate
the most crude forms of lust: casual and promiscuous sex, the use of women
purely as sex objects, bisexuality and homosexuality. For example, a video
by the group “Motley Crue” called “Girls, Girls, Girls”, takes you into
one striptease bar after another. A popular song from a year or two ago
called “Sugar Walls” is about a woman inviting a man to experience the
pleasure of her sexual organs. A song on the charts just recently stated
the message pretty bluntly: “I Want Your Sex” was the title of it. In
addition to these there are many more with a much more subtle message
that is basically the same. This is the greatest moral failing of much
rock music: It celebrates, not the marriage that God has called pure,
but the most crude forms of lust.
This fascination with crude and debased sexuality is why (I think)
we see so much androgyny or sexual confusion, among rock stars. Many male
rock personalities, following the early lead of the Rolling Stones’ Mick
Jagger, deliberately put forth a sexual image that confuses male and female
elements. They wear makeup, style their hair in a feminine way and adopt
many of the other trappings of female sexuality. Of course, this is appropriate
for much of the rock world, which seeks to cultivate an atmosphere of
unbridled lust where all normal standards and distinctions disappear.
2. Rebellion — Rebellion has been one of the key themes
of rock since the very beginning. Since rock is basically music for teenagers,
rock ‘n’ rollers have seized on and exploited the natural rebelliousness
of teens with much success. Rock has attacked parents, school, society,
Church, and even God Himself — anything that would be an impediment to
a completely uninhibited pursuit of pleasure.
I was one who went through a decidedly rebellious stage during
my teen years. Many years later, I was talking to one of my fellow rebels
about what motivated us to rebel. Looking back at it, it seemed that we
had very little reason. He then made a remark that illuminated the question.
Although he’s not what I would call a practicing Christian, he said, “You
know how people are always saying that rock music is an instrument of
the devil. I really think that it was the music that made us rebel.” The
more I thought about it, the more sense this suggestion made. After all,
when I was young, one of my favorite songs was called “It’s My Life and
I’ll Do What I Want!” Not a message that would encourage you to cooperate
very much with parents or school!
3. Violence and Aggression — A third danger in much rock
music is its appeal to violence and aggression. You can see this if you’ve
ever taken the time to watch much MTV. After the preoccupation with sex
and lust, violent and aggressive behavior is its most outstanding characteristic.
There’s a simple reason for this: Most rock is not intellectual or spiritual
music; it’s meant to connect directly with the most base and low levels
of the unconscious mind.
So-called “heavy metal” rock is a good example of this. This music
is the loudest, most abrasive, most violent and aggressive form of rock
music. Who does it appeal to? Mostly boys aged 13-18. Why does it appeal
to them? Because it connects directly with the chaotic and aggressive
forces in their minds.
This is an example of why you’ll notice a sudden and intense interest
in music in most kids today at about age 13 — just about the age of puberty.
Rock music connects immediately and directly with what they feel inside,
but in a way that bypasses their mind and understanding. All they know
is that it’s just perfect — it’s just what they always wanted without
being aware of it. And in the case of young boys, it’s because it seizes
on and gives form and substance to all that stuff in their unconscious
minds particularly their violent and aggressive tendencies.
4. Immediate gratification — A last feature of rock that
probably includes the other three is the emphasis on immediate gratification.
I won’t say much about this other than the fact that most rock does not
appeal to people to deny themselves and struggle to gain the true blessings
of life; rather, it preaches and practices immediate gratification and
excitement here and now — forget about tomorrow. (This is why drugs have
been so right at home in the rock scene). Needless to say, this appeals
to many teenagers, but it is a totally disastrous attitude both spiritually
and in terms of maturity.
Now, finally before I finish, I want to take a couple of minutes
to discuss the role of Satanism in rock music.
Interest in Satan, black magic, and things of that sort first started
developing among rock musicians in the late 1960’s when drug experimentation
began to get serious among them. Their interest in the altered states
of mind brought about by drugs soon led some to a fascination with the
supernatural, the mysterious, and the bizarre. You may remember that the
Beatles became disciples of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi soon after their period
of drug experimentation began. Not long afterward, the Rolling Stones
produced an album entitled “At Their Satanic Majesties Request;” their
involvement with black magic and Satanism during this period has been
documented. Later, some of the “heavy metal” groups began adopting much
of the trappings, symbolism and rhetoric of Satanism.
As far as I can tell, their motivation was basically the same rock
desire for shock value, plus a desire to associate themselves with a symbol
of the mysterious, the awesome and the powerful. So why not use the premier
symbol of unbridled lust, rebellion, violence and aggression, and immediate
gratification? Who better than Satan himself to fit the role?
Some rock musicians have no doubt actually practiced Satan worship,
but as far as I know, they’re in the minority. The majority of those
who’ve adopted the Satanic imagery have done so out of sensationalism
and the desire to clothe themselves with this image of evil. But in doing
so, these musicians have been primarily responsible for the dramatic rise
in Satanic practices among young people today.
It’s interesting to note that recent resurgence in Satanic worship
and activity has almost directly followed the introduction of MTV showing
these various heavy metal groups with all their Satanic symbolism. The
Satanic activity of the late 1960’s had almost totally fizzled out until
MTV came along. The sad thing is, a lot of young people have been led
into insanity and demon-possession by these practices, to say nothing
of the rumors of child sacrifice and other horrible practices that we
hear about. (And think about this: if your kids are in high school, they
probably know someone who’s engaged in Satanism of some kind. It has become
rampant). So what are parents to do?
I think it is our serious responsibility to pay close attention
to what our kids are listening to — to look at the albums and tapes they
bring home. Look for the signs I’ve listed — listen to the words — for
inappropriate sexual content, rebellion, violence or aggression and especially
anything that smacks of the Satanic. If there’s a problem in any of these
areas, then that music doesn’t belong in your home and neither you nor
your kids should be listening to it. (One point in our favor, though,
is that most kids really pay little attention to the words in the music
they listen to). However, we should still be concerned, although it would
be a mistake to throw all rock music out because some is bad.
As parents, most of us try to give our children the best we can
to prepare them for success in this life. How much more important it is
to care for the salvation of their souls, that they become devoted lovers
of Christ. We cannot allow rock music — or anything else for that matter
— as far as we can prevent it, to interfere with that process.
Father Paul is the pastor of St. George
Church in San Diego, California. He is very much interested in youth problems.
From Word
Magazine
Publication of the Antiochian Orthodox
Christian Archdiocese of North America
October 1988
pp. 5-6
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