Quck Notes About LGBT Stuff

This is not about gays vs straights, it's about obeying God's rules for us, which we are all told to do.

If you disagree with the act of gay marriage (as I do), that view is completely justified in Scripture,

But if you hate lgbt people, let quickly remind you that hatred is wrong and equal to MURDER in God's eyes. (1 John 3:15) (1 John 4:20) (Matthew 5:22)

And that just because you can marry and reproduce, does NOT make you exempt from other laws regarding lust which also apply to homosexuals! Most people are in the same boat regarding lust. Do not hate others, even if you disagree with some actions pertaining to lgbt stuff!

This is not soft preaching or making compromises, this is SCRIPTURAL TRUTH.

On the other hand, just because I've said this, does not mean what the Bible says about lgbt stuff, is not true. It totally is, and any lgbt people interested in serving God should keep this in mind - as heterosexuals are also to do.

Again, this is not about gays vs straights, it's about obeying God's rules for us, which we are all told to do. Do not view these issues from a gay/straight standpoint. View them from a Christian standpoint, and think about if what you are doing is pleasing to God - if you have faith in Christ, if you are repenting. 

Common Signs of Negativity in the Media

I'm in the process of writing a bigger post, but I need a friend to get back to me on something first. In the meantime, I was inspired to come here and point a few things out. Not everybody reading this is a conspiracy theorist, but if you're open to new ideas, there are plenty of symbols and keywords that people associate with negative agendas in the media, signs that you should probably not associate yourself with whatever is using the symbols, and I'd like to outline a few of them. If I think of more, I'll edit this post and add them later. For now, here are these:

1) All-seeing eyes. Usually in a triangle/pyramid (symbolizes horus, an Egyptian idol), but not necessarily! One lone eye could still symbolize it (incl two-eyed creatures with one eye covered by something). Not taking it to extremes, of course. Not every instance of this is a sign of something.

Examples include the U.S. one dollar bill, Bill Cipher on Gravity Falls, the doodle god logo, etc. 

2) Hexagrams, 6-pointed figures. Some people interpret these as Stars of David, which doesn't make sense since Jesus Christ was a Jew and a descendent of David; and the global elite hate Christianity.  It turns out that the Jewish hexagram is also a symbol of black magic, and may well have never been a symbol of David to begin with. Take it from a former satanist! Though more often than not the elites are actually depicting unicursal hexagrams, different occult symbols.

Examples include, once again, the U.S. one dollar bill, possibly Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark on MLP, the mason logo seems to suggest a hexagram too, some of Bring me the Horizon's merchandise, etc.

3) the words "rain man" or "rain". I know the word "rain" is a huge stretch, but you'll see it. When it's used in negative stuff, it's usually a metaphor, usually for evil. And "rain man" is apparently another name for the adversary.

Examples of that seem to be all over popular music. An example of the rain metaphor could be these lines: "Feel the rain on your skin, . . . only you can let it in . . . Drench yourself in words unspoken"

The last part suggests negativity because of, well, the context, and also because the positive word of God has already been spoken. It's not about "words that are unspoken" like in the song. I know it seems subtle and nit-picky, but it's kind of not.

4) Lightning bolt symbols. When they're used in negative stuff, they're usually one of two specific shapes, one that's shaped kind of like an "S", and one like that but with an extra right, and down-left line at the bottom. Lightning symbolizes the adversary from when Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:18) 

Examples include the logo for the computer program Daemon Tools, Pearl Jam's album "Lightning Bolt" (also has an all-seeing eye), the promo images for Arch Enemy's "War Eternal" (also had all-seeing eyes), etc.  

5) Black, white (or gray), and red solid colors together. Usually not blended. Just solid, contrasted colors like in MS Paint or something, though that's not always the case. I'm not sure at all what the significance is, just that red is often associated with evil, I guess. I don't know what using solid colors is supposed to mean.

Examples include the aforementioned Pearl Jam album, and basically any album art you see with those colors made after, like, 2010 or so, particularly if the band or artist never used those colors before. 




I know there are a lot of other ones, and I'll update this later with more. In the meantime, I pray that these five will be useful to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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[Note September 2015: Once in a great, great while, I'll update the list at the bottom of this. I don't want it to be a full catalog of artists, just a sample. If you can think of a band, especially in one of the sections where there aren't many links yet, that you think would help, please tell me! 
--> imperialkodnarok AT gmail DOT com <--- ]

I've left behind the esoteric and occult nonsense that used to plague me, I've accepted Jesus as my savior, but even today, even though I do not face punishment from God any longer, I still get punished by my own mind for it... Simple things like certain roads, even sunsets and certain kinds of scenery make me think of those things. Important note: I don't want, for even half of a second, to go back to them. I know what they do, they feel bad, and God has changed my life for the better in so many ways since I gave it all up. However, I'm still reminded of it. A scene may remind me of a negative band's album cover, for example. I hate feeling like that. I want to be able to enjoy simple creativity, simple nature scenes without being reminded of spiritual negativity. I want to be able to see again what other Christians see in nature, and I can already fully perceive it, I just have trouble seeing it through my memories, but I know it's there.

Don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't get sucked into it. Ideology does matter. You're not proving anything by listening to evil music. It doesn't make you cool, it doesn't make you "brutal". It may seem better than popular Christian music, but there are many Christian bands* with similar sounds to those bands, who are equally enjoyable. If you are a Christian but find evil bands singing about subjects with which you agree (especially spiritual ones) don't embrace it; find the flaws and change them. Nature worship is poisonous, paganism is poisonous, esotericism is poisonous, it's all bad in the end. It doesn't matter how good it sounds, either. The point is the deeper element: the spiritual element, their intent. Christian black metal may sound vicious, it may challenge the best and fastest-playing artists in the rest of the scene, but it's generally not "malicious". It's subtle, but there's a fundamental difference in songs depending on the spiritual state and intent of the artist(s). You need to realize it. I am not a fundamentalist because the church told me to be one. I am not a fundamentalist because I hate gays and black people and foreigners and whatever you want to say, which I don't. I believe 100% in the Bible because in light of my experiences, and my reflections on life, and God's influence, I now see that there is no other choice, and I don't want another choice, either. I've seen the other choices, and I'm not happy with any of them.

* Here are a few Christian bands who play styles that may be relevant to this blog, note that there are definitely more than I'm linking here, this is just a very, very small sample:

folk/viking/ possibly black - Slechtvalk, Arvinger, Oskord, Holy Blood, Vardøger, Requiem Eternam

post rock - The Sleep Design,

black/war - Armageddon Holocaust, Verdelger, Devotam, Edificador, Wintersoul, Primitive Church, Soterion, Desmodus Rotundus, Horde

symphonic black - Divine Symphony, Mercy, La Chambre Ardente, Dark Lay Still

ambient/atmospheric black - Vials of Wrath, Usynlig Tumult, Dark Woods, Phanerosis

DSBM - Forgotten Sorrow, Hated, Cryptic Rising

other bands of interest: Winter's Dawn, Thy Fiery Haze, Elgibbor

heavy/power: Cold Embrace, Santuario, Emerald, Bride, Messiah Prophet

death metal: Becoming the Archetype, Crimson Thorn, Disencumbrance, Obliteration, Metanoia, Broken Flesh

Industrial: Kirche Gothika (harsh industrial/metal), Mental Destruction (industrial/dark ambient), Audio Paradox (industrial/EBM), Blackhouse (industrial/noise)

Noise: Frostnoise, a noise EP from my project, Circus of Insanity, Fleshdeath (noisegrind), Decimate Damnation (noisegrind)

Experimental: Relentless Tradition, Determining the Absent, an EP from me again, another EP from me

You can always check out my tumblr for more bands.

God bless you all, as always.
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

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I'm always surprised when I hear about the pasts of certain Christians. God has clearly worked fantastic things through these people.

Fire, from Elgibbor and Fire Throne, used to smoke, drink, do drugs, and practice satanism and black magic. He's now one of the most prolific people in the Christian black metal scene. Not to mention, he makes some great music now. "War" is one of my favorite black metal albums.

I've heard of several occultists turning to Christianity, both in metal and otherwise. That's understandable; when you witness spiritual things at work, and you get sick of all of the negative forces dragging you and your life down, what other choice do you have? You already figured out, albeit the hard way, that higher forces are at work. Just turn to the Holy Spirit! 

Another unblack metal musician to whom I've spoken also said he was involved in drugs and alcohol before accepting Jesus into his life.

As I learned earlier, there are apparently several people who used to be in the porn industry who became Christian, and now speak out against the industry, which is even more corrupt than you think it is.

Someone in a comment I saw on an article one time mentioned how they used to be involved in gang violence before turning to God.

And these are just a few examples in the plethora of people whose lives have been transformed by the Lord. A lot of people think Christians are just people who are raised in a church and just decide not to question it. There are tons of people whose stories are the complete opposite of that, and it is astounding how much God can transform them. God has clearly chosen such people for great things.

There are even more accounts like this in "The Metal Bible". Normally I would never advertise on this blog, but the whole thing (or at least most of it?) is completely free to read in the link above (legally!), so if you're not convinced of the power of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, take a look at this. May God continue to bless all of those people who have been changed by him, and may God bless you, too.

Small rant

Kept for archival purposes. This was my mindset when things really started to change, when I finally let God fully take the reins in my life, and He started cutting away the useless stuff. - August 2015

Ack. This is why I don't enjoy speculative spirituality as much as I used to. I've been talking to a few people lately who have spiritual beliefs pertaining to things that the Bible doesn't seem to directly address. "Oh no, you have to think for yourself!" Well, it's not quite that simple. I don't simply "think for myself" with these matters, I think about them logically and objectively.

God is infallible, the Bible is God's word to us (this is logically sound - I do not simply believe blindly), and so the Bible can be trusted with whatever issues it addresses. Anything else requires objective thought (and prayer).

But there are so many accounts speaking of different things that need to be considered. People all have different ideas of different things, and there's not much telling which ones are valid and which ones are not. God can guide us personally to the truth of such matters, but the problem doesn't end there.

What if the other person isn't receptive to information contrary to their own ideas? Surely I'm not to simply lie or roll with something that may be wrong. But I also don't want to be the sort of religious person who's anxious to call people out on being wrong - I know very well how badly such things go; I don't enjoy being told what to do or think, and neither do they.

It's research with unimaginable amounts of sources claiming all different things, and trying to form an objective opinion on them. The end result is always turning to God. He knows what the objective truth is, and can guide me, and you, to it. The problem is, others may not take so well to it, and I still struggle in how exactly to deal with such things while staying true to my own belief system, the teachings of God.

I suppose what gets me the most is that these people are my friends. I am friends with some people who have very strange and largely esoteric beliefs. I understand these people, and their thoughts, even if I do not always agree with them, but I'm still somewhat confused about what to do when they do point out something with which I disagree. I don't want to be forceful, but I want to point out the fallacies in their logic. I don't want to be disrespectful, but I know it often seems that way.

I suppose all I can do is pray about it. God knows everything - He also knows what I should do in these situations.

I just wanted to rant about this. I hope and pray that readers get something out of this anyway, though. God bless you all. 

Sign the petition for Andy Hall

http://action.sumofus.org/a/protect-human-rights-defenders/

Natural Fruit Ltd are a pineapple company in Thailand that are responsible for, quote, "labour rights violations including child labour, passport confiscation, forced work, violence and abuse" .

Andy Hall called them out on this, and is now being punished for it, including possible jail time and a fine, depending how the trial goes.

More info is located on the petition page itself. Sign the petition above and call for action.

Conspiracy Theory Stuff

(Note 24 August 2015: I edited the post a bit.)

A random thought today: what if Linkin Park's song "A Line in the Sand" is about some group with a negative agenda like the Illuminati?

There were allegations for a few years about Linkin Park "going Illuminati", and that's a pretty understandable thing to suggest, keeping in mind a lot of the symbolism in their videos and lyrics since around "A Thousand Suns". This new album has much fewer symbols like that as far as the lyrics go, and the imagery seems to have softened up a lot, including a facebook icon surrounded by smoke on a white background, almost suggesting the "fire" has gone out, that the darkness has left, that they've quit the negative stuff. I can't say that's the case for sure of course, or in fact that they ever started it, but that's what seems to be suggested here.

The main point here, though, is the lyrics to this specific song.

A line in the sand,
Between yours and mine,
And it came, like fire from below,
Your greed led the call,
My flag had to fall,
But little did you know
Another day, your truth will come,
You're gonna pay for what you,
Pay for what you've done,
You'll get what's yours,
And face your crime,
You'll tell them give me back what's mine
Give me back what's mine!

Note the fire simile. In "A Light That Never Comes", they seem to speak positively of fire, and of a flood (see next verse). In this song, however, they speak negatively of it, comparing the fire with their enemy/enemies.

They surrendered to the greed, but it seems they're aware  that those greedy people will pay someday.

I ain't never been a coward,
I ain't never seen blood,
You had sold me an ocean,
And I was lost in the flood,
We were counting on a leader,
We were driven by need,
Couldn't take temptation,
And we were blinded by greed,
You were steady as a sniper,
We were waiting on a wire,
So we never saw it coming,
When you ran from the fire,
You can try intimidation,
Or you can try to ignore,
But when the time comes calling,
Yeah! You are gonna get yours!

Note the flood reference, as stated before, used in a disparaging context, not a positive one as in previous song(s). Again, they were blinded by greed and the tricks of manipulative people, but clearly something has shown them the truth of the situation. I'm not honestly sure what "when you ran from the fire" means. 

Today, we stood on the wall,
We laughed at the sun, we laughed at the guns,
We laughed at it all
And when they, they told us to go,
We paid them no mind, like every other time,
But little did we know...

This puts the band in a specific scene, rather than just talking about the past as the other verses do, seeming to show their independence from "them" and the past they caused the members of Linkin Park to have.

Something else interesting is this part of "Keys to the Kingdom":

No control! No surprise!
Tossed the keys to the kingdom down that hole in my eye
I'm my own casualty! I fuck up everything I see, fighting in futility!

Eyes are a symbol of the Illuminati, and this seems to suggest the band's regret for the negative influences they allowed in their music. 

I don't know if any of this is true, and I'd imagine most people reading this don't care too much about conspiracy theories, but it's something to think about, I guess.

Edit: If a YouTube comment I found is telling the truth, I was actually mostly correct! 

. . . On SiriusXM Octane, Mike Shinoda (song writer and band member) did a special about the concepts behind The Hunting Party. Really, the whole album is about how they sold themselves out just for greed and fame, and realized it got them nowhere and they were unhappy with what they were doing--therefore, they went back to their roots to get back what they needed and have fun with their music again.

 God bless, as always.