A person is claiming that a brony talking about the Bible in a brony context is "idolatry" and part of "great apostasy". This is not true.
The statement demonstrates misplaced priorities, and by extension, a lack of understanding. The focus in the video is on God's word first and foremost. There's no attempt at distorting God's word, but instead, sharing it. This is the very calling Jesus gave to us, to share God's word. This is what the video accomplishes.
Now I'll concede that the pacing is very, very slow; the video's not perfect in terms of entertainment, but God doesn't look at how entertaining things like this are, but rather what the intent was in the heart of the person who made it. Care should be taken to make sure that the wrong message doesn't get across when sharing the word, but it very clearly appears Shady Oak has already taken this precaution. The message here is Biblically sound. No, I can't vouch for every single video of his, because I've only seen two thus far, but they make a lot of sense.
The problem this person likely has with Shady Oak Ministries is the idea itself: a mix of brony culture and Christianity. And indeed there are times when certain aspects of an idea should not be included in worship. However, that's only in extreme cases where the ideas in question go directly against God's teachings - cases where there is actual sin taking place, and there arises a need for repentance. Not all signs of individuality altogether. As individual people, we are all guilty of sin, and there exists sin within the brony community, just like with any community, but the brony community is not inherently based in sin. The message of the gospel is not being polluted by mixing it with brony culture, therefore it is not wrong to include it.
I once found paintings where Jesus was depicted as being Asian. I've also seen paintings where Jesus was depicted as being Caucasian. Jesus was neither of these, but does that mean the artwork is sinful? No - it helps relate the gospel to certain cultures. This is not wrong, because Jesus did come to earth to save anyone from any culture who chose Him, which I suppose some people find difficult to understand if we just think of Jesus in terms of one culture. Jesus was born in Israel in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecy - it doesn't mean Jesus only came here to save Israel. Jesus spoke Aramaic - it doesn't mean we need to speak Aramaic. God wants to save us no matter if we are in Israel or any other country. God hears our prayers no matter if they are in Aramaic or another language. Likewise, God accepts our worship no matter if it's from an old, traditional culture, or a more modern one, as long as the form of worship doesn't involve sin, which if you think about it, wouldn't even really be "worship" anyway.
Don't let people, who discern based only on misguided personal biases, get to you. Shady Oak Ministries and things like it are not "apostasy". Look at the issue Biblically. Discern based on holy scripture, NOT based on the flawed teachings of humans!
brohoof for all readers /)
God bless you and guide you according to His perfect will! In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Clarification
I've said before (a couple other places - not sure if I ever did on this blog) that I won't listen to music from artists that left Christianity. Not even the music from before they left, which is still often alleged to be "Christian".
The reason I won't listen to that music is the same reason I no longer listen to satanic music or pagan music. I'm not automatically opposed to music just because I disagree with the lyrics - there are a few pop songs and rap songs I like, for instance, that have profanity or overall talk about things I don't support. The problem is when the ideology becomes part of the music. This happens a lot in extreme metal. Especially black metal, but other subgenres too. Even dark ambient. It's not just random beats that people put together on a computer, or the result of studying trends and writing songs based on what people want to hear. It's full of genuine emotion. And it's especially magnified when spiritual/religious subjects come up. And there's always a darkness in music that's satanic or pagan or occult etc. You don't even just hear it - you feel it. I can't even stand to listen to it anymore. It's just so unpleasant. On the other hand, I've found unblack metal to be very refreshing to listen to. It's very "clean", and it doesn't have that inner darkness of secular stuff. That much, people tend to agree with or understand.
But what about artists who begin making Christian music, but then leave Christianity? Well, the answer is simple. That darkness I just talked about with satanic bands? Without exception, every. single. band. that I tried to listen to, that claimed to have been Christian in the past, had the exact same darkness woven into it that the other bands had. I remember when I was considering sharing one on my tumblr page. (Note, that blog page may slow down your computer if you have a slow connection.) The more I listened to the song I was going to share, the more depressed I began to feel. Finally I just said to myself, "Can I really justifiably share this around with people? Do I really want to spread the word of this music?" And I simply decided, no, I didn't. And don't be confused - I'm not talking about genuine Christian music that just sounds sad or has sad lyrics. I've shared several melancholic Christian songs, and enjoy them, and even find them useful when I'm feeling down. I'm talking about a clear, undeniable, unpleasant darkness in bands that changed beliefs later on.
And I did, unknowingly, share a few bands like this on my tumblr in the past. The music seemed strange, but I didn't have proof at the time. When I finally did, I just removed them. Without any hesitation. Because I just don't want to share that. And I don't want to listen to it.
It's only "Christian" in name. The fact that they were facing spiritual struggles at the time becomes so clear. And that atmosphere isn't something I can rightfully post on a Christian blog, or allow into my mind. I want to share music that strengthens, and comes from a position of growing closer to God. Not music that carries the exact same atmosphere as the music I left behind.
This is pretty difficult to put into words, but I hope you get the point.
God bless you all, and guide you according to His perfect will! In Jesus' name. Amen.
PS - I also won't listen to music from before someone became Christian. I can speak from experience there. Even back in the old days, I couldn't take some of the music I made. It was so negative, I couldn't even listen to it. So I ended up deleting it. I deleted one song less than a week after I uploaded it! Only these days, do I feel the music I make is "okay" to listen to.
The reason I won't listen to that music is the same reason I no longer listen to satanic music or pagan music. I'm not automatically opposed to music just because I disagree with the lyrics - there are a few pop songs and rap songs I like, for instance, that have profanity or overall talk about things I don't support. The problem is when the ideology becomes part of the music. This happens a lot in extreme metal. Especially black metal, but other subgenres too. Even dark ambient. It's not just random beats that people put together on a computer, or the result of studying trends and writing songs based on what people want to hear. It's full of genuine emotion. And it's especially magnified when spiritual/religious subjects come up. And there's always a darkness in music that's satanic or pagan or occult etc. You don't even just hear it - you feel it. I can't even stand to listen to it anymore. It's just so unpleasant. On the other hand, I've found unblack metal to be very refreshing to listen to. It's very "clean", and it doesn't have that inner darkness of secular stuff. That much, people tend to agree with or understand.
But what about artists who begin making Christian music, but then leave Christianity? Well, the answer is simple. That darkness I just talked about with satanic bands? Without exception, every. single. band. that I tried to listen to, that claimed to have been Christian in the past, had the exact same darkness woven into it that the other bands had. I remember when I was considering sharing one on my tumblr page. (Note, that blog page may slow down your computer if you have a slow connection.) The more I listened to the song I was going to share, the more depressed I began to feel. Finally I just said to myself, "Can I really justifiably share this around with people? Do I really want to spread the word of this music?" And I simply decided, no, I didn't. And don't be confused - I'm not talking about genuine Christian music that just sounds sad or has sad lyrics. I've shared several melancholic Christian songs, and enjoy them, and even find them useful when I'm feeling down. I'm talking about a clear, undeniable, unpleasant darkness in bands that changed beliefs later on.
And I did, unknowingly, share a few bands like this on my tumblr in the past. The music seemed strange, but I didn't have proof at the time. When I finally did, I just removed them. Without any hesitation. Because I just don't want to share that. And I don't want to listen to it.
It's only "Christian" in name. The fact that they were facing spiritual struggles at the time becomes so clear. And that atmosphere isn't something I can rightfully post on a Christian blog, or allow into my mind. I want to share music that strengthens, and comes from a position of growing closer to God. Not music that carries the exact same atmosphere as the music I left behind.
This is pretty difficult to put into words, but I hope you get the point.
God bless you all, and guide you according to His perfect will! In Jesus' name. Amen.
PS - I also won't listen to music from before someone became Christian. I can speak from experience there. Even back in the old days, I couldn't take some of the music I made. It was so negative, I couldn't even listen to it. So I ended up deleting it. I deleted one song less than a week after I uploaded it! Only these days, do I feel the music I make is "okay" to listen to.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
2 Kings and Today
I found some interesting parallels in 2 Kings. People often think that Biblical times were extremely different than today. In reality, society at that time was more similar to ours than you may think!
In 2 Kings 9:20, we find someone complaining about Jehu's driving skills, saying he "drives like a maniac". Does that sound familiar? The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi--he drives like a maniac."
In 2 Kings 9:11, a prophet was sent to tell Jehu something. Jehu was with some other people at the time, so he and the prophet went somewhere else to talk, and when Jehu got back, he tried to hide what was said from the others. Unbelievers today often seem to think that if there were real prophets speaking to them, as there were in Israel, they would believe. But keeping that in mind, it's interesting how Jehu, living during that time, tries to dismiss the talk they had. When Jehu came out to his master's servants, they asked, "Is everything all right? Why did this crazy person come to you?" Then he said to them, "You know the sort and their ranting."
in 2 Kings 5:10-14, Naathan was sent to a prophet, Elisha, to be cured of leprosy... We find him being lazy, and complaining that simply washing a few times in a river was too much, and that the water in the Jordan wasn't good enough for him! He expected Elisha to just cure him on the spot, and since that didn't happen, he stormed off, and only changed his mind after someone else encouraged him. Does that sound like anything we see today?
in 2 Kings 5:20-22, we find Gehazi lying about the words of a prophet in order to get things out of people! Despite clearly being taught not to!... Does that sound like something we might see today?
I just found these interesting. Pretty disappointing that we still do this stuff today, but also pretty funny, in a way, to look back and see how similar things really were, right down to people driving recklessly, "like maniacs". ... Things haven't changed as much as we think!
God bless you all and guide you according to His perfect will! in Jesus' name. Amen.
In 2 Kings 9:20, we find someone complaining about Jehu's driving skills, saying he "drives like a maniac". Does that sound familiar? The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi--he drives like a maniac."
In 2 Kings 9:11, a prophet was sent to tell Jehu something. Jehu was with some other people at the time, so he and the prophet went somewhere else to talk, and when Jehu got back, he tried to hide what was said from the others. Unbelievers today often seem to think that if there were real prophets speaking to them, as there were in Israel, they would believe. But keeping that in mind, it's interesting how Jehu, living during that time, tries to dismiss the talk they had. When Jehu came out to his master's servants, they asked, "Is everything all right? Why did this crazy person come to you?" Then he said to them, "You know the sort and their ranting."
in 2 Kings 5:10-14, Naathan was sent to a prophet, Elisha, to be cured of leprosy... We find him being lazy, and complaining that simply washing a few times in a river was too much, and that the water in the Jordan wasn't good enough for him! He expected Elisha to just cure him on the spot, and since that didn't happen, he stormed off, and only changed his mind after someone else encouraged him. Does that sound like anything we see today?
in 2 Kings 5:20-22, we find Gehazi lying about the words of a prophet in order to get things out of people! Despite clearly being taught not to!... Does that sound like something we might see today?
I just found these interesting. Pretty disappointing that we still do this stuff today, but also pretty funny, in a way, to look back and see how similar things really were, right down to people driving recklessly, "like maniacs". ... Things haven't changed as much as we think!
God bless you all and guide you according to His perfect will! in Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
God is..?
The only way to God is Jesus Christ. --> "God is a tyrant! Why would he force his morals onto us?"
God gives us the freedom to choose. --> "God is uncaring! Why would he let us make bad decisions?"
Do you understand yet?
God gives us the freedom to choose. --> "God is uncaring! Why would he let us make bad decisions?"
Do you understand yet?
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Simple Commands...
Why is it so hard for people - in particular, myself - to follow simple
commands from God? The convictions He's put into my heart are very
simple, yet I still manage to consistently go against them, to the point
I'm back at the same transitional point I was at back in July,
and a frame of mind only slightly better than what I was delivered from.
But the good thing here is, I'm at least now aware of it, and properly
know to avoid it. In the past, I would have just gone further into it,
not having any kind of working solution in mind. Believing that God
existed, but somehow not trusting in Him, and instead relying on my own
solutions that never worked. Now I have true faith that God will help me
through the things I face, guiding and protecting.
(I originally posted this on The Blackest Light)
(I originally posted this on The Blackest Light)
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Alcoholism
I don't go to bars, but I've come to see that bars are one of the most toxic environments for a person. Because while it's not always the case, people who frequent bars are often people who tend to claim a belief in God, but make no effort to stop, or even to slow, the sin they're committing. They tend to embrace it. The overall environment is very toxic, because it creates the implication that alcoholism is okay, even for believers.
A controversial issue in the world is gay marriage. People can pinpoint a number of verses, from the creation of man and woman in Genesis, to Jesus mentioning it again during His ministry, to the fact that sex with the same gender was punishable by death under the Mosaic law to which we are no longer bound for salvation, thus we no longer punish sin with death.
But bearing all those verses in mind, are you aware that there is equal evidence in the Bible that alcoholism is a sin that will send you to Hell? In fact, I'd go so far as to say there's more evidence for alcoholism. Here are a few verses:
And then on top of that, there are the effects of alcohol, which include things like drunk driving which leads to murder, bar fights, and even abuse of family members, and more - all things which the Bible CLEARLY forbids. Alcohol itself isn't forbidden, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus and the disciples had wine at the last supper, but they did not get drunk off of it. Drunkenness / alcoholism is a clearly-defined sin, from which God commands us to abstain. There are many, many ways to overcome an alcohol addiction. And you don't need alcohol to "escape" from your problems. There are better ways. Why not find some of them?
God bless you all, and guide you according to His perfect will. In Jesus' name. Amen.
A controversial issue in the world is gay marriage. People can pinpoint a number of verses, from the creation of man and woman in Genesis, to Jesus mentioning it again during His ministry, to the fact that sex with the same gender was punishable by death under the Mosaic law to which we are no longer bound for salvation, thus we no longer punish sin with death.
But bearing all those verses in mind, are you aware that there is equal evidence in the Bible that alcoholism is a sin that will send you to Hell? In fact, I'd go so far as to say there's more evidence for alcoholism. Here are a few verses:
1 Corinthians 6:10
. . . nor thieves, nor coveters, not drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Isaiah 5:11
Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong
drink, Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!
Ephesians 5:18
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker, beer is a brawler, and whoever staggers because of them is not wise.
Galatians 5:21
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
And then on top of that, there are the effects of alcohol, which include things like drunk driving which leads to murder, bar fights, and even abuse of family members, and more - all things which the Bible CLEARLY forbids. Alcohol itself isn't forbidden, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus and the disciples had wine at the last supper, but they did not get drunk off of it. Drunkenness / alcoholism is a clearly-defined sin, from which God commands us to abstain. There are many, many ways to overcome an alcohol addiction. And you don't need alcohol to "escape" from your problems. There are better ways. Why not find some of them?
God bless you all, and guide you according to His perfect will. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Appreciation
I feel moved to make this. I just want to say that if you're out there trying to spread the word, and you're not seeming to get results, and you're feeling down, don't. You never know what kind of impact you're going to have. I myself have been feeling like that for awhile. And I can only trust that God is using me in some way. However, a lot of people have helped me along in my faith journey, and most of them don't know it. I want to thank some of them here - as many as I can think, given how tired I am right now. I don't write this to "glorify" them, but rather as encouragement for them and all those who have been feeling like I've been.
- http://shieldoffaith62.blogspot.com - I've emailed you before. That one single post you wrote [HERE for anyone interested!] made me reconsider so many things that were wrong in my life. I never explained most of them to you. A few of them have been mentioned here, in various posts. I don't know if you still read this blog, but if you do, I just want to say that the impact of that post was even greater than I probably let on at the time. Also, I have a few more CDs that I've since decided to get rid of. Right now I don't feel like putting out the money for postage to have them recycled, but they will be disposed of eventually and I don't listen to them anymore. Hopefully this will be the last batch!
- Demon Hunter - It was awesome having Christian metal to listen to. Like most things, it wasn't enough to fully hold back my ignorance at the time, but it was always there, in my subconscious and in my CD collection. (I still like your music, but recently gave both CDs to someone, just to be nice, you understand - let's pray for that person; I think they could use it, just like I did.) And your music helped around the time I was starting to recover. I don't want to go into specifics, but I'll say that your music helped me be more resolved with God's will at a time when I really didn't want to face facts.
- Mortal Treason - I know almost nothing about your music, to be honest. I don't really listen to it anymore. It's nothing personal, and now that I'm writing this, maybe I'll check it out again sometime. You guys were my introduction to the really heavy Christian stuff. I mentioned the idea of such Christian music to a friend, and you guys were the band he recommended. He sent me one song ("Khampa Nomads", I think it's called?) and that was just awesome to me, and it was the only Mortal Treason song I ever listened to (I should really give you guys another chance, wow) but even that one song managed to have an impact.
- Becoming the Archetype - similar to Mortal Treason. I only ever listened to a couple songs by you guys, but it still had an impact. "End of the Age" was stunning to me. I deluded myself a lot back then and said that I was still a Christian when I really clearly wasn't, and "End of the Age" really spoke to me in a way that almost no other music could.
- Antestor - If I'm not mistaken, you guys were the first unblack metal band I ever heard. The very idea of that had such an impact, I can't even explain it. The first song I listened to was "Betrayed". I was really depressed at the time, so of course that song spoke to me a lot. The lines "But if the Christians that I've seen / represent the true God of Heaven / then it's not a place that I want to be" actually made me stop and think a few times about the kind of person I was being. I also really liked the song "Mitt hjerte". That song was absolutely stunning to me.
- Elgibbor - Your album "War" spoke to me a lot. I really like the music on that album. I have to listen to that again soon. All of it coming from a former satanist yet. That last part may sound a bit silly now, but it was really meaningful to me. I also have that (out-of-print) long-sleeve shirt from Metal Helm for "War", with the flames on the sleeves, and that guy riding a horse on the front. That shirt is seriously awesome, and somehow made me feel a lot better about things.
- Emperador - You guys are crazy. My introduction to you guys was a live video on YouTube where you played "Gloria en la oscuridad". That was terrifying. I'd heard all kinds of extreme music, but nothing like that. The guitar intro was absolutely infernal; Pastor Vampire's shrieks were genuinely off-putting; and Pastora Rosa Negra's vocals were creepy. I loved it! And then I found out that you guys started a metal church? That idea was so awesome to me. That was just amazing, the idea of fellowship with a metal theme. I did more research on Iglesia Caverna, and I was just so inspired. I won't say where I live, but I don't live near you, but even though I can't visit Iglesia Caverna right now, know that it has had an impact on me regardless.
- Dani - I don't know your full name, but I know you're a member of Iglesia Caverna. I've talked to you before - only a few times, but still - and found that beneficial, too. It's hard to explain what our conversations have done for me, but they had a positive impact nonetheless.
- Divine Symphony - Your album "The History" has this distinctly "liturgical" feel to it, and I really appreciate that. It's like the music at my church - except, you know, with symphonic unblack metal thrown in. Anyway, it all started with "Frustrered Dreams", and looking back, it's actually a rather silly place to begin. Because it starts back when I was practicing meditation, and I used to use music a lot. Other bands had these long, extended interludes that were conducive to meditation. I tried a few times with the short interlude in "Frustrered Dreams", but generally failed to achieve anything. See: the song was primarily about God, not occultism, so naturally it didn't yield the results I expected when I tried to meditate to it! It's a silly thing to say now, but back then, that one simple little thing, had a huge impact on how I perceived meditation. The song made me rethink it a lot, and made me want to put more importance on God in my life. But it didn't even stop there. "Reform" is a great song, too. Those clean vocals were amazing. Now, "Unfinished Era". That song is definitely worth mentioning here. That has made me think so much, I can't even describe it here. Overall, that song has just made me think a lot about things. I could point out the specific line, "Lies and false promises deceive God's people and make them do things that God hasn't asked them to do". I was doing a lot of things back then that God wasn't asking me to do, for a number of reasons. That one line made me reconsider some of the things I was doing.
O Majestic Winter - I've talked to one of you personally before. I loved the weird, raw style you guys did on "Defiling the Serpent's Temple". Your faith/conviction came through really clearly on that album and it spoke to me.
Comunidad Pantokrator - Another metal church! I've spoken to one or two of you before (under a different name, like almost everyone here). I also saw a YouTube video about you and found it really inspiring. Again, even though I'm not in a position to go visit you right now, know that you have still helped me.
Edit: I also want to thank this one company. I don't know the name of the company, but they make these daily calendars with Bible trivia questions on them. I get a daily calendar for Christmas every year, and given all that had taken place over the past few months in 2014, I certainly welcomed receiving that one instead of the ones I got previous years that tended to have rather vulgar messages (which last year I specifically asked not to get, hence the Bible trivia one instead.) I thought it would be rather easy since I knew the traditional Bible stories (Noah, Jonah, etc) and had been reading the Gospels fairly extensively, along with a few psalms and a bit of Revelation. But I realized pretty quickly that I knew almost nothing on this calendar. And the questions are taken from the KJV (note: the KJV, like all English translations, still isn't a 100% perfect translation, but hey, it's really close) so it's not like they're taking these questions from some really weird text, just canonical scripture. Finally around... April, I think? I decided to I needed to know more of the Bible. I decided read the Bible from beginning to end. I usually read a chapter a day, which isn't much, but it's more than I was reading before! Right now I'm up to 1 Kings. You know, I've heard skeptics say that if you read God's word in its entirety, you'll allegedly doubt your faith. On the contrary, I've learned more about God - truths which admittedly some people don't like to admit, such as that God has indeed gotten angry at people before, and has struck people down before. Of course, to the best of my knowledge, this doesn't happen today, since forgiveness now comes through faith (which leads to repentance) through Jesus, not OT law, but it has happened in the past. Of course it all may not seem like it makes sense if you cherry pick out-of-context verses as skeptics like to do, but in the wider context of scripture it does indeed make sense. Also, since reading the Bible more, I've learned about how there are translation errors in modern translations (see "like all English translations" link above) which is where most skeptics derive these alleged "contradictions", which didn't actually exist in older Hebrew translations. A lot to happen as a result of a daily calendar!
Here are other bands/people I want to thank, for the impact you've had:
Nephesh, Winter's Dawn, Wintersoul, Herr Darkpriest (Verdelger, Ancient Uncreated Incarnation), Doctor D (Armageddon Holocaust, Bealiah), Unblack Star, Diamoth, Requiem Eternam, Flock of Crows, Nattesorg (Demodus Rotundus, Frostnoise), Azmaveth (the band from Puerto Rico), Betheos Abshalom, Forgotten Sorrow, Reobote, Edificador, the people from White Funeral (and Antivenom and Lunar Invasion), Hazeroth, Boanerges (Poland), Surmount Darkness, Holy Blood, Blood Covenant, Destroyer of Lie, Dying Blaze, Hawthorn, HB, Timōrātus, God Enthroned, Slechtvalk, Kissing the Crown of Thorns, Hazael (band from Brazil), Dustt, Santuario (band from Costa Rica), Sorrowstorm, Christageddon, Comunidade Golgota, Mental Destruction, Blackhouse, Veni Domine, Nocturnal Freeze, K Megiddo (Torches in the Void, Thy Fiery Haze), La Chambre Ardente, Tsidkenu (band from Mexico), Broken Flesh, Obliteration (band from USA), Disencumbrance, Truth Remains, Nehyam, Soteria, Arch of Thorns, my pastor, my one teacher from back in school (I don't want to name people I know personally so I have to be vague; I was the kid who laughed at all your jokes), Belzidum, Orationem, Palvonta, Kirche Gothika, Flyleaf, KJ-52, Falling Up, William McDowell, Cold Embrace (band from India), Neohadth, Worshiper (Brazil) ...
There are even more I could put, too. All of the above (and more) have had an impact on me somehow. Most of these people probably don't even know I exist. Most of them aren't famous, and so I'm sure some of you understand the struggle I've been facing lately. So this post has two purposes. To thank those who have helped me, and to encourage others who feel their impact isn't important. It is.
God bless and guide you (including readers) according to His perfect will! In Jesus' name. Amen.
- http://shieldoffaith62.blogspot.com - I've emailed you before. That one single post you wrote [HERE for anyone interested!] made me reconsider so many things that were wrong in my life. I never explained most of them to you. A few of them have been mentioned here, in various posts. I don't know if you still read this blog, but if you do, I just want to say that the impact of that post was even greater than I probably let on at the time. Also, I have a few more CDs that I've since decided to get rid of. Right now I don't feel like putting out the money for postage to have them recycled, but they will be disposed of eventually and I don't listen to them anymore. Hopefully this will be the last batch!
- Demon Hunter - It was awesome having Christian metal to listen to. Like most things, it wasn't enough to fully hold back my ignorance at the time, but it was always there, in my subconscious and in my CD collection. (I still like your music, but recently gave both CDs to someone, just to be nice, you understand - let's pray for that person; I think they could use it, just like I did.) And your music helped around the time I was starting to recover. I don't want to go into specifics, but I'll say that your music helped me be more resolved with God's will at a time when I really didn't want to face facts.
- Mortal Treason - I know almost nothing about your music, to be honest. I don't really listen to it anymore. It's nothing personal, and now that I'm writing this, maybe I'll check it out again sometime. You guys were my introduction to the really heavy Christian stuff. I mentioned the idea of such Christian music to a friend, and you guys were the band he recommended. He sent me one song ("Khampa Nomads", I think it's called?) and that was just awesome to me, and it was the only Mortal Treason song I ever listened to (I should really give you guys another chance, wow) but even that one song managed to have an impact.
- Becoming the Archetype - similar to Mortal Treason. I only ever listened to a couple songs by you guys, but it still had an impact. "End of the Age" was stunning to me. I deluded myself a lot back then and said that I was still a Christian when I really clearly wasn't, and "End of the Age" really spoke to me in a way that almost no other music could.
- Antestor - If I'm not mistaken, you guys were the first unblack metal band I ever heard. The very idea of that had such an impact, I can't even explain it. The first song I listened to was "Betrayed". I was really depressed at the time, so of course that song spoke to me a lot. The lines "But if the Christians that I've seen / represent the true God of Heaven / then it's not a place that I want to be" actually made me stop and think a few times about the kind of person I was being. I also really liked the song "Mitt hjerte". That song was absolutely stunning to me.
- Elgibbor - Your album "War" spoke to me a lot. I really like the music on that album. I have to listen to that again soon. All of it coming from a former satanist yet. That last part may sound a bit silly now, but it was really meaningful to me. I also have that (out-of-print) long-sleeve shirt from Metal Helm for "War", with the flames on the sleeves, and that guy riding a horse on the front. That shirt is seriously awesome, and somehow made me feel a lot better about things.
- Emperador - You guys are crazy. My introduction to you guys was a live video on YouTube where you played "Gloria en la oscuridad". That was terrifying. I'd heard all kinds of extreme music, but nothing like that. The guitar intro was absolutely infernal; Pastor Vampire's shrieks were genuinely off-putting; and Pastora Rosa Negra's vocals were creepy. I loved it! And then I found out that you guys started a metal church? That idea was so awesome to me. That was just amazing, the idea of fellowship with a metal theme. I did more research on Iglesia Caverna, and I was just so inspired. I won't say where I live, but I don't live near you, but even though I can't visit Iglesia Caverna right now, know that it has had an impact on me regardless.
- Dani - I don't know your full name, but I know you're a member of Iglesia Caverna. I've talked to you before - only a few times, but still - and found that beneficial, too. It's hard to explain what our conversations have done for me, but they had a positive impact nonetheless.
- Divine Symphony - Your album "The History" has this distinctly "liturgical" feel to it, and I really appreciate that. It's like the music at my church - except, you know, with symphonic unblack metal thrown in. Anyway, it all started with "Frustrered Dreams", and looking back, it's actually a rather silly place to begin. Because it starts back when I was practicing meditation, and I used to use music a lot. Other bands had these long, extended interludes that were conducive to meditation. I tried a few times with the short interlude in "Frustrered Dreams", but generally failed to achieve anything. See: the song was primarily about God, not occultism, so naturally it didn't yield the results I expected when I tried to meditate to it! It's a silly thing to say now, but back then, that one simple little thing, had a huge impact on how I perceived meditation. The song made me rethink it a lot, and made me want to put more importance on God in my life. But it didn't even stop there. "Reform" is a great song, too. Those clean vocals were amazing. Now, "Unfinished Era". That song is definitely worth mentioning here. That has made me think so much, I can't even describe it here. Overall, that song has just made me think a lot about things. I could point out the specific line, "Lies and false promises deceive God's people and make them do things that God hasn't asked them to do". I was doing a lot of things back then that God wasn't asking me to do, for a number of reasons. That one line made me reconsider some of the things I was doing.
O Majestic Winter - I've talked to one of you personally before. I loved the weird, raw style you guys did on "Defiling the Serpent's Temple". Your faith/conviction came through really clearly on that album and it spoke to me.
Comunidad Pantokrator - Another metal church! I've spoken to one or two of you before (under a different name, like almost everyone here). I also saw a YouTube video about you and found it really inspiring. Again, even though I'm not in a position to go visit you right now, know that you have still helped me.
Edit: I also want to thank this one company. I don't know the name of the company, but they make these daily calendars with Bible trivia questions on them. I get a daily calendar for Christmas every year, and given all that had taken place over the past few months in 2014, I certainly welcomed receiving that one instead of the ones I got previous years that tended to have rather vulgar messages (which last year I specifically asked not to get, hence the Bible trivia one instead.) I thought it would be rather easy since I knew the traditional Bible stories (Noah, Jonah, etc) and had been reading the Gospels fairly extensively, along with a few psalms and a bit of Revelation. But I realized pretty quickly that I knew almost nothing on this calendar. And the questions are taken from the KJV (note: the KJV, like all English translations, still isn't a 100% perfect translation, but hey, it's really close) so it's not like they're taking these questions from some really weird text, just canonical scripture. Finally around... April, I think? I decided to I needed to know more of the Bible. I decided read the Bible from beginning to end. I usually read a chapter a day, which isn't much, but it's more than I was reading before! Right now I'm up to 1 Kings. You know, I've heard skeptics say that if you read God's word in its entirety, you'll allegedly doubt your faith. On the contrary, I've learned more about God - truths which admittedly some people don't like to admit, such as that God has indeed gotten angry at people before, and has struck people down before. Of course, to the best of my knowledge, this doesn't happen today, since forgiveness now comes through faith (which leads to repentance) through Jesus, not OT law, but it has happened in the past. Of course it all may not seem like it makes sense if you cherry pick out-of-context verses as skeptics like to do, but in the wider context of scripture it does indeed make sense. Also, since reading the Bible more, I've learned about how there are translation errors in modern translations (see "like all English translations" link above) which is where most skeptics derive these alleged "contradictions", which didn't actually exist in older Hebrew translations. A lot to happen as a result of a daily calendar!
Here are other bands/people I want to thank, for the impact you've had:
Nephesh, Winter's Dawn, Wintersoul, Herr Darkpriest (Verdelger, Ancient Uncreated Incarnation), Doctor D (Armageddon Holocaust, Bealiah), Unblack Star, Diamoth, Requiem Eternam, Flock of Crows, Nattesorg (Demodus Rotundus, Frostnoise), Azmaveth (the band from Puerto Rico), Betheos Abshalom, Forgotten Sorrow, Reobote, Edificador, the people from White Funeral (and Antivenom and Lunar Invasion), Hazeroth, Boanerges (Poland), Surmount Darkness, Holy Blood, Blood Covenant, Destroyer of Lie, Dying Blaze, Hawthorn, HB, Timōrātus, God Enthroned, Slechtvalk, Kissing the Crown of Thorns, Hazael (band from Brazil), Dustt, Santuario (band from Costa Rica), Sorrowstorm, Christageddon, Comunidade Golgota, Mental Destruction, Blackhouse, Veni Domine, Nocturnal Freeze, K Megiddo (Torches in the Void, Thy Fiery Haze), La Chambre Ardente, Tsidkenu (band from Mexico), Broken Flesh, Obliteration (band from USA), Disencumbrance, Truth Remains, Nehyam, Soteria, Arch of Thorns, my pastor, my one teacher from back in school (I don't want to name people I know personally so I have to be vague; I was the kid who laughed at all your jokes), Belzidum, Orationem, Palvonta, Kirche Gothika, Flyleaf, KJ-52, Falling Up, William McDowell, Cold Embrace (band from India), Neohadth, Worshiper (Brazil) ...
There are even more I could put, too. All of the above (and more) have had an impact on me somehow. Most of these people probably don't even know I exist. Most of them aren't famous, and so I'm sure some of you understand the struggle I've been facing lately. So this post has two purposes. To thank those who have helped me, and to encourage others who feel their impact isn't important. It is.
God bless and guide you (including readers) according to His perfect will! In Jesus' name. Amen.
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