What Do You Believe about Demonic Instrumental Music?

[Scripture More Accurately]

I don't know how old you are, but I'm in my mid-50s. In the 1970-80s, there were a lot of evangelists and youth speakers who wrote books about the evils of rock music and used quotes by musicians in the rock music world in a similar way. They were folks like Bob Larson, the Peters Brothers, Jacob Aranza, the tracts of Jack Chick, etc. As a believer who was just getting serious about my faith in the mid-1980s, I was quite concerned over what these Christian leaders were saying. Like everything else in my Christian faith, I tried to be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and listen with trust, but verify everything I could so I could determine whether or not to stake the name of Jesus (my witness/ministry/teaching) on what I had been told and read from these leaders. I went to the research library at my university (I was a college student) and spot checked a number of quotes (in the places where they gave a reference), and read the quotes in context. Sometimes the quote did not appear at all -- at the time, I chalked it up to error, since I had not yet run across the phenomenon in Christian publishing of completely fabricated quotes -- but where I could find the quotes, about 95% of the time, the quote was grossing taken out of context, or even twisted to mean the opposite of what was said. I was shocked by the realization that writers of many popular Christian books (and now websites), are unconcerned about what is true. They simply don't seem to care. They want to present a point of view and will use whatever means necessary to push their agenda.

So unless you have personally looked up a quote, I advise you not to use it. Not because you have to answer to me, but you have to answer to the Lord Jesus, Who does not appreciate persons who knowingly tell falsehoods in His name.


I have a precommitment to Christ that demands that I not believe or propogate falsehoods, and I warn others of doing the same. I find it amazing that you are less concerned about the false quote you presented and more concerned about judging my perceptions. You should be grieved that you have misled others, not talking about how you have a lot of other questionable quotations at your disposal.

Thank you for your sincere desire to admonish me concerning the need for truthfulness in what I set forth. I certainly agree that we should not use statements that are false.

Concerning your specific allegation about the "false" quote that I presented, please let me know what exactly is false about the quote. I'm not interested in any subjective perceptions that you may have about whether the statements are credible or not. Are you saying that Bowie never said some or any of those words?

 

[Baptist Believer]

Thank you for your sincere desire to admonish me concerning the need for truthfulness in what I set forth. I certainly agree that we should not use statements that are false.

I'm glad to hear that we at least agree on that.

Concerning your specific allegation about the "false" quote that I presented, please let me know what exactly is false about the quote.

You are using the quote to support your premise, stated earlier in the thread:

Anytime that humans sacrifice something to an idol, they in actuality sacrifice it to demons. If a human being consumes in a worship context what has been offered to an idol in a worship context, that person has fellowship with demons.
There are human beings today who sacrifice in such a manner and then consume in such a manner what has been offered and thereby they have fellowship with demons.
Through such activities, they bring themselves into contact with demons, and provide the demons with opportunities to further defile their lives and activities, including influencing them to play demonic music on musical instruments.​

I'm not a fan of Bowie, although I recognize that he was very talented, and I only like a few of his songs. There is no evidence that he "sacrificed" his music "to idols" or demons. In fact, in the interview, the context of the 'rock music is the devil's music' is not a religious idea, but his belief that rock music is used up and it has blocked out more adventurous musical thinking. For instance, he said, "And [rock music is] evil because it supplements people’s sensitivity. Just look at Led Zeppelin. Our natural inclination to be adventurous with our brains is being repressed. I don’t like or approve of loud rock & roll.” His issue is not spiritually-related at all, but focused on creativity. Now there is some testimony that he came into faith in God during the last 18 months of his life, but that's not really what he is dealing with here.

I'm not interested in any subjective perceptions that you may have about whether the statements are credible or not.

Why not? You are certainly promoting your perception that Bowie is credible as a spiritual authority in this interview, using a cobbled together quote. I'm not a betting man, but I'm almost certain you did not look up the interview before you used the 'quote.' I can't prove it, but you know in your heart whether or not what I'm saying is true.

Are you saying that Bowie never said some or any of those words?

I am saying he did not say these words the way they are presented, with a lot of relevant content stripped out, to support the meaning that you want to put on them.

Where is evidence that Bowie's music was dedicated to idols/demons, and that he is talking about that in this interview?

Speaking of music dedicated to idols, false gods, and demons, what do you think about Wagner? Do classical composers who listen to Wagner consort with demons and then make classical compositions of their own that are demonic? That would fall in line with your theory of demonic influence.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

I'm glad to hear that we at least agree on that.


You are using the quote to support your premise, stated earlier in the thread:

Anytime that humans sacrifice something to an idol, they in actuality sacrifice it to demons. If a human being consumes in a worship context what has been offered to an idol in a worship context, that person has fellowship with demons.
There are human beings today who sacrifice in such a manner and then consume in such a manner what has been offered and thereby they have fellowship with demons.
Through such activities, they bring themselves into contact with demons, and provide the demons with opportunities to further defile their lives and activities, including influencing them to play demonic music on musical instruments.​

I am saying he did not say these words the way they are presented, with a lot of relevant content stripped out, to support the meaning that you want to put on them.

Where is evidence that Bowie's music was dedicated to idols/demons, and that he is talking about that in this interview?

I am sorry to say that you have done the very thing with my words in this thread that you seem to have accused me and others of having done with Bowie's statements.

In this response of yours, you have wrongly taken my statements in post #21 and claimed that what I said in post #46 was said to support what I said in post #21. I did no such thing. You took post 46 out of its context and linked it to post 21.

There was a lot of intervening material between those posts!

You need to go back and reread all the posts carefully between posts 21 and 46. If after doing so, you still do not understand why your linking those posts is faulty, you may need to read them again until you do understand.

I did not make any claim that the quote in post 46 was an example of someone who offered his rock music to idols or demons, etc.

If this is an example of the care that you have taken in your research of other quotes, it may be that you need to go back and redo some or all of your research to be certain that you have not done to others what you did to me--pull some of my words out of their specific context and link them to other words that I never linked them to.

Just so that you are clear about what I am saying with this response: I am categorically denying that what I have said is what you say I have said.

I am not going to spend any more of my time trying to defend myself against this faulty accusation.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

The following passage reveals an important comparison. First, Elisha's servant saw the city surrounded by horses and chariots:

2 Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

Of course, those horses and chariots that he had seen were physical horses and chariots. After Elisha prayed, however, the Lord opened the servants eyes to see that there were other horses and chariots present as well that were not physical horses and chariots:

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Notice that both the physical horses and chariots and the supernatural horses and chariots were present at the same time in the same place, but the servant was only able to see the latter when God opened His eyes to do so.

It is important to recognize from this passage that the Spirit revealed that the servant saw supernatural horses and chariots of fire after he had seen physical horses and chariots earlier. Both the supernatural ones and the physical ones were real entities; the Spirit did not just use metaphorical language to speak of things that were not really horses and chariots.

In the same way, the claim that divine revelation about musical instruments in heaven is just metaphorical language should be rejected. Those passages reveal that there are supernatural musical instruments in heaven that correspond directly to their earthly counterparts to such an extent that both are called by the same name.

Because angels play musical instruments in heaven and because the devil and his demons are angelic beings, we have no reason to hold that Satan and his demons cannot and have not originated music that is demonic that does not please God. Through their influencing evil humans who engage in forbidden activities that put them into contact with demons, Satan and his demons can and have directed humans to play demonic music that is of supernatural origin that does not please God.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

The occult is such a dangerous realm that participation in the occult can take a person made in the image of God and effectively remake him in the image of the devil:

Acts 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

It can so defile him that he becomes full of all deceit and fraud and becomes the enemy of everything that is righteous in the sight of God.

It can so corrupt him that he continually perverts the right ways of the Lord.

Practitioners of the occult who play musical instruments in their occult activities are profoundly dangerous humans whose music we must categorically reject as demonic music and not have anything to do with it!

 

[Lodic]

The occult is such a dangerous realm that participation in the occult can take a person made in the image of God and effectively remake him in the image of the devil:

Acts 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

It can so defile him that he becomes full of all deceit and fraud and becomes the enemy of everything that is righteous in the sight of God.

It can so corrupt him that he continually perverts the right ways of the Lord.

Practitioners of the occult who play musical instruments in their occult activities are profoundly dangerous humans whose music we must categorically reject as demonic music and not have anything to do with it!

I believe you, and I also believe that demonic activity is a lot more prevalent today than most Christians realize. The dangers of the occult are often minimized as the stuff of fiction or "harmless" games like Ouija boards.

It seems obvious to reject music that is rebellious. I also reject "worship" music that is not Scriptural. By this, I refer to "worship" music that puts the focus on us, on feelings and emotions, etc., and has little emphasis on Christ. How does one recognize demonic music whether in the church or playing music from your favorite Christian artist? Are there particular characteristics to listen for?

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

I believe you, and I also believe that demonic activity is a lot more prevalent today than most Christians realize. The dangers of the occult are often minimized as the stuff of fiction or "harmless" games like Ouija boards.

It seems obvious to reject music that is rebellious. I also reject "worship" music that is not Scriptural. By this, I refer to "worship" music that puts the focus on us, on feelings and emotions, etc., and has little emphasis on Christ. How does one recognize demonic music whether in the church or playing music from your favorite Christian artist? Are there particular characteristics to listen for?

Your questions are important questions that I hope to address biblically in a later thread. In this thread, my goal is to provide fundamental theological considerations that are necessary to establish before moving to more specific information.

I believe that one of the key reasons that we have the problems that we have today is the very inadequate treatment of Scripture that has resulted from an excessive focus on discussing certain musicological specifics about specific pieces, etc.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

It is important that I correct a false representation of my views that seems to have been set forth in this thread. Someone has in effect, I believe, either asserted or at least implied that I have some sort of a "superstitious" view of instrumental music that the music itself has "spiritual power" and that we must not listen to demonic music because of the bad effect(s) that it would have on us.

This is not what I am saying. Demonic music is wicked music because it is music produced either by demons themselves or by evil humans engaging in forbidden activities that put them into forbidden contact with demons so that the demons influence them in some manner to produce demonic music.

Christians who listen to or play that music disobey God's commands not to have anything to do with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11), etc. Through such disobedience, they incur the fierce displeasure of God with them.

Displeasing God in that way, they refuse to submit to God. Because they are not in submission to God, they render themselves incapable of resisting the devil in the manner that Scripture teaches that they are supposed to do:

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

By not obeying God about not having anything to do with the unfruitful works of darkness, they not only displease God through their disobedience but also they put themselves into profound spiritual danger not directly through listening or playing the music itself but through rendering themselves incapable of resisting the devil properly because of their lack of submission to God through their disobedience.

Whether or not the music has spiritual power to harm humans is not the issue; regardless of what one believes about that consideration, displeasing God through one's disobedience to Him is the central issue with any listening to or usage of demonic music in one's life.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Both of these passages teach the universality of the power of Satan over all unbelievers. Ephesians 2:2 strikingly teaches that he is energizing all such disobedient people.

If you theology does not accept these truths, you do not have a biblical understanding of the true state of every unbeliever.

Applying this truth to ungodly musicians who participate in idolatrous worship that involves offering sacrifices to an idol or who participate in the occult shows us that they are under the power of the devil and are energized by him in their disobedience when they play their music in such activities. We must categorically reject all such music of such people as demonic music, regardless of how it sounds to us.

Christians are forbidden from listening to any of that music or borrowing any of it for use in our worship in any way.

 

[SGO]

I'm with you on this but would like to see a bible verse directly or near directly stating not just implied:

"Christians are forbidden from listening to any of that music or borrowing any of it for use in our worship in any way."

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

I'm with you on this but would like to see a bible verse directly or near directly stating not just implied:

"Christians are forbidden from listening to any of that music or borrowing any of it for use in our worship in any way."

It does not get any more direct than this:

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

When God totally forbids something, everything in that realm is put permanently off-limits. Instead of listing every area of corruption in the works of darkness, God in His perfect wisdom prohibits any contact or participation with it.

 

[SGO]

OK SMA, thank you.

 

[Scripture More Accurately]

In the conquest of Canaan, God put certain cities under the ban. His people were thereby completely forbidden from having anything to do with any "cultural" items from those cities, regardless of their aesthetic qualities. Achan violated God's prohibition by coveting and taking a beautiful Babylonian garment.

Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

For doing so, he was executed and the garment was burned.

God has put what idolaters and occultists do under similar all-inclusive bans. As I have said before, the Israelites were not even allowed to inquire how the idolaters worshiped their gods:

Deuteronomy 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. 32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

NT believers are also forbidden from partaking of any such things:

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Given such plain teaching in both Testaments, no dedicated believer should think that God would ever approve of his borrowing any music from idolaters or occultists and using it in his church to worship Him. Regardless of whether that music might sound good to him, a consecrated believer must not disobey God like Achan did when he took that beautiful garment from a forbidden source.