Advice For The Kids

Media

There is no darkness in God. Our culture is filled with all sorts of dark media that warps the mind. We even have a holiday to celebrate evil (Halloween). With that said I wanted to create a page for parents who are raising kids who are into ‘Spooky’ stuff or adults who need to dial it back. Here are some general guidelines to follow.

  1. Rock & Metal Music (see examples at bottom of page)
    • Much of Metal and lot of Rock has you worshiping the devil with hand gestures, imagery and lyrics. You will be judged at the end – it would be wise to stop listening to certain artists.
    • Typically if it is on the radio it is OK. But this is not always true. Alien Ant Farm is a good band but makes the hand gesture (watch their “Movies” music video starting at 0:45). I stopped listening to them. Another example is Papa Roach’s ‘Lovehatetragedy’ album cover. This is serious stuff.
    • A good line to draw would be – soft/clean vocals, non psychotic guitars/lyrics and absolutely no satan. There needs to be a firm limit on aggression and darkness in your playlist. The goal is to be respectful to God and people as well as to have a brighter sound to your playlist overall.
  2. Rap Music (see examples at bottom of page)
    • One group I can think of has a satanic name (Three Six Mafia). Some artists make the satanic hand gesture (Lil Uzi Vert) – probably wise not to listen to these groups or artists.
    • Paying attention to song topics is important – While rap typically isn’t “Spooky”, running a crime gang, pimping, and songs about graphic porno are probably not something God is into. I’m not talking about sex, love, or being upset at the state of the world.
  3. Horror/Dark Themes – These movies put dark ideas into your head that affect your thinking.
    • Probably OK to watch:
      • Light Halloween/Horror – e.g. Ghostbusters and Hocus Pocus
      • Detective Shows from the perspective of the detectives – CSI, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles or Will Trent. The general idea is catching bad guys not becoming them.
      • Gray Heroes – The Mask of Zorro is a good example. He is a vigilante and seeks revenge (not good things) but the overarching theme is that he fights for the poor and oppressed (good things).
    • Not OK
      • Hardcore Horror – e.g. Texas Chainsaw
      • Crime shows from the perspective of the criminals (e.g. Weeds, Peaky Blinders or Sons of Anarchy).
  4. Halloween
    • Stay away from dark Halloween – God probably isn’t big on serial killers.
    • Captain America, Iron Man or a silly costume (not mean/offensive) are OK examples.

Music at the Limit

I wanted to give some examples below of good songs that showcase the limits I wrote about above for secular music. While they aren’t church or worship music, these songs are respectful to both God and people. It isn’t about being perfect but you will come to find you will make a lot of cuts in your playlist – things that are clearly bad. Specifically for Rock style genres the goal is moving your overall playlist towards a “FM Radio” sound – one that is brighter and softer. For rap it is about paying attention to song topics.

Rock – The Original Sound

For reference I wanted to include this song to remind you of the original sound (1969). Some kids might not know this, and some adults might have forgotten.

Rock – Moving Towards A Brighter and Softer Sound

Metal – Moving Towards A Brighter and Softer Sound

Punk – Moving Towards A Brighter and Softer Sound

Rap – Paying Attention to Song Topics