Sillygoth
12-22-2007, 09:06 AM
Hi all, I've seen a ton of topics on this and various other Rock Band related boards. It usually starts out with someone feeling the need to complain about the lack of Christian rock on the game.
This leads to someone else hopping in somewhere in the thread and mocking their religion, usually in a fairly immature way.
Then comes the inevitable "Satanic" thread... and also inevitably, a Christian feels the need to come in there and start bashing.
This simply leads me to make a few statements of my own, as I have seen this time and time again:
1)Christianity is one of the most dominant religions in the world, yet many Christians still feel they are being persecuted or marginalized. How can both of these statements really be fact?
2)Does a person's religion really matter? Does his personal belief in a higher power really grant him greater skill?
3)If you answered "yes" to this, let me posit this fact to you. Tom Araya, lead singer of Slayer...one of the most notorious American bands in the 80's-90's...one of the "godfathers of American black metal"....is a devout Catholic. In multiple interviews, he's gone on record with this, and openly states that "God is a loving God. God does NOT hate us all."
4)If you didn't pay the Church of Satan $100.00 for your membership card, you're not a member, therefore not a Satanist. Check their website. Seriously.
5)The Church of Satan is against the idea of any "Satanists" picking fights with Christians. The official position is that it's "beneath them".
6)FYI, most of the higher-ups in the CoS say that metal sucks. They all prefer to listen to classical. Peter Gilmore, who is one of the highest ranking members of the church actually has said, "Satanists prefer more melodic and rich music, such as Wagner. Satan CERTAINLY wouldn't listen to heavy metal."
7)Gene Simmons is Jewish...does that make his music somehow lesser quality?
8)If you simply don't believe the Christian god exists, that makes you an atheist, not a Satanist.
9)If you believe in a god, but are not sure who or what she/he/it is, that makes you agnostic, not a Satanist.
10)If you're genuinely worshipping Satan as a REAL creature/god/demon...you HAVE to believe in the Christian God's existence, and in Christ's divinity. The two really go hand in hand.
11)FYI if you "hate all Christians" because you are a "Satanist", by that dogma, you also have to "hate all Jewish people and Muslims".
12)If you don't understand why #11 is true, then you really need to study comparative religion.
13)Ted Nugent is both Christian and Republican. Does this make him less of a guitar god?
14) Sammy Davis Jr. was both Jewish AND a member of the CoS. He wasn't remotely metal.
Lest anyone consider me biased or whatnot, I'll just let you all know that I'm a priest of Odin, probably one of only three or four in the state of Florida. I've been on both sides of the argument you all seem to be having. If you don't like the music, don't listen or download it. Vote with your wallet. I can assure you that Harmonix would find that to be the most tangible statement you can make. Plus it's devoid of emotion.
If a Slayer pack makes 50,000 downloads, and a Zao pack gets 2500, Slayer is more likely to get another pack. The inverse is also true. It's not an endorsement of religion one way or the other on Harmonix's end. It's about fan satisfaction, and also about making a profit. Just keep that in mind the next time you're angrily posting about the lack of your favorite band getting a download pack.
I hope I've given you food for thought.
2)
This leads to someone else hopping in somewhere in the thread and mocking their religion, usually in a fairly immature way.
Then comes the inevitable "Satanic" thread... and also inevitably, a Christian feels the need to come in there and start bashing.
This simply leads me to make a few statements of my own, as I have seen this time and time again:
1)Christianity is one of the most dominant religions in the world, yet many Christians still feel they are being persecuted or marginalized. How can both of these statements really be fact?
2)Does a person's religion really matter? Does his personal belief in a higher power really grant him greater skill?
3)If you answered "yes" to this, let me posit this fact to you. Tom Araya, lead singer of Slayer...one of the most notorious American bands in the 80's-90's...one of the "godfathers of American black metal"....is a devout Catholic. In multiple interviews, he's gone on record with this, and openly states that "God is a loving God. God does NOT hate us all."
4)If you didn't pay the Church of Satan $100.00 for your membership card, you're not a member, therefore not a Satanist. Check their website. Seriously.
5)The Church of Satan is against the idea of any "Satanists" picking fights with Christians. The official position is that it's "beneath them".
6)FYI, most of the higher-ups in the CoS say that metal sucks. They all prefer to listen to classical. Peter Gilmore, who is one of the highest ranking members of the church actually has said, "Satanists prefer more melodic and rich music, such as Wagner. Satan CERTAINLY wouldn't listen to heavy metal."
7)Gene Simmons is Jewish...does that make his music somehow lesser quality?
8)If you simply don't believe the Christian god exists, that makes you an atheist, not a Satanist.
9)If you believe in a god, but are not sure who or what she/he/it is, that makes you agnostic, not a Satanist.
10)If you're genuinely worshipping Satan as a REAL creature/god/demon...you HAVE to believe in the Christian God's existence, and in Christ's divinity. The two really go hand in hand.
11)FYI if you "hate all Christians" because you are a "Satanist", by that dogma, you also have to "hate all Jewish people and Muslims".
12)If you don't understand why #11 is true, then you really need to study comparative religion.
13)Ted Nugent is both Christian and Republican. Does this make him less of a guitar god?
14) Sammy Davis Jr. was both Jewish AND a member of the CoS. He wasn't remotely metal.
Lest anyone consider me biased or whatnot, I'll just let you all know that I'm a priest of Odin, probably one of only three or four in the state of Florida. I've been on both sides of the argument you all seem to be having. If you don't like the music, don't listen or download it. Vote with your wallet. I can assure you that Harmonix would find that to be the most tangible statement you can make. Plus it's devoid of emotion.
If a Slayer pack makes 50,000 downloads, and a Zao pack gets 2500, Slayer is more likely to get another pack. The inverse is also true. It's not an endorsement of religion one way or the other on Harmonix's end. It's about fan satisfaction, and also about making a profit. Just keep that in mind the next time you're angrily posting about the lack of your favorite band getting a download pack.
I hope I've given you food for thought.
2)
