7 Myths About Punk Christians: Intro and Myth 1

INTRO

We're back-- sorry, we've been gone awhile... we had some spiritual issues to deal with. But now we've figured out a few things. So now we're going to start talking about the 7 Myths About Punk Christians that we mentioned in our first post.

A basic summary of why we're posting these: These are things we've heard people saying about punks and punk Christians, (and some specifically about us) and we want to set things straight, and to help other people understand the truth about punk Christians.

(Just to remind you, we can't speak for all punk Christians.)

MYTH ONE: Punks Listen to Bad Music/Headbanging Displeases God

Christian music isn't just the stuff you hear in church; it goes way farther than that. You could listen to radio stations like the Effect ( http://www.effectradio.com/ ), which plays Christian rock, punk, hardcore, and screamo music.

Someone once told me (Sydney) that screamo can't be Christian music, just because it's screamo...not true!!! People seem to think that when people scream in music, it's displeasing and disrespectful in the eyes of God. But what we think is that as long as the lyrics are glorifying God, and that you're doing it for Him, that it's Christian.

Another argument people use is that since screaming can hurt vocal chords, it can't possibly please God because He doesn't want us to hurt ourselves. And it's true that God doesn't want us to hurt ourselves, but you don't have to hurt yourself while screaming if you do it right. It's an art, really. We read online that it usually takes a year for people to perfect this. (And neither of us can do it, sorry.)

Now about headbanging... it's basically just extreme nodding! So how is this displeasing? How is this inappropriate in God's eyes? Because there are some waaaaay nastier dance moves by hip-hop and country singers where they move their whole bodies in disgusting ways. (Not to say that hip-hop and country is always bad, because it's not.) Although headbanging does require the whole body to balance you out, you're mainly using your head and neck. And there's nothing wrong with that, in our opinion.

But we want to know your opinions on this-- have you ever been told that the music that you listen to isn't Christian, even though it is? Or have people ever picked on you for headbanging because they thought that that somehow made you un-Christian-like? Or maybe you've been wondering about this yourself, or you don't believe that hardcore music or headbanging is okay. We want to hear what you have to say (but please be nice and say it in a Christlike manner) so please comment!

Think About It

Why does everyone think if you wear dark make-up and dark clothes that you're automatically non-Christian? Because that is NOT true!! Punk, emo, or even gothics, or whatever you want to call them are still people like everyone else--don't judge a book by its cover. No, seriously--don't. That saying is pretty much cliche now, but think about what it means for a second.

Done thinking? (I hope not! Stay with us!) Well, anyways... think about it--everyone you know probably does this: they stereotype like crazy!!! If they don't... AWESOME!!! Because stereotyping is bad--it builds a wall that, well, you just can't break easily! And that's just ruining a friendship that never even started. And I know it sounds kind of dumb, or something that an adult would say, but it's true. Think about it. (I know! What's with all this thinking?!?!?)

So the purpose of this blog is:

1. To show the world that punks CAN be Christians too! (Hence the title...) Make-up and clothes don't define a person. That's another thing you probably hear a lot but don't pay much attention to... "Looks don't really matter, it's the inside that counts..." But they really don't matter. No matter what you look like on the outside, you can still be a Christian! (And stop rolling your eyes at us!!)

2. To end segregation in the church that comes as a result of these stereotypes and the ideas that come with them. In other words, to fight against the lies people believe about punk Christians. We'll help bust some common myths later.

3. To encourage other punk Christians (or whatever you are...emo, gothic, etc.) to quit hiding and to tell them that they are not alone, and to help "normal" people (those who are not considered "punks") understand what we really are.

4. To hear other people's opinions (or reactions) to what we have to say.



A lot of people think that if you wear black, you're depressed. That's partly true. We and many other people that we know wear black when life has taken a depressing turn. It's our way of saying that something devastating just happened. But we also wear black because we can and we feel like it. And it's a cool color. But why does "technical" darkness always have to be associated with darkness from sin? It's like if you wear black all of a sudden you're against Christ, which is not true. (For us at least.)

So here it is, and we hope you understand what we're trying to say to you. And just to let you know, when we say "punk," we don't mean it as an offensive name or anything...it's just our word for basically all those stereotypes like emo, gothic, etc.

Please respond! We want feedback! :)



--Sydney and Chantel