Dear Andrew:

Sorry for the long delay in answering. My computer crashed and I am just now back on the Internet and catching up with things.

Music is suppose to be an expression of beauty. St. Augustine said that when we sing a prayer we pray twice. Music is the language of the soul, not the intellect. It speaks to our soul and spirit.

God's purpose for music to uplift the human spirit.

Since music speaks directly to the soul it is important for us to be careful what we listen to. For example, scientific studies have shown that some works of classical music facilitate health, and other works facilitate disease. Music can contribute to health or disease.

In modern times we have many terrible, terrible music compositions. The type of Country Music that encourages adultery, fornication, or drunkenness is not a message we should be allowing into our minds and souls.

The type of Rock or Pop music that encourages sexual immorality, drunkenness, drug use, rebellion (sex, drugs, and rock & roll) is also something that we should not be allowing into our minds and souls.

Rap music is one of the most destructive forms of "so-called" music to ever be invented.

Heavy metal, acid rock, death metal, and all sorts of demonic imaged music needs to be avoided for sure. This type of music relishes the culture of death, rebellion, and sex.

When we listen to any sort of music that either in its melody and/or in its lyrics that presents a message or a musical melody that entices the immoral, the culture of death, is anti-God, or anything else that is destructive to the human mind and soul we risk damaging our mind and our soul.

All music has a message, even if there are no lyrics. What is that message? Is the message uplifting or does it bring us down? Is that message one that encourages moral thoughts and actions, or does it encourage immoral thoughts and actions? Would be be embarrassed to play the music in front of Jesus if he was sitting in the room with us?

The bottomline is that it matters what we allow into our minds. We need to be careful of what we read, watch, or listen to. The Bible and the Church warns us about this. The devil can exploit us based on what we read, watch, or listen to.

That "rush" you feel comes from music that is specifically designed to cause that "rush". When in that state of energized feeling the message of the music can be more easily programmed into your mind. This is an old brainwashing technique.

Think upon things that are excellent, St. Paul teaches us.

As for why the lack of perception of power in Christian music is due to the devil's design to give a false perception of power in that which is not of God. The devil knows that especially our young people feel a sense of powerlessness. Thus, one of the best way for cults or music to suck in the young people is to give them a sense of empowerment. This is a classic technique of cults to recruit young people and is also a technique used in music. Bottomline, to give the young people a dose of a sense of power is to get them to buy more music which enriches the musician.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary