Helloween and Stratovarius

Hmmmm...what's your definition of Christian?

Is it........ "of or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ"

or

"describes a person or action that is good, kind, helpful, etc."

Two similar but different definitions there!

But of course that is assuming that you are talking about the word christian as an adjective.....if you are thinking in terms of the word as a noun then it's the first definition.
 
I myself am as Hansi Kursch stated as being " a very faithful but critical Christian ". I however don't agree with trying to find the small references to Christianity and assume one or all of the members affiliate themselves with religious belief anymore. I understand what AlexJacobii says about PQ having some lyrical content with hints of Christianity because I remember some things in songs as "I Don't Believe in Friends Forever" "For Evermore" "Well of Souls" etc. The later two I kinda get a vibe from the lyrics but it doesn't necessarily mean that's what they are about or in reference to.
 
interesting discussion - i know it will sound a bit bookish, but this stuff is also part of my field and i can say that 'christianity' is actully entrenched in our western culture - it is so under our skins in terms of cultural references that we can barely write anything - films, fiction, poetry or songs- without touching/being touched by it in one way or another

the bible is a major influence on all our gratestest writers: from shakespeare, to milton to tolkien, christinaity is everywhere and metal is a sort of brainy music... i mean, it's the only musical genre where you can detect heavy :D literary influences - consequently all this stuff ends up in lyrics in one way or another

sorry for the essay :Spin:
 
Even the avowed atheists and Satanists of metal toss Biblical references into their music, even if it's to mock. Even band names... see Lamb of God, Cain's Offering, Sodom... you could probably name hundreds.

I'm mostly agnostic myself, but I largely prefer Christian music to anti-Christian music; the former holds a positive vibe, while the latter is just usually spiteful and bitchy. Of course, I never had people try to force religion on me growing up.

I know a good portion of Helloween are in fact Christians, but I doubt it's a bit influence on their music. In the end, I like Tobi's take on the whole thing: would a God without a sense of humor about himself create the freakin' aardvark?
 
RedFox742 said:
I'm mostly agnostic myself, but I largely prefer Christian music to anti-Christian music; the former holds a positive vibe, while the latter is just usually spiteful and bitchy.
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same thing here - and actually most of the concepts we believe 'christian' have much older pagan roots, especially in our little islands here - a good example is the celtic cross Dio used to wear

i wear it myself and do not consider myself christian, in spite of my name :D

religion is always hot stuff, isn't it? :devil:
 
Religion is indeed a hot and firey topic a lot of the time, but the key is to be able to have a rational discussion about these things without heart ruling head!

Little bit of background about me that you may not have known. Many moons ago I studied Theology and Philosophy, having also studied Ancient Greek language at A level. I did an awful lot of translating not only from Greek but also from Hebrew as well.....and a lot of helping out fellow students with those particular subject areas.

My father was also an Anglican vicar for 40 years before he retired 10 years ago.....so I know all about organised religion too...even if these days I avoid it like the plague! lol!
 
Symphony said:
Little bit of background about me that you may not have known. Many moons ago I studied Theology and Philosophy, having also studied Ancient Greek language at A level. I did an awful lot of translating not only from Greek but also from Hebrew as well.....and a lot of helping out fellow students with those particular subject areas.
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wow - awesome steve - you are a really cultivated person and i think it translates into PQ lyrics :hotjump:

btw, i've seem some people going to Maiden gigs with t-shirts reading 'Maiden is my Religion' - i wonder what Bruce & Steve think of it...
 
i actually learned about power quest while looking for "christian metal" i soon learned that you guys are certainly not a "christian" band but this topic is very interesting XD
 
Symphony said:
Religion is indeed a hot and firey topic a lot of the time, but the key is to be able to have a rational discussion about these things without heart ruling head!

Little bit of background about me that you may not have known. Many moons ago I studied Theology and Philosophy, having also studied Ancient Greek language at A level. I did an awful lot of translating not only from Greek but also from Hebrew as well.....and a lot of helping out fellow students with those particular subject areas.

My father was also an Anglican vicar for 40 years before he retired 10 years ago.....so I know all about organised religion too...even if these days I avoid it like the plague! lol!
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Nice, though in my post I was not calling you a christian band in any way, all I was trying to say was that any band can be viewed as semi-Christian. As for Helloween's song being referenced, last time I checked almost all Germans think Hitler was a complete idiot so why in the hell would they praise him? Basically as a listener you can make a song about anything you want it to be and thats a wonderful part about music, it changes with every person!

As for you avoiding religion like the plague...thats a good thing! If no one can accuse you of holding a certain religion in your heart then you can reach out to a broader fan base as fans can put their own views into your lyrics. Personally I think Christian metal bands are dumb because they limit their song content so much, what if you want to make a fun song about God? You will be called out and they will say you are being blasphemous! I'm all for avoiding religion, especially when it comes to music. Keep the drama out of music!
 
Symphony said:
Religion is indeed a hot and firey topic a lot of the time, but the key is to be able to have a rational discussion about these things without heart ruling head!

Little bit of background about me that you may not have known. Many moons ago I studied Theology and Philosophy, having also studied Ancient Greek language at A level. I did an awful lot of translating not only from Greek but also from Hebrew as well.....and a lot of helping out fellow students with those particular subject areas.

My father was also an Anglican vicar for 40 years before he retired 10 years ago.....so I know all about organised religion too...even if these days I avoid it like the plague! lol!
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Rationality and religion do not mix.

Philosophy and Theological Studies is what I'm studying for my degree! :headbang: I think we could have several beer fueled deep conversations dude :)

Anyway I stick to what I said in my previous post. I don't think, even from a subconsciously inherited cultural standpoint, that Christian themes pervade through power metal or heavy metal. Sometimes they do, sure but mostly with bands who openly associate themselves as such (Theocracy, etc). Besides being a Christian or a believer in anything doesn't especially mean it will influence the music. You could be a believer and write lyrics about atheism as much as you could be an atheist writing about theism. I don't think people should read too deeply into what isn't necessarily there but lyrics are always open to personal interpretation to an extent. As an ardent atheist I have no problem with this as such, at the end of the day I listen to music because it sounds good to me. I don't read into lyrics so much though they can be compelling. I just don't find faith and religion and superstition compelling in the slightest. Unless it's tongue-in-cheek power metal mythology :p
 
armeckthefirst said:
i believe you can believe in God and not be religious... and some bands i would say are "religious" but are certainly not "christian" like deicide for example
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Haha thats a really bad example, at least used Tyr or something like that. Northern Crusades are at least understandable, Deicide is just music for 6th-8th graders! I mean its ok but the lyrics...come on!
 
armeckthefirst said:
i would, and i know a LOT of people that would call deicide religious. XD
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haha yea they would claim it is Satanic. Its just really immature. They obviously have never sat down with the Bible as their songs are all "I HATE GOD RAWR!" when they could really point out some flaws in the Bible. For example "synagogues of Satan". One it includes the word Satan and two it basically says that the Holocaust was ok. How are they not all over that?

I personally like Theocracy but I hate how limited Christian metal is, you can only go so far before parents say you are "evil". Most Christians understand that they are not evil but some people always have to throw a fit.
 
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