This is Always Refreshing...

It's good to find someone to say this stuff; take a look over at Girl Christian's blog for her views on modesty.

Quote of the Day

"Kerry's not a Presidential candidate, he's a Magic 8 Ball!"

Me

Why I Listen to CCM

A while back, S. Lewis asked me why I listen to CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). Well, after quite some time, I've decided to explain.

For me, CCM is a safe alternative for mainstream rock. The argument has been made that Christian rock has less talent than mainstream rock, but I beg to differ. I would say there is little to no discrepancy between the skills of Christian and secular music artists. Granted, I don't listen to much mainstream rock, but I am subjected to it just about everywhere I go. I would like to look at the two main areas of interest in the music debates: The music itself, and the lyrics.

First, the music. The Anti-CCM side claims that the musical talent and the aesthetics of CCM make it displeasing to listen to. The Pro-CCM side disagrees. I will allow that there are CCM songs and groups that are aesthetically quite annoying, but such music is present in the mainstream rock industry as well. In my town, I can get two Christian radio stations. The first is 91.7, and I DO NOT like that station. The intentions are good, but most of the music falls into the Praise and Worship category. Now, I enjoy Praise and Worship, but as far as entertaining music goes, I do like some variety. I sometimes wonder if some of the Anti-CCM crowd has simply gotten stuck listening to stations like 91.7.

The other Station is 90.3, called WAY-FM, and it is much higher quality. It plays popular Christian music, and the more exceptional Praise and Worship music. This is more to my liking, and so it follows that I listen to WAY-FM more.

As far as lyrics go, there is no question in my mind that CCM is superior. First of all, the music of CCM is positive, which can't be found in other genres of music. As Miss Piggy (my girlfriend) has said, "Positive doesn't sell." The minds of our culture have been warped in such a way that we feel compelled to meditate on what is depressing, negative, and sinful, and our music reflects this. Allow me to direct you to Philippians 4:8:

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."

Now let's examine a random Radiohead song through these criteria.

Morning Bell

The morning bell
The morning bell
Had a null encounter
Release me
Release me

You can keep the furniture
A bump on the head
Howling down the chimney
Release me
Release me
Please
Release me
Release me

Where’d you park the car
Where’d you park the car
Clothes are all alone with the furniture
Now I might as well
I might as well

Sleepy jack the fire drill
Running around around around...

Cut the kids in half
Cut the kids in half
Cut the kids in half

I wanted to tell you but you never listened
You never understand
I wanted to tell you but you never listened
You never understand
Cos I’m walking walking walking...

The lights are on but nobody’s home
Everybody wants to be a
The lights are on but nobody’s home
Everybody wants to be a singer
Walking walking walking...

The lights are on but nobody’s at home
Everybody wants to be a
Everyone wants to be a friend
Nobody wants to be a singer
Walking walking walking...

WHAT THE CRAP?? There is no music on earth that could be good enough to make up for those lyrics. The good thing is that the lyrics were pretty clean, but dang, what good does it do if it could have been written by a psychopathic 2 year-old who is just learning to form sentences?

Just so you know, the next song I looked at by Radiohead was "Creep," and I wasn't surprised to find foul language that I won't post here on my blog. The same can be said of Velvet Revolver music.

So what are my problems with secular lyrics? Well, if Radiohead is a good representative of secular rock, then the music is at best incomprehensible and at worst nasty and foul. Rap and R&B are both frequently foul-mouthed and filthy as well, and in these things I can find nothing that is praiseworthy or or good report. Therefore, I choose not to meditate on them.

I prefer that my music be used for positive purposes. I want it to uplift me, teach me, or praise my Creator. I want my music to edify its listeners and I want it to glorify God. If the music doesn't mention Jesus or God by name, that's okay with me, so long as there is sufficient music that does.

There is much more to be said in defense of CCM and against most mainstream music. However, I won't post that at this time. Instead, I will pose a question:

Given that not all secular music is represented by Radiohead, but that much is similar, is it better to listen to secular music, Christian music, or maybe no music at all? Does Christian music serve it's purpose, or does it fall flat? Is secular music really harmless, or is it restricted by Philippians 4:8?

Tell me what you think.

Red Alert: Political Assassin on the Loose!

Read this!

I'm disgusted. But not surprised, given the proven rabid nature of America's liberals. They beat cops, stick up for evil dictators, and now one's trying to assassinate the President. And Kerry's among their ranks.

Please pray for Bush and his family.

Vote yes for morality. Vote yes for sanity. Vote Bush 2004.

Quote of The Day

"I know there is evil in the world, but what have these little creatures done?"

Russian mother about the graves of children who were killed by Muslim terrorists.

Religion of peace.

You Know You're Sunk...

...When John "Flipflop" Kerry is the best you got. He's airing a new, deception-filled television ad in 13 states, and it continues to prove his inability to engage in rational thought.

Kerry said:

"200 billion dollars. That's what we are spending in Iraq because George Bush
chose to go it alone..."

Insanity. Whether the UN went with us or we simply went with a coalition of the willing, America would invariably be carrying most of the financial weight. The UN is like a spineless parasite that has latched on to the US! It takes our money, but it's too STUPID to actually fulfill its stated purpose! Since we didn't go in with the UN, we don't have Communist and Islamofascist dictators deciding the fate of the newly freed country! How scandalous...

It would have been irresponsible to go with the UN, which is arrogant enough to pass "sanctions," find "solutions" (remember "oil for palaces?") and "condemn" illegal acts, but when it comes time to enforce international law, the UN delegates choose to tuck their collective tail betwen their legs and blame it all on America! We actually went in with a coalition of with willing; how that qualifies as "alone" in Kerry's dreamworld, we'll probably never know. And this dude wants to lead our country...

Kerry said:

"Now the president tells us we don't have the resources to take care of health
care and education here at home. That's wrong."

Oh sure, Kerry'll fix our problems! First, he'll pull us out of Iraq so we won't be "wasting" our resources, and then he'll throw money at the rare pygmy sand gnat of Alaska so as to avoid an ecological "catastrophe!" Meanwhile, we'll still be dependent on the hostile Arabs' oil. Or maybe he'll give more money to the UN so they can pass more unenforced resolutions. Why is it that the UN only gave suggestions to Saddam (in the form of ir-resolutions) and it kept its mouth shut when Saddam was defiant, but it whines loudly when the US takes any action to keep the peace (something we are funding the UN to do)?

Something you have to understand about JOhn KErry is that when he says "health care" he means "people whose health is cared for" and when he says "education" he means "educators." He wants to take care of health care, but he forgets that there have to be doctors to give the health care. Frivolous lawsuits are not encouraging for doctors.

He wants to improve the education system, but he believes he'll do it by simply tossing money at it. If a system doesn't use money right, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at it!!! Give money to vouchers and homeschooling! Give money to good schools and allow parents to send their kids to schools that know how to teach! Competition, not nurturing something that is inherently flawed, is the key to improvement.

JOhn KErry, however, can't do that. Can you say "special interests?" Hey, where have I heard those words before? Oh yeah, I heard them from Kerry when he said he'd end the era of... uh, special interests. Huh... seems a little inconsistent to me...

Kerry (and democrats in general) watches out for educators, but he will fail the students! Encourage mediocrity, and you get (gasp) MEDIOCRITY!!! And Democrats are the only people in the world who can't understand that basic concept! You don't pay crappy educators the same as you pay exceptional educators, and you don't pay failing schools as much as you pay quality schools. Liberals often subscribe to the theory of Evolution, and weeding out of the weak, but they continue to encourage the harmfully incapable schools and educators, while such incompetence is failing the children of America. America's kids are the most stupid kids in the civilized world because Progressive Education is irrational in ineffective. PERIOD!!!

Finally, Kerry said:

"As president, I'll stop at nothing to get the terrorists before they get us.
But I'll also fight to build a stronger middle class."

First he condemns Bush for pre-emptive action, then he says it's his policy. As for building a stronger middle class, that's disguised Communist speech. He means he'll bring more people into the middle class, a message prominent in the Communist Manifesto. However, Kerry's definition of "middle class" appears to be people on welfare. His definition of "rich" is property owners. Therefore, "tax cuts for the rich" could be interpreted "tax cuts for the taxpayers." How can you cut taxes for people who don't pay taxes? Sure, let's all be equally miserable and destitute...

Ya know, it's really sad when a 15 year old can see right through a presidential candidate. Kerry is the candidate for the "Delusion" party, preferring to look at everything with his eyes closed, allowing Michael Moore to whisper descriptions of what he is observing in his ear. This creates a nice little alternate reality for Kerry where he thinks he has the answers for everything. And, if we all lived inside Kerry's head, we'd probably want him to be our president. However, when Kerry's views are translated into reality, they just don't cut it.

Peace (through strength),
Neo

Hi, Ivan!

Okay, time for a little bit of Neo's Eclectica.

First of all, I'm sorry I haven't posted frequently. I've started school back (it's a neat online school) and I haven't had much time to post. I'll try to get better about that.

Next, Hurricane Ivan is here. Lots of rain, and the trees are whipping around from the wind! And I'm pretty far inland! I can't imagine how bad it is on the coast.

*Blog Focus* Everybody, you can relax now; Bria's back! Go over there and give her a nice warm Strangely Normal welcome.

Poor Kofi Annan... Logic doesn't seem to be one of his strengths (nor does morality or intelligence of any form) It seems the UN Secretary General thinks of our invasion of Iraq as illegal. I wonder if he thinks of Saddam's treatment of the Kurds as illegal too? I wonder how he missed the part about Saddam's defiance of UN resolutions being illegal too...

Huh, I never thought of myself as Pharisaical... But apparently I fit Knight's definition of a Pharisee. Check it out in this thread.

And that's all I can think of for now.

Be blessed!
Neo

Vote 4 Kerry?

How on earth do the RNC protesters have so much time on their hands? Do they have jobs? Or even lives? It's insane, and what's worse is that they can't even be civil enough to stay out of jail!
Though they can sometimes be annoying, peaceful protests and civil disobedience are fine. However, when it reaches this point, it qualifies as anarchy. It seems they forgot about the "peaceful" part of peaceful protest! And the worst part is that I'm not surprised in the least. Remember what I said in my post Liberal Paradox: A Violent Peace Protest? They claim to want peace, but only on their own terms.

What kind of people attack a cop, a person who has pledged to risk his life in order to protect everyone? The radical Liberals, that's who! Through the whole DNC, I heard nothing of Republican protesters being arrested, vandalizing property, or assaulting cops. The reason for that is simply that Republicans respect law enforcement. In the Vietnam war, who protested not the war, but our very own service men? None other than Kerry & Company! Who supported the Commies and booed those who were defending the freedom of South Vietnam? The Moore-like masses who call themselves Liberals! Who wants us to "fight the war with spitballs"? The short-sighted Liberals!!!

What kind of leadership can they give us? Let's check out our last president. Militarily, he was the crappiest thing that has never been flushed down a toilet. I tend to wonder why no one demanded an exit strategy when we went into Bosnia. Mogadishu was quite a debacle as well. And that's not to mention what Mr. Clinton did in his spare time... And how the heck did we elect a president who didn't even know what "is" means? Don't forget the condition of the economy when Clinton got done with it. When he was seeking re-election, the economy was worse than it is now, and there were no Democrats whining then. Therefore, I don't understand the outrage about the economy's current state. We recently had growth in the economy that we had not experienced in decades!

Let's go back a little farther to Jimmy Carter. If there has ever been a liberal president that I can respect, it would be Carter. And yet, he was unfortunately weak-kneed. Remember the Iran hostage Crisis?

How about Kennedy? Boy, the Kennedy family is a family of winners! Good ol' Jack and his Bay of Pigs disappointment! That was the most cowardly, ill-conceived action I've ever heard of! If Jack had simply followed through, we would have a stable democracy off our coast instead of a dictatorship with many people attempting to escape into our borders. How about Teddy Kennedy for further proof of the greatness of the Kennedy family? Boy, is he a respectable guy!

Let's move back to FDR. For all the hype surrounding this guy, one would think he had actually done something great. Come on, if you're in a depression, what could possess you to use SOCIALIST ECONOMIC POLICIES TO PULL YOU OUT OF THE DEPRESSION?! Seriously, the New Deal is Socialist, and definitely not conducive to economic growth or recovery, and because of FDR, we're still having to live with the after-effects of the Great Depression, not to mention all the organizations that are no longer useful, but still in existence and operation.

I mention all of these past liberal presidents simply to show the track record that the Democrats have in leading our country. And now, when New York's Finest are beaten for enforcing the law, it shows the pure and immature disdain that liberalism has for the law. In its hatred of the law, it still seeks to control the law. Though they will invariably handle control of the highest post in the country irresponsibly, they still seek it. And nearly half the population of America is blind enough to be oblivious to Liberalism's incompetence in leadership!

Liberals can't lead a country justly if they can't be just toward those who protect them. The ingratitude and immaturity with which Liberals act toward those who are given the responsibility to lead and protect them makes them unsuitable for office. John Kerry has shown his disdain for America's servicemen and women after his tour of duty in Nam. He spread lies about those whom he served with, and now he seeks to be leader of them. He abhors them, and now he wants to be in a position of authority over them. Where's the logic in electing him?

If I were a democrat, I would be ashamed to vote for Kerry after the things he has done, as well as the things his supporters stand for. Killing unborn infants, perverting God's laws, and assaulting cops is a poor set of standards, and if those who stand for those standards also stand behind Kerry with gusto, maybe Kerry's more intelligent supporters *pokes Laura* should rethink their support for Kerry. There is a reason he appeals to anarchists...

Peace (through strength), Y'all,
Neo

Another Take on Abu Ghraib

Kevin Robertson of the Fixing A Hole blog posted this take on the Iraqi prison scandal.

I am not condoning what happened to the Iraqi prisoners...however, I
think it is vitally important that in my head I have these matters in proper
perspective...

* Saddam had Iraqi men, women and children put to death in human meat
grinders on a daily basis...NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB
COMMUNITY

*Saddam had people thrown off of 3 - 4 story buildings, while their
relatives were forced to watch...NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB
COMMUNITY...

* Saddam had people's tongues cut out, limbs chopped of, and even
beheaded, while their families were forced to watch...NO OUTCRY FROM THE
IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

* Saddam's sons, as well as other Administrators and military
personnel raped and sodomized Iraqi girls, some as young as 8 years old, on
a daily basis...NO OUTCRY FROM THE IRAQI PEOPLE OR THE ARAB COMMUNITY...

AND NOW, A FEW IRAQI PRISONERS HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED (poor babies)...A PAIR
OF WOMENS UNDERWEAR PUT ON THE PRISONERS' HEADS, A FEW NAKED
PHOTOGRAPHS...AND THE IRAQI PEOPLE AND THE ENTIRE ARAB COMMUNITY GO
BALLISTIC...GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

As I said, I don't condone what happened to the prisoners...I wish the
American news elite would stop being part of the problem and stop using this
story to the benefit of the Arab community.

Rock on, Kevin!

Read the whole post!