"Miley, no! - Part 1" - my original article last month may be viewed here.
Am I saying all this because I am some kind of sexually repressed prude? In no way! I'm saying this because as a man I know how hard the struggle is to stay pure towards women in mind and heart these days.
I don't watch video clips because I'm some kind of religious puritan, I avoid them because it will feed into my lust and probably lead me somewhere I don't actually want to be - in a cesspool of sin. I avoid them because I know how vulnerable I am and I know God would want me to view women as human beings that have immense worth. I believe that he would see my role as being to dignify them, love them, protect them, not reduce them to playthings created for my own sexual gratification.
Sadly though, Miley Cyrus, Ke$ha, Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and a plethora of other stars are not the creators of their own image, they play a part in a role specifically designed for them in order to sell records. They are tools in who's gifts and image are used to make money. They are pawns of a money making industry that I believe is (at its core) one steeped in darkness and under the control of the evil one.
These are women who have sold out, sold their own souls for fame, fortune and success and I think if you took away all the money, glitz, glamour and fame, I don't know if there would be anything of any true lasting value left. Madonna the woman who once had the whole western pop world at her feet was once asked in an interview 'Are you happy?' her response, "I don't know anyone who is truly happy."
If you look at Ke$ha's film clip 'Die Young' you will no doubt see the dark reality of someone selling their soul to full effect. The film clip displays her as a cult leader entering a church cloaked in a black cloth. Covered in black cloth she has been sold out to death and 'evil' as displayed on the side of the hearse she arrives in. Her cult followers carry her into an old church and proceed to vandalize the place then desecrate it with satanic imagery, it concludes pretty much with an insinuated orgy.
Artistic expression overkill
There is language and lyrics in music these days that could be seen as 'artistic expression', and could be open to interpretation. Some music is written and expressed in a way as to shock audiences thus increasing exposure and sales. But when do stop doing this?
When do we stop dismissing all that we see as merely 'artistic expression and when do we call a spade a spade? Have we lost the ability to just take something at face value? Do we hear a lyric and take it for what it actually says? Do we still have that ability? When we see a pentagram or an inverted cross (which are also displayed multiple times within the same film clip) do we just discard them as 'art' instead of seeing them for what they actually are? Satanic and Anti-Christ symbology. Thessalonians 5 verse 22 states that we are called to avoid things that have even a hint of evil.
Personally I think we must forget about us cloaking flat out satanic imagery or lyrics as 'artistic expression' and call them for what they truly are. If not then pretty much anything goes, there are no moral boundaries and we will not be able to see the forest for the trees.
We must remember though that anything the enemy gives us in this life has a price tag attached to it and you don't have to delve too deep into the music industry to see how true this is. In an interview Bob Dylan himself said that he "Sold his soul to the devil" for fame in the music industry and is "still paying for it", Do I believe he literally had a sit-down meeting with the Devil himself and sign his soul away in his own blood?
Although possible I don't think so, whether he was saying that metaphorically or not to me is of little consequence, because the effect and reality of it is exactly the same. He sold parts of himself (his soul) away to a company or system in order to receive fame and fortune and that system I believe is run by the prince of this world.
Even so, someone needs to tell Bob that God in Christ already picked up the tab, he doesn't have to pay back what he bargained the devil for - Jesus paid for it fully on the cross and his blood is sufficient to blot out any contact - even in the extreme case of writing it in our own blood.
We should feel saddened that any woman (or man for that matter) is caught up in any industry (weather that be music, Hollywood or the sex industry) that seeks to rob them of their true identity. That identity being one of God's children, dearly loved by Him who were created in His image for His glory.
We should pray for these people and do what is within our power to reach out to them, to let them know they were made for more than what they are currently promoting, weather that be a record label or even themselves as sexual objects.
Illusions
We should want to protect the minds of our children and young adults from an industry that uses illusion, sex and popularity to promote a self destructive lifestyle that seeks to (ultimately) rob them of their true purpose and destiny and as Ke$ha puts it, Die Young.
And we as older Christians (and I am preaching to myself here) should question what we allow into our ears (and eyes) because these are ultimately the gateways to our own hearts and as the writer of Proverbs says, "Guard your heart above all, for it determines the course of your life." Proverbs 4 verse 23.
BecauseI know for me personally if I listen to music with a certain quality and lyric before I even recognise it, I'm off in some ego-fuelled fantasy land of my own design.
Still, with all this being said, I may find it very hard not to listen to some 'sexy' house whilst vacuuming the lounge room.
Tim Everton is a youth worker and child carer who has recently returned home to Adelaide after a few years of experiencing the sights and sounds of Melbourne. In his off-time he pursues graphic design, photography and enjoys the beach and seeking out the next best cafe latte both in equal measure.
Tim Everton's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-everton.html