God, Goths and Emos

You are here

God, Goths and Emos

Login or Create an Account

With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later!

Sign In | Sign Up

×

Does God care whom you call your friends? Does He care how you dress, how you cut and dye your hair, if you paint your face white with black rings around your eyes, if you get yourself tattooed and pierced all over or if you cut your body?

Is God concerned if you feel like you don't fit in or if you experience the emotional pain of abuse from the immature craziness of a dysfunctional family?

Do you think that God cares one way or the other if you feed your mind with songs of death, depression and suicide or with horror films and Internet games glorifying evil? Does God care if you immerse yourself in the countercultures of darkness?

The question is: Does God care about you at all?

The answer is: Yes, He does care on all counts—and cares more than you can fully know!

The fact is: God is about life and light—not death and darkness.

The fact is: God has a culture, a place where you can fit in, a place of physical and emotional safety among true friends of high character and good cheer. You don't need a dark counterculture to find acceptance and identity.

Defying definition

We don't have to tell you about those involved in gothic or emo music, dress or lifestyle. You probably know some, and besides, in "the ever-mutating virus we know as American pop culture," goth and emo mean different things to different people (Helen A.S. Popkin, "What Exactly Is 'Emo,' Anyway?").

But almost everyone would agree that real goths and emos are disaffected with today's culture.

Finding emo

In an article titled "Finding Emo," Lauren Sloat, contributing writer to Berkeley's The Daily Californian, describes "an aimless generation of people searching for meaning and definition" and asks, "What is so fundamentally absent from our culture that could make premeditations on pain and alienation so...attractive?"

Ms. Sloat hit the nail on the head with that question. The answer, of course, is just about everything. Our Western, postmodern, materialistic, valueless society is lacking any semblance of giving real meaning to our lives.

"Perhaps it is the impersonalization of a culture defined by technology that threatens obscurity," Ms. Sloat suggests. But it is much more than that. The shallowness, unfairness and downright cruelty of society drive people away. Dysfunctional families, meaningless school and work, and mind-numbing entertainment doom our modern culture.

So subcultures like goth and emo arise and offer alternatives to the hated and hateful pop culture. Sometimes they offer acceptance and tolerance. Sometimes they offer freedom and creative expression. Sometimes they offer nothing but anger, anxiety and being tired of or bored with life.

There's no point in making generalizations, except this one: Like every other culture and counterculture in human history, people cannot find what they seek in goth or emo subcultures either. But there is a revolutionary and rarely practiced culture that achieves what no other can.

A great light

When Jesus Christ came to a corrupt world, He fulfilled a prophecy recorded by Isaiah more than 700 years before: "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned" (Matthew 4:16; Isaiah 9:1-2).

Into a hopeless and meaningless world, Jesus Christ brought real hope and meaning. Though His name is well known even today, His way of life has rarely been understood or tried. The culture He represents runs counter to all the cultures in society. It's truly revolutionary.

Notice how different His culture is: "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:4-5).

The cultures and countercultures of today don't understand God's way of life. But they will in the near future. Christ will soon return to earth to establish His Kingdom and government over all nations. Then the divine culture will positively dominate.

A few decades after Jesus' life on earth, His true followers were viewed as those who "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). The fact is, the world was already upside down since the sin of Adam and Eve. God's culture turns it right side up. Thus it is revolutionary—the one true counterculture of light.

Join the real counterculture

So what can you do?

First, don't be drawn in by today's cultures or countercultures.

Second, seek God and His way of life. Pray daily and read the Bible to discover the meaning of your life—a meaning and purpose you can passionately and positively pursue.

God deeply cares for you. He wants you to be part of His true culture, to find out who you are as one of His children. He wants you to feel healthy acceptance and safety from His people. Accepting God's culture may involve making some changes to your style of dress, conduct and music to fit His high standards of modesty, morality and inspiration.

God wants you to be part of His group of like-minded, faithful friends who love and respect each other, who seek to serve others and who love Him above all. Can God count on you to be an active part of His ultimate counterculture of light? VT

You might also be interested in...

Comments

  • dragoongirl420

    I am an honest, loving, compassionate Christian with a very close relationship woth God and Jesus. I help strangers on the internet every day just by talking them through their problems. I serve, I give, I do everything I can in my power to help others despite the fact that I am physically disabled. I also just so happen to adore the way I look in black. I dye my hair black, I wear black eyeshadow, black eyeliner, dark lipstick, black clothes. I have a nose piercing, because what is the difference between that and having your ears pierced? By the way, Leviticus 19:28, which says, ”You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead." This says do not mark yourself for the dead. I am a happy, life loving person who just loves black. Goth, not Goth, I don't care what you call me. What I care about is people assuming that because I like to wear all the colors mixed together, that I must be dark in my soul, I must hate life, I must not have a good relationship with the Lord, and basically EVERYTHING said in this article. I grew up in the United Church of God. And this prejudicial bigotry and discrimination is exactly UCG is no longer my church. Change, or you will lose others.

  • Lena VanAusdle
    Hi @ACP I read the wikihow on Christian Goth and Christian Emo. It was interesting reading. There are a number of things that I would like to address. First, this article did not mention any of the things that you seem to feel so strongly about. It did not mention make-up, Satan, a particular style of dress, anger or depression, specifically. The article DOES state: "goth and emo mean different things to different people." Secondly, according to wikihow, "Accept the darkness- Darkness is not evil!" Darkness in and of itself is not evil, but it is associated with evil, and Jesus came to banish the darkness, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John:1:4-5). Finally, the article is far less condemning than your comment would seem to indicate that it is. Please reread the article with an open mind.
  • Lena VanAusdle
    Hi @ACP I read the wikihow on Christian Goth and Christian Emo. It was interesting reading. There are a number of things that I would like to address. First, this article did not mention any of the things that you seem to feel so strongly about. It did not mention make-up, Satan, a particular style of dress, anger or depression, specifically. The article DOES state: "goth and emo mean different things to different people." Secondly, according to wikihow, "Accept the darkness- Darkness is not evil!" Darkness in and of itself is not evil, but it is associated with evil, and Jesus came to banish the darkness, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John:1:4-5). Finally, the article is far less condemning than your comment would seem to indicate that it is. Please reread the article with an open mind.
  • Malachi 3_16-18
    Hi ACP, No, emos/Goths don’t always wear black, want to kill, etc. But many share very negative characteristics. Goths &/or emos tend to focus on introversion, dark dress or mood; satisfaction from being super-emotional; finding strength from within. Much emo music is out-of-control “screamo”, which is ungodly (Phil 4:8-9), & can open one up to Satan’s influence. The links you gave showed how to APPEAR Christian; to “play the part” of both a follower of Jesus & a growing goth/emo trend. Can we mix negative w/ good, & call it Godly? The trend focuses on what clothes to wear, how to affix a “Christian” label to make it appeal to others, rather than how to please God. Christianity is from the inside out (Rom 12:2), focusing on pleasing God rather than attracting others; on not compromising with Godly standards to satisfy ourselves/others. I’d recommend asking God what He’d have you to do, from His Word. Satan has deceived all (Rev 12:9; 2 Cor 11:14). What are the fruits of our lifestyle? Whether or not Jesus was born at night is irrelevant; He stands for light (Jn 1:6-9; Jn 8:12; Jas 1:17), for being a light to others (Mt 5:14-16) for seeking Him as our strength (Gal 2:20)
  • ACP
    Am sorry ,but I strongly disagree on this because am Gothic Emo Christian. This thing that you wrote about emos and goths is inaccurate info I read the bible everyday I pray to god twice everyday self harm is not emo nor goth Emos/Goths Don't always wear black Don't neccesery wear makeup Don't worship Satan Are not evil Do not want to kill people nor themselves nor hurt themselves Do not hate everybody Are not always depressed Can be happy too Are usually nice too Are normal just like you It's a social status Most of my that are emos and goths are good people I have seen emos and goths that are Christians, Muslims, and Jewish. And am sorry that I had to say this ,but this is offensive, discriminatory, and very hypocritical. Colossians 3:11 here there is no gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all Galatians 3:28 there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Look up emo Christian wikihow and goth Christian wikihow.
  • danmartin1
    Thank you,kindly, Sabrina.
  • Sabrina Peabody
    Hi danmartin1, Why do you like listening to those songs? Do you identify with the message? Do you want to keep dwelling on that message or just feel like you have something that identifies with you? I would keep in mind Ephesians 2:2 that states Satan is the prince of the power of the air. Music is a powerful tool that can be used for good or evil. Just as in most areas of the Christian walk, we are to learn proper judgement and discernment. So evaluate your music choice the same way you do for movies and the way you spend your time: is positive and uplifting? I like songs with strong beats but often times they have bad words, so I purposefully decide not to listen to that song or find another one that sounds similar but with better lyrics. Also, I take Ephesians 5:19 to heart, and so whatever music I am listening to usually comes out when I am interacting with others because that melody has infiltrated my heart. Philippians 4:8 - Focus on what is good, noble and lovely. Perhaps you can pray to God to ask Him to help you properly discern if the songs you listen to are for your betterment or if not, to help you fill that void with something else.
  • liltweet

    With all due respect, I am emo myself and emo bands do have cursing in some of their songs, SOME. What's wrong with cursing? It's like saying "the" is a curse word, curse words are just more words. And what does Satan have to do with anything? Emo bands are not involved in anything satanic and neither am I. Also, if you look at the lyrics they may seem bad, but, the meanings of the songs are powerful and relate with life better than (God forgive me) Christian music.

  • PABON

    well said sister....very beautiful words....CHAPALIN JAY...NYC

  • danmartin1
    I am a christian, and I am still confused about the emo thing. Is it ok to still listen to screamo? I like listening to bands like "we Came as Romans" and others of the sort. I don't self harm or anything to deliberately offend God. I was just wandering about the music.
  • Join the conversation!

    Log in or register to post comments