Is blasphemous Music ok?

I'm in America.  It is ok for you.

Depends if it's recorded in digital or analog.

It's the best kind. Bring on the blasphemy!!!! 👍

you mean like "blasphemous rumors" by Depeche Mode?

The cannons in the 1812 Overture are acceptable, but otherwise I prefer to keep such to a minimum.

DeKay

Perhaps just a matter of semantics, these days it’s not the music which may be blasphemous, but rather the lyrics.

But back when the Catholic Church ruled the Western world, the use of the tritone---then referred to as "the Devil’s interval" was forboden. It was considered "Diabolus in Musica" ("The Devil in Music" in English), and it’s use could result in one being burned at the stake. Ah, the good ’ol Catholic Church.

Tony Iommi was free to employ the tritone, and did so in Black Sabbath’s self-titled song on their debut album. By then Hendrix had already done so in "Purple Haze".

My favorite invocation of God’s name in music is in the great Country song "God May Forgive You But I Won’t", written by the team of Harlan Howard and Bobby Braddock. I first heard it by Iris Dement, then Rosie Flores.

Music taking on religion is much more easily tolerated than music taking on other topics, in my experience. 

@hilde45: Like, for instance, politics? ;-)

On person's blasphemy is another person's anthem.

"Big Muddy" - Pete Seeger

"For What it's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield

@bdp24 I was thinking about best microbrew, but sure politics works too. ;-)

In all seriousness, has there ever been more political music than the blues? It's an art form which developed in response to oppression.

There is a guy who posts amazing videos on YouTube, calling himself The Jazz Shepherd (real name Dan something). In his deep discussions about Jazz music (he is a good friend of Stereophile reviewer Ken Micallef, himself a serious Jazz fiend) he includes the context of the racism the black Jazz artists faced in the U.S.A. as they were pioneering what he (and others) calls the only art form that America can claim as its own.

I think that may be an overstatement; what about Gospel, Blues, and Country & Western? Sure, Ireland, Scotland, and England had a long Folk tradition---the basis for Folk, Hillbilly, Bluegrass, etc., but it sure underwent change, invention, and development once imported into the U.S.A. And Blues was created as a form of expression and release by the 19th and 20th century American slaves and their descendants.

Speaking of American blacks, and Gospel music: in the black community playing anything other than Gospel was long considered depraved, and strongly frowned upon. Singers like Sam Cooke were denounced when they crossed over from the religious market to the secular. 1950’s Rock ’n’ Rollers Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis struggled with their religious beliefs and faith conflicting with their secular music. Little Richard quit the music business in the early-60’s, returning to the Church as a Baptist preacher. Jerry Lee, after being banned for marrying his 15-year old second cousin, created a new career n Country & Western. Apparently marrying a 15-year old relative was not so unusual in the South. ;-)

Is it safe to say-Without religion, most  genres of the last couple centuries wouldn’t exist?

As safe as it is to say that without slavery, the blues genre might not have existed. 

it's creepy and very sad to watch your reasoning about a "movie" that has never actually been watched ...

How do I know this? - I traveled a lot - visited other countries and can compare.

Imagine that you grew up and formed in Catholicism or Protestantism ... you have a picture of the world - you are used to it ... suddenly some Sergio appears and tells you - you guys are not just mistaken, you were deceived by clever PEOPLE - you are all life went the other way! ...
Your eyes are filled with blood, you start arguing, you are convinced that you are right, and I am a heretic ... you are scared and you do not want to change anything.

I'm not better than you - I just know the real state of affairs ... Can I change something? - there are no people in the life of the broad masses (this is a very big process), but for some individual people (a clean slate), my information will become living water! - an indication in which direction to dig in search of treasure.

As for blasphemers, blasphemers, comedians / atheists, shockers in music (actually not only in it):

there are two groups of people - in the first, those who do not understand anything about this, have no experience (and therefore are not afraid to lose), fools, those who have no talent are trying to attract attention to themselves ...
the second group - everything is much worse ... here are those who understand everything perfectly and deliberately crap. These people are seriously ill - they are physically attracted to evil. They are aware of their addiction, but defiantly refuse to change (it's kind of like a severe form of heroin addiction). They behave within the bounds of legal law, but this does not mean anything - this is just a way to avoid responsibility. Their goal is to make you feel bad... they don't care about you. (but they themselves enjoy it). You need to be able to notice and avoid such people! 

Indeed, in both cases it was the oppression (Catholicism and slavery) that sparked the creative spirit. Music, or more properly song, has always been a source of hope for the oppressed.

Given the strong influence of the Catholic Church on the make-up of the current US Supreme Court,  one finds Tim Minchin's  "Pope Song" increasingly relevant:

Just in case anyone hasn't heard the unedited song. All the necessary ingredients for a country song are there...just a little, well...

Immediately post-college I dated a woman whose mom was born again. She considered The Grateful Dead to be "devil music". So yes, emphatically!

This all reminds me of attending Black Flag concert In Pontiac Mi sometime in 80's, same night Pope speaking at Silverdome. I recall thinking how ironic adherents passing the blasphemous adorned with  spiiked mohawks, tats, body jewelry, leather on the streets of Pontiac Mi. on this one particular night in this one particular place, and I get to experience it!

I think that the OP should give us a definition of what would constitute "blasphemous" music.

i look to Ted Nugent for nuggets of spiritual guidance….. I would adopt a self proclaimed world traveler, but i ran out of pages..in like my 6th passport….

I believe that the Catholic Church has been found to act in a manner infinitely more blasphemous than could be accomplished by the spoken word....

@tablejockey 

That was real good country music. Thanks for sharing.

When I was thirty years old I was dating a young woman who, when reaching "that moment" in lovemaking, spoke in tongues. At least that's what her caterwauling sounded like to me. She was a recovering cokehead, and a  ton-o-fun. ;-) 

@bdp24 followed up with 3 beautiful children and a white picket fence?

@pesky_wabbit + 1 , and they don't have a monopoly on bad acting, either. 

I think it's safe to say that we've entered new territory with this one.

Repelling a person's most sacred beliefs in the most unglorious and unflattering way is not a way to make new friends.  My guess is that the "artists" in the examples here were either a) sodomized choir boys with (justified) deep emotional scars, or b) immature little men who like to gain attention at the expense of others.  I'm leaning towards "b".  

Whatever your viewpoint on organized religion there are right and wrong ways to affect change.  There doesn't seem to be an attempt here for a call to action to make things better.  Simply a cowardly "in your face" rebuke of a belief system that others view as vital to the quality of their current life -- and, the next one.  Okay, some religious zealots exposed the reality of your decrepit life on a street corner?  Fair enough.  Talk to them.  Tell them how you feel.  Just don't bash the other 99.9% that had nothing to do with the souless human being stuck in your body for a few more decades.

Ugh.  This again.

I grew up in a country where all speech that was not an explicit threat or an explicit incitement of violence to people or property was protected in the constitution.

I thought that was a pretty cool way to grow up.  I would like my kids and grandkids to enjoy living in a free society.

You know, because living in a free society is better than living in…um.., the opposite of that.

Organised religion is the single worst thing in the history of the world.  We all wish Mr Rushdie a return to good health.

Blasphemy or not, the towel that looks like the shroud of Turin, is f***ing hilarious!

I came to this site for the brotherhood of music lovers. This is a stupid question as it asks mortals what God thinks of being mocked. If you have to ask that you won’t be listening for a answer. Can we drop religion (or lack thereof) and politics and get back to the earthly reason for having this site.

What I found blasphemous was the braying and bleating of the coiffure-challenged guy in the video.

Why are you screaming at me, dude?  What’s your problem?

I am surprised this thread is still up.

Figured someone by now would have taken offense to it  and, you know...

Organised religion is the single worst thing in the history of the world.  We all wish Mr Rushdie a return to good health.

+1 - It is becoming increasingly difficult to protect our hard won secular freedoms from the resurgence of global religious fervour and fanaticism.

Rights are constantly being eroded under the guise of the morality of those who see themselves guided by a divine power. What were once shades of grey have  become absolutes. Evolution > devolution…

getting near tipping point...

pesky_wabbit + 1 again....

I interviewed Larry Norman (quite a known Jesus rocker in his time) after one of his concerts, for publication in a student magazine. He has a song called why does the devil have all the good music?

He thought Mick Jagger does good lyric about fundamentalist preachers. He loved this from the Undercover album.

Our TV leader boldy speaks
The words of Christ he tries to preach
We need more power to hold the line
The strength of darkness still abides

Must be hell living in the world
Living in the world like you
Must be hell living in the world
Suffering in the world like you

Keep in a straight line, stay in tune
No need to worry, only fools
End up in prison of conscience cells
Or in asylums they help to build

...blasphemous music.....*hmmm*

One could say that most of the concerts I've attended were such, even though few touched on religions, religious subjects, and those involved in that.

Half naked freaks, painted with cabalistic symbols or clothing depicting such, writhing to extremely loud pagan beats, shouted over by the obviously deranged. ;)

Drinking, smoking, touching, groping...all that 'fun chit'....

Raised Catholic, the more I read about religions, esp. Christianity, the more I looked askance at the whole trope.  At least Eastern religions more or less left it up to you, the individual, to determine what sort of human you sought to be.

I look at the universe we find ourselves adrift in and feel that the concept of an 'afterlife' to be a cruel joke played upon the gullible and fearful.  We place such importance on ourselves as some sort of pivot point in the void....when the truth is that we're just better at kidding ourselves as to our importance.

Hell, our pets mirror many of our traits....and we try to make their existence a better version of our own.....

"And if there be self-make hells, we all have to live within them..."  *sigh*

Believe what you must, or want.

If I 'see' you on the 'other side of this life', we can have a good cosmic giggle about it all and consider what to do to cope with infinity.
THAT concerns me more than any 'guilt trip' you can dish out, other than what seems like the headlong rush to guarantee the 'end times' that some seem to wish for beyond all rational comprehension....

...and the fear of having to live through it.

It won't be pretty, no....

@pesky_wabbit 100%.
How anyone, given the small sample size of just the last few months, let alone the last couple thousand years, would cast AT LEAST a skeptical eye, if not a completely terrified/horrified eye at the domineering, oppressive and insidious presence of religion in our lives is beyond me.

the FCC/powers-that-be have long protected us namby-pamby 'muuricans from such, courtesy of the 7-second delay as well as the advent of recording tape and the editing block, scissoring such songs as "the pusher" [steppenwolf] and "mississippi g*dd*m" [nina simone] if indeed they were to get airplay in the first place. 

@noske: I saw Larry Norman quite a few times when he was one of the two lead singers in the San Jose group People, who had a hit single in 1968 with their recording of The Zombies "I Love You". Larry was asked to leave the group when the four musician-members---who had become Scientologists---deemed him "anti-social" (oh those nutty Scientologists ;-) . Fellow-singer Gene Mason---like Larry, not a Scientologist---also left the group, starting a band named Radio. My teenage band played a show in Saratoga with them in the summer of '69, as well as opening for the now Larry and Gene-less People line-up in Santa Cruz that same summer. People's guitarist Geoff Levin went on to make some good records, including a direct-to-disc on Sheffield Labs Records! He has also had a productive career in film and television.

In 1977 I happened to see that Larry was appearing at The Paramount Theater in Portland, so decided to go see what he was up to. The Paramount was a pretty big theater, and it was packed. Larry was a good entertainer (solo, accompanying his singing on piano and guitar), and the very well-behaved audience (oh those Christians ;-) responded very enthusiastically. I followed up the show by buying a copy of Larry's latest album---In Another Land---at Music Millennium, which is still in my collection. The following year I again attended a show at The Paramount, this one of a very different nature: AC/DC and Thin Lizzy ;-) .

If you look at the archaeology of the Romans you'll see that religion put society into a lengthy period of dark ages. Where would we be without it? Go for it!

@pedroeb ...like the one we're facing now? 😏

If so, I'm glad to miss the bulk of the show...although I may have to tolerate the prolog...   

Can't put all the blame on the religions this time around, tho'.  We umans have breed some 'variants' in the meanwhile....mostly an awful lot of us.

Saw a little blurb the other night where current human consumption and waste actually requires 1.75 Earths to support that.

If Everyone C&W'd (no pun, noo) like all good 'Mericans, we'd need 5 of them.

'Everyone' wants to live like us....well, kinda.

We're screwed.  By ourselves.

Been nice to chat with y'all.  Hope your version is quick and sudden. ;)

It's better than that that dreadful anti progress country song that featured on a thread recently.

BTW, the idea that that Catholic church banned the tritone is a myth.

Adam Neely has a very good discussion of it here:

Imho...we've more serious issues to cope with....:(

A friend FB'd me a pic and a loop of her drug addicted cat high on a major dose of catnip.

A current event overseas seems to signify a growing problem:

Drugged Animals; Wild Ones:

You Have Been Woke. 

(Oh, sorry....I should have pulled the Other leg.  It'll heal...)

@yoyoyaya ....and lets' take all the other stuff on faith...Right.....😏

You Betcha'. 

'Scuse me, dead friend Zed is ringing me on the Ouija...gotta run. *toodles*

Interlude: >Music on Hold<