The Little Pagan Drummer Boy

Oh come on folks! No white shoes before Easter, and no bashing little drummer boys until after Thanksgiving!
*sigh*
Do I have to tell you EVERYTHING??
Gina

 

God bless you, Enda.

I'm praying for you.

 

Thanks Mike.

Prayer is always appreciated, even from you.

 

Is this really an issue? The "Pagan" Drummer Boy?

I guess we would rather the boy would never have come at all.

 

Not talking about corporate worship and not talking about "profiting withal".

 

So what is actually being put on trial here is if God is able to give talents.

I am also a percussionist. I was in marching and concert band in high school. I was also blessed enough to be drum captain for the four years I attended in high school.

There are many controversial things that a Christian can complain about but this is by far the most ridiculous one of all.

Just because the pagans used drums doesn't mean that we use drums today to summon demons.

God gave me a talent to play drums just as he gave a lot of people the ability to preach or teach. I would also think that the pagans teach and also preached too.

If anyone also listens to music they should also comment on the bass of the song. Most drumming is done to the bass of most songs.

God loves me for what I do for him and if I use my talents for him instead of worldly things. I love God with all my heart and do anything I can to serve and praise him. He has loved enough to me to bless me also in all things that I do for him.

Not all people agree with everything, and we are never going to see things eye to eye until we are standing in heaven in our spiritual bodies and then we will understand all things then.

Until that time comes I will pray for the understanding that I apparently lack concerning the talents that God gives. For us to put others down due to those talents - that is a true talent.

 

DJXtreme, rest assured that drumming is not a sinful pursuit. If it were then clapping along with music would also be sinful as both are percussive means of making sound and punctuating the music.

There are very few symphonies that do not require drums or other percussive instruments. Violins can even produce percussive sounds and rhythms. Any song written to include staccato sound bursts becomes "percussive" in nature.

So Keep on Drumming and Praising the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart. Do not be discouraged by those who do not understand.

 

Dear Yelsew and DjXtreme,

I've read both of your excellent posts and heartily say "AMEN"!

I play the conga drums in my church's music ministry every Sunday at the 11am service. I also play the djembe,doumbek,and frame drums if the music requires it.

How I came to playing the conga drums was God's calling. Here's my story:

I became a Christian in 1971 and at that time, the hymns really "came alive" for me. Also, I saw the entrance of contemporary hymns and songs into the church service and wanted to be involved in the music. I noticed that there were several guitarists in many of the "folk groups" that sang in church and little else in the way of instruments.

I didn't want to be another guitarist and I was visiting a friend's music store and saw a conga drum. I began "fooling around" with the drum and something "clicked". I bought the drum and some instruction records and began practicing with the desire to offer my playing to God for His honor & glory in a church setting.

Then,God gave me the opportunity to play for a couple of prayer meetings in Pittsburgh,PA. in the mid-1970's to the early 1980's as well as a Bible study.

I moved to Baltimore in 1986 and didn't play until a contemporary music group was formed in 1990 at St.Timothy Episcopal,where I was attending. I played there until 2001 when began attending my current church,Bishop Cummins Memorial and playing in their music ministry. Also,during the previous 11 years,I took African and Middle Eastern drumming lessons. Those lessons served me well,because Bishop Cummins has a large missionary base and the missionaries have brought the hymns and songs of the countries and cultures that they served. My pastor is a "completed Jew" and has added many Scripture based Hebrew songs to our musical repetoire.

I view myself as a musician first,hand-drummer second,playing appropriately to the music,
following my music director's instructions. I also know when not to play.

I also incorporate the song's melody into the rhythms so that the drums are not distracting. This goes for volume as well.

Regarding "evil beats",etc. Everyone needs to look at music as a total package.E-G-B-D-F and F-A-C-E,major and minor keys/chords,and time signatures are neutral (a musical note is a musical note),what makes it good or evil is what purpose a composer will use music for. This goes for lyrics even more so!

In studying African,Cuban,and Brazilian music,I met up with the many religions of those cultures(Santeria,Yoruban,Voudou "voodoo",Palo Moye,etc.) and what gave those religions their power were the chants to the various deities and the offerings,and the drum rhythms were composed to support the chanting. Which is the more evil,
the drum or those playing it,chanting,and offering sacrifices to their deities?

This is also true for many of the new age and pagan groups. You can chant and worship without drums as well as with them. Again,which is the more evil?

Also,having heard these rhythms,I can say that there is NO connection between them and the common rhythms that we hear daily. I wonder how many of those who write articles condemning drums and drumming actually have played any type of drum? Also,how many of them have actually heard the very rhythms of voudou,santeria.etc.,
before writing about their connection to popular music?

Being a Christian,I'll never play those rhythms because they are used to worship other "gods" and are evil as such.

I grew up listening to classical,jazz(especially Latin jazz),folk,and "world music" and there are "objectional" compositions in all of them. The important thing is to really learn about music so that you can be intelligent,
understanding,and discerning.

In Christ,

Dale

 

Amen!!!