Expert: Eleanor Edwards - 10/21/2008

Question
hi, I'm 15 and I listen to such bands as, Trivium, children of Bodom, Iron Maiden, Megadeth,Dragonforce and cradle of filth. some of these bands are generally viewed as satanic, I my self am not. I like the music I don't entirely agree with some of there views. Am I going to Hell because of my musical tastes? I'm genuinely scared

Answer
Hi Jo,
Thanks for your question. No, you are not going to hell because of your musical tastes. It is sin that causes us to be destined for hell and listening to music (whatever the style!) in itself is not a sin. However, if listening to Megadeath causes you to be rude to your brother or sister, that is a sin. Similarly, if listening to Iron Maiden results in you beating someone up, that too would be a sin. I'm not suggesting for one second that you make it a habit of being rude to your siblings or beat people up, I just use those as examples!

Ultimately, we all do stuff wrong, even those people who try really hard to be kind and helpful can't be perfect all the time. And it says in the bible that even if we do just one thing wrong, that's one wrong thing enough to make us wrong for heaven.

I was thinking on Monday about heaven and hell and why is it that God can't allow us into heaven with our sin and for the first time ever, I realized that if God allowed any sin into heaven, it wouldn't be heaven would it? All the worst things about this world are all because of sin so where would be the pleasure of heaven if it had all the yucky stuff we have to deal with now?!

Often the TV will glamorize hell as a place where we can enjoy sinful pleasures but the reality is, this is just a con trick of the devil. He knows where he'll end up eventually and is doing his best to drag as many people down with him as he can.

Has anyone ever told you about Jesus? There are lots of religions in the world today but since all are based on trying to be good and kind, ultimately they won't work because as we said above, we can never be good enough. All those religions are people trying to reach God. We can't reach Him, He's too holy and perfect.

But if you love Jesus, you don't follow a religion with rules and regulations. Instead, you have a personal relationship with a person: Jesus.

Christmas will soon be upon us and I was thinking yesterday about why it is we give presents at Christmas time. Is it because the wise men gave presents to the baby Jesus? That's the line most often cited but what about Jesus Himself? Jesus is the best gift ever and it is this free gift from God that we should be remembering when we give presents at Christmas time.

Because if Jesus hadn't been born as a baby and grown up into a man, He could never have gone to the cross and died as punishment for our sins. And that's the good news that I wanted to reassure you with.

Yes, doing stuff wrong is sin and yes, this wrong stuff means we can't go to heaven (and so by default, end up in hell). But God knew what Adam and Eve would do so He planned (all those years ago!) to send His gift, Jesus.

But if we accept God's gift, Jesus, our sins are taken away. Jesus was punished for them all on our behalf so we are no longer destined for hell. It's like although we still do stuff wrong, Jesus has done the time for that wrong stuff already so God sees us through Jesus-tinted glasses and our sins aren't there.

Returning to your initial question, if you're living your life with Jesus, listening to angry music might not be helpful. We've already said that the music itself is not a sin and even if it was, Jesus has taken those sins away if you accept Him into your life. However, when you have Jesus in your life, you should start to see life differently.

Without knowing where you're at with God, it's hard to explain this new life. But the bible clearly says that if you have Jesus in your life, you have the Holy Spirit living inside you. The Holy Spirit is a bit like SatNav in the car. The Holy Spirit will help you, comfort you, suggest things that would be good for you to do. But like the SatNav, you can choose to ignore the Holy Spirit and do whatever you want. If you already have Jesus in your life, ask Him what He wants you do to about the music you listen to. If He says He doesn't like you listening to it, you can then make a decision.

Ultimately it's better to do it God's way because He loves you and only wants what is best for you but you can try it your way. I must however warn you that you can't get to God without Jesus. If you don't yet have Jesus in your life, I would urge you to talk to God about it.

No-one can persuade you to believe in God. No-one can persuade you that you need Jesus. Only God can do that. But I can tell you that you need Jesus. If you're scared of going to hell, Jesus is the answer. At some point in the future, before you die or before Jesus comes back (whichever is first), you need to get right with God and Jesus is the only way.

Don't know when you're going to die? Don't know when Jesus is coming back? Nope, me neither, that's why I'm doing it His way from now on. That might sound overdramatic but it's the only sure way of not ending up in hell.

Since I don't know where you're at with God, I may be telling you a whole load of stuff that you already know. If that's the case - praise God! In either case, I would love to keep in touch and hear how you're doing and what you decide. I've included my e-mail address below.

I hope this has helped you and if you have more questions please do ask again or send an e-mail.

Take care,
Eleanor
allexperts@eleanoredwards.co.uk

Romans 10:8-13
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."