Rest In Peace Ozzy ✝️

Greetings all,

I remember writing this on the day Ozzy Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal had died: 

"People referred to him affectionately as "the prince of darkness"... The truth is he was an atheist. In his latter years I heard him say things like "God bless you" to young musicians when he met them. So, who knows, maybe he finally opened the door to God and welcomed Him. Nobody knows. Quite frankly, it's nobody's business either. That's between him and Our Father in heaven, the best thing we can do is pray for his soul because in that final moment, maybe he repented and accepted Christ. Nobody knows.

I've had many people look at me funny and on an odd occasion had to answer questions as to how someone who professes to be a Christian, also admits to being a fan of heavy metal and rock music, because it's "satanic". Is there a correlation between rock/heavy metal and satanism? There's overwhelming evidence that suggests there definitely is. But there's also evidence that Ted Bundy was a fan of disco music... So maybe those of you who happen to like that music, should be throwing it in the bin because it's going to turn you into serial killers? I'd throw it away because that shit gives me a headache and I'd rather listen to a washing machine. But that's just me. Go for it, if that's what floats your boat.

Here's a solid truth about rock/metal music. It was my constant companion throughout my teen years. People who were in school with me know I was never one of the "cool kids". I wasn't good at sports, wasn't an A+ student, I wasn't the goth kid either. I was just that odd ball kid with a very small circle of friends, and within that small circle, was our mutual deep love for rock music, because it spoke into our hearts during a time when our hormones were racing and we were trying to figure out who we were and where our place in the world would be.

Fast forward some 26 years later... Some things have changed. But not everything .I would say now I'm a somewhat oddball adult... Who is much more comfortable in my own skin, and with a much better understanding of who I am and where my place in life is. Here's what hasn't changed, my deep love for rock music. I do avoid songs that openly blaspheme God because I don't think it's right to enjoy something that is openly disrespectful to my Heavenly Father... That's why I don't listen to Marilyn Manson for example. Doesn't mean I hate Marilyn Manson, on the contrary, I think they are extremely talented and make good music. I just don't listen to their music on principle. Personally, I believe if music influences a person's behaviour to a point where they are harming themselves or others, then the problem goes much deeper than the music. The music is a symptom and not the cause. To quote Eminem's one song here: "They say music can talk to you... But can it load a gun up for you and cock it too?" No it can't.

We interact with all kinds of people everyday in our lives. Most of them probably don't share our beliefs, the guy who makes your food at your favourite restaurant might be a satanist... Does that detract from his cooking skills? No. Are you going to stop eating at your favourite restaurant because you believe the chef is going to hell? I don't think you should, but do as you wish. My point is, as Christians, we're called not to judge people because by the same measure we judge others so will we be judged. Yes, there's a fine line between judging and correcting, and we all mostly get it wrong because we're all sinners. At the end of it all... God is the only just judge. I will always be a rock/metal fan just like I will always be a follower of Jesus Christ.

I will be selective about what I listen to because of my love for Jesus, but I am not going to do a 180 now and say rock music is the "devils music", after how the music was my constant comfort and still is on days when things get weird... That would be hypocritical, and I've read enough of the bible to know that Jesus doesn't like hypocrisy. I've said it before and I'll say it again... Some of the nicest people I met were not Christians, while some of the shittiest people I've met were professing Christians. So, let's leave the judging to Our Father in heaven, and just try our best to live lives that please Him so that when He calls us to eternal life, we can claim our place in His kingdom. Ozzy had a strange way with words, but I'll leave you with one of his quotes that should really give us food for thought... Rest In Peace Ozzy.✝️ Thank you for your music and your legacy that became the foundation upon which the best rock and metal music has been built. 🎸❤️"

One Of My Favourite Ozzy Songs.

Take care of yourselves and eachother.

🩵

Shalom.