Val Scott

   If you have your head out of the sand, you may have noticed that there are allot more people dressing gothic in our world these days, kids and adults alike. Why is the "goth and emo dress code" spreading throughout the country? I will agree that it is mainly because "Hot Topic" goth emo clothing stores have opened in every shopping mall in our nation, and of that, other gothic dress stores have opened up everywhere as well. This has spawned a demand for all general clothing stores to begin to spice up their clothing racks. Presently you can find goth and emo style clothes even at the local K-Mart. It has spread everywhere. Before the years 1990-1997 you could only find gothic clothing in rare specialty shops in Hollywood and New York and other secluded places. Goths before this time mostly made their own cloths out of anything that was dark or creative. This is still the case today among truer goths, even with all the stores opening up. Goths love to create their own styles. However, the chief influence of gothic style remains the music and bands, and the prophets of the gothic underground society are the singers and artists.

Why else is there such a surge of interest in the gothic underground? In a world of  hypocrites, liars and fools, the desire to join in rebellion with our favorite artists motivates many who want only to do what they think is "right" in a world they view is plainly "wrong". What is sad is that many of the errors and evils done in history happened in the name of Christ, or were done by people or leaders professing to be Christians. A perfect tactic of the enemy to use false Christians in leadership, or even some who were true believers but all messed up in sins and false idea's, making Christ look wrong to the rest of the world. Thanks to this, many gothic artist's today preach that "religion kills", and put Christianity at the top of the list.

Many who come to Godscare.net to visit are regular Christians who do not "get it" when they hear hard music, or see gothic dress styles, or what some think is too "dark and spooky". Also there are many non-Christian members here, and they don't like that either. Fact is, what may seem dark and spooky to some is absolutely normal to others who have grown up "dark and spooky." Gothics don't see the world through rose colored glasses, and really we don't have to. If the Word of God is not offended,

 then there is no reason to cookie cut cultural dress style or music taste into something everyone has to agree on. Fact is, somebody somewhere will always disagree with anything not cut into the shape they are accustomed to.

People on the outside looking at goths suppose that they all are depression cases searching for self identity in all the wrong places. While this may be true of some, just as in any group or subculture, it is wrong to stereotype in this way. Some in the subculture who dress up more colorful and exuberant than others are very confident and professional people who have grown accustomed and just like to have fun this way. Dressing up and going dancing or partying within a group of style creates a fun atmosphere and a sense of team ownership and belonging. It is all safe and fun, even for a Christian so long as they guard against obscene or sinful activities as well.

During the last fifty years many styles of hard music have been created, and along with the styles of music entire cultural movements in some cases. The Heavy Metal scene in the 80's for example spawned an entire movement of hard music and culture for those close to the scene. You could spot a Metal Head out of a crowd by the way he looked very easily. The long hair, rock T-shirt, and worn out levis blue jeans. And you would also assume that the Metal Head smoked weed, was a satanist, and "partied" every night banging his head to his satanic music. Fact is though

that the same Heavy Metal scene had a large number of Christian bands

preaching the Gospel, and thousands of fans of these bands came to faith and shared their faith through the music, creating a huge Christian Metal scene in a world where Satan thought he owned the market. Gothic Rock, Punk Rock, and Death Rock may appear like a darker or spookier music scene than those in the past, but there is nothing different when it comes to an opportunity to share the Truth of the Gospel.

History

Christian Gothic Rock

The mid to late 80's also saw the first Christian gothic rock bands. Gorgitation Of The Pure, a Los Angeles Christian goth band that only managed to release a demo tape, played gigs with Christian Death in some of it's final shows with Rozz Williams. They had songs titled "Demons be Gone in Jesus Name" with very strong evangelical theatrics and lyrics. Dead Artist Syndrome, Lycia and Savior Machine are among the first successful Christian goth bands as far as album sales. Savior Machine became a very popular band and a top influence in new and creative music style. Eva-o, former member of Christian Death became a follower of Christ and started putting out Christian music.

In 98' a Christian goth band called The Wounded, that only put out two demo tapes, played at the Whisky a Go Go club in Hollywood with [a not so famous at the time] P.O.D. The band Rackets And Drapes was very popular in the scene between 01' and 04' due to the fact that they sounded much like Marilyn Manson at the time. In the full course of one of their popular songs, the singer screams in his Manson-ish style, "Repent!".

Over the years many Christian bands followed and produced cd's, enlarging the Christian goth music scene. Goth believers grew in numbers, to the point it was necessary that the Christian music festival "Cornerstone" set up a tent for the goth bands. They called it "Asylum".

Some bands became popular in the world [which is of course the desired end of Christian endevor] but toned down the Christian message. Still, their presence in the music scene gives many a leading Light in a void of faithless darkness.

With the emergence of "shock rock" which is often labeled gothic, and also EBM, Industrial, Techno and Trance played in goth clubs across the world, the Christian scene has followed with some great bands in these gnere's as well.

Different Culture

Not all who are Christian and gothic attend public events or even listen to many Christian goth bands. Many just like to dress in clothes that express the romanticism of the higher middle ages and also to admire the gothic architecture of those times. Many just like to be different. This is why it is more and has evolved into more than just a music scene. There is the futuristic goth look which typifies most bands today, and then there is the middle ages goth look with flowing black lace gowns, suits and hats of those times, etc. Really there is no limit to the creativity, and that's what makes it an attractive and rebellious expression to many.

The goth scene will only continue to grow now that it has come up from

the underground. It is a music scene that has stood the test of time, moving itself into a society of communities spanning the globe. Goths are everywhere. Every state in America and in Europe and many other nations have gothic communities. Basically wherever gothic music goes, so goes the cultural influence. Just as Texas spawned a "cowboy" culture with it's own dress code, music, and dance styles, etc. and spread throughout the world. The gothic subculture also has all these as well.

Some claim that the culture is "unreachable" with the gospel of Christ. Like Satan has drawn a line in the sand claiming, "Christianity may not enter here". But what you find is that there are many, many Christians already in the goth scene and going to clubs, movies and concerts. There are Christians in every culture, be they musical or religious. Christians are everywhere, because God's Spirit is not limited to the superficial judgments of biased mankind and his tendency to traditionalize the Christian faith into ownership rules and regulations. Sin and death should not be stereotyped as some kind of symbol for the gothic underground as a whole, even though it is understood that there are many things Christians should be wary of when getting involved in any culture.

Bondage clothing, drugs and sexual promiscuity are very prevalent in most gothic clubs, and Christians should have nothing to do with it; but the same care should be taken in any secular club. Secular clubs in general are not a good place to grow up into Christ! They mostly are about sin, and if gothic Christians decide to venture into this arena, they should be aware and go in group accountability, being prepared to be light in darkness. Places where sex, drugs and rock n roll are the main agenda can be good places to stand up for purity, deliverance and Jesus Christ. Sex and drugs and rock n roll can be used in positive ways to benefit mankind. Sex, in marriage, drugs, in hospitals, and rock n roll to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Gothic Christians should steer clear of occultic or lustful scene's that promote sin, but not all gothic events, movies or concerts are sinful.

Jesus was accused of hanging out with prostitutes and sinners, and in fact He did; but He said to His accusers, "which one of you can prove I have sinned" (John 8:46). Jesus made it clear it is not the outside of the cup, but the inside that matters. Jesus was in the world, but not of it. He showed the religious people this fact by His good works, miracles, and mostly by His preaching to those sinners He hung out with. 

We need to be people of repentance and living sinless lives, and especially share our message with the lost, but many preachers single out the gothic subcultures dress code as "worshipping death" and judge things they really have no spiritual knowledge about. Clothes do not worship anything, and not all goths worship death. Christians have told gothic kids, "the church won't accept you looking like that," and so they stay out of church and church activities and run to the philosophies of satanists. Pastors have preached to their people, "We can't let that kind of dress code be acceptable in our church." Thinking like this is akin to saying, "we have to clean the fish before we catch it", as if changing their clothes has anything to do with cleaning them.

Why can't some of the "holiest Christians" put on some black leather jackets and some gothic attire, and walk into the secular goth crowd, and be there to say, "God does not judge the outside of the cup. He looks on the inside."

CANNIBAL

lyrics from the band Godscare

Here’s the story of a savage tribe and when people came around they tried to eat them alive. Christian missionaries fed them the gospel but they didn’t know the language so they got a bit hostile...

Cannibal...cannibal you ate my mind...cannibal you ate me...cannibal you ate my mind.

His name is Hannibal Lector you know, he’s the shrink who eats his clients with a bib and wine and salad. God’s mercy still can save his soul, but how do you teach wisdom to a know-it-all monster?

.....Cannibal...cannibal you ate my mind...cannibal you ate me...cannibal you ate my mind...

Once there was this massive gothic party and some preachers showed looking just like Laurel and Hardy, they had a suit and tie and a bible in hand and they couldn’t get anyone’s attention span.....

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