Parents and Marilyn Manson

By the time this issue is released, Dallas will have undoubtedly survived an invasion by Marilyn Manson, the latest purveyor of shock-rock. With his strange makeup, all-black attire, a new, purposely androgynous look, and lyrics which are decidedly anti-Christian, many perceive him as a real threat to society.

There is no Marilyn Manson music in our house, and barring some major changes in his act, there will never be any, but we have two boys approaching their teen years, and this presents us with new parental challenges. There are many ways to handle a phenomenon like this, and some are good. Some however, involve wrongheaded, lazy parenting. How should Christian parents deal with music (and other forms of entertainment) which is anti-Christian?

Don't Just Say No. At least not at first. Do not misunderstand this. Evil, in any form, should be stopped from entering our homes, but just saying no without any explanation may cause bitterness in your teenagers.

Instead, try to have a discussion about what is wrong with this type of "entertainment." Get out your Bible and show them what Paul said about the need to "abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22).

One thing teenagers need to be reminded of is the need to remember who they are at all times. Whenever they leave our homes, whether to go to school or to a party, football game or any other activity, they need to remember that the image they project will reflect on the church and God's word among all who know they are Christians (see Matt. 5:13-16). There are some places where it is near impossible to have a good influence; no Christian at a party filled with drinking and drugs can have a good influence, because their influence is destroyed in just the act of being there. Ask teenagers if they can expect to have a good influence by attending concerts or buying the music of Marilyn Manson, who announces in one song, "I am the (expletive) anti-Christ."

Don't Overreact. One of the most damaging things parents do in many cases (second only to allowing their children to do, listen to or watch whatever they want) is to overreact. Parents must choose their battles wisely, because some things, like Marilyn Manson, may be worth battling over on a small scale, while others, such as the game POG, may not. There were actually parents and preachers going around saying that POG was a game whose initials were a shortened version of Pentogram, which is the symbol of the church of Satan.

It turned out that POG started in Hawaii with the lids from juice containers. These lids were labeled P-O-G, for Pineapple-Orange-Guava. How foolish did those parents and preachers look in the eyes of their children?

There are two other problems with overreacting. One is the danger of driving a kid to something he had little interest in to begin with. A second is the danger of making too big a deal of a phenomenon which may disappear in a month. In any case, overreacting is a mistake.

Do Your Homework. Don't rely on the sometimes sketchy reports of other parents, the television news, or even what some Christians may tell you. Find out for yourself. The internet is a good source for finding out about lyrics to songs, what appears in a movie, or even what kind of following a particular entertainer has.

Find a reputable source, research it, and have an answer when your kids say, "It's really not that bad."

Don't Be a Hypocrite. When you are preparing to discuss a problem form of entertainment with your children, ake a good look at the entertainment you allow yourself to watch or hear. Does your music glorify drugs (as a lot of so-called classic rock does)? Does it glorify drinking and adultery (as many country songs do)? Do your movies glorify adultery, unmarried sex or filthy language?

The point is, teenagers can see through our hypocrisies, and they, like anyone else, are turned off by them. In addition, most kids are more likely to be influenced by more mainstream forms of entertainment than by the shock-rock antics of Marilyn Manson. Far more kids went around humming the tune from Joan Osborne's "One of Us," which irreverently knocked God, than will ever even hear "Anti-Christ Superstar" by Manson.

And many of them heard Joan Osborne from their parents music collections.

Marilyn Manson is evil. The fact that he is "cartoon" evil, does not make him any less distasteful. But dealing with evil entertainment will always be part of parenting. It is the Christian's duty to make sure it is part of good parenting.