Celtic Music - can it be christian? QUESTION from Cecelia on October 30, 2001 What does the term 'celtic' mean? Is the word celtic being used too loosely to describe anything coming out of Irish descent? For instance, I would not assume that an Irish Catholic was necessarily a celt, but there are professed Irish Catholics putting out what they call celtic christian music. A closer read of some of the bios of such people seems to hint at holding onto some of the ancient occult influences, and blending it with Catholicism.
Ancient celts practiced occult rituals, worshipping Samhain - nothing christian there. Following Christ's birth, were there celts who converted to christianity/catholicism and if so would they still be referred to as a celt? As for the present day - can anything, ie. music, that calls itself celtic christian, be pure, or be in the will of God. If it comes from something that once had its roots in the occult, can it be good? Even if the lyrics suggest everything is good and holy and of God; has the music itself been now made unclean, if you will, by putting those lyrics to music with a celtic influence?
I thank you for your time and help. Sincerely, Cecelia
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on February 8, 2002 Dear Mrs. Cecelia:
Celtic, acccording to the American Heritage Dictionary means 1) One of an Indo-European people originally of central Europe and spreading to western Europe, the British Isles, and southeast to Galatia during pre-Roman times, especially a Briton or Gaul; or 2) A speaker of a modern Celtic language or a descendant of such a speaker, especially a modern Gael, Welshman, Cornishman, or Breton.
Celtic music is merely a style of music that comes from this culture. It is, in-and-of-itself, harmless.
It is true that some styles of music can be harmful even if there are not lyrics attached. The very construction of some of that music is designed to evoke primal energies (evoking libedious and lascivious revelings or evoking discord, hatreds, rebellousness, and dissensions within a person (as in Heavy Metal and other forms of Rock, some Jazz, and others), or is designed to evoke altered states of consciousness (as in some New Age music), or designed to be negatively mood altering (as in some Classical, Rock, Country, and the like).
But off-hand I am not aware that celitc music as any intrinsic harmful effects.
There are many fine Christian Celtic groups. I enjoy them myself.
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