Dark Horse: Someone or something whose abilities, plans, or feelings are little known to others.
Recently, music’s most popular award ceremony, the 56th annual Grammys, took place in Los Angeles, CA. With a staggering 28 million tuning in last Sunday, the Grammys not only distribute the music industry’s “most coveted” award, a gramophone statue, but are also host to multiple musical performances by pop cultures biggest darlings.
While there are many morality questions to be brought up with the acts performed, one of which millions of viewers attentions were hijacked to make a political statement on marriage equality; the performance that should bring alarming attention to everyone was Katy Perry’s Dark Horse.
Katy Perry grew up Katy Hudson, to evangelical preachers Keith and Mary Hudson. Katy attempted to become a successful gospel recording artist, but she did not find the success she was looking for. When she made the switch from gospel to mainstream secular pop, her career took off without a hitch, her first hit single entitled “I Kissed a Girl” was on the Billboards Top 100 list in no time. Since that time Katy released two more albums, one of which became the first album in history recorded by a female artist to have five number-one hits, and second overall, right after Michael Jackson. Needless to say this artist has become one of the biggest musicians of our day. With her goliath status, she naturally commands attention.
Last year, Perry released her fourth album, of which her latest hit single, Dark Horse, quickly rose to the top of the Billboard list. What was Perry going for when she penned this song? What was the theme or inspiration? In an interview with MTV, Katy said her sounds were “urban, hip-hop flavored, with lyrics that are “witchy and dark,” and described the song having an “witchy, spell-y kind of black magic-y” idea to it.
“Black magic-y feel”? “Witchy lyrics?
In our latest documentary, Pseudology: The Art of Lying, we looked extensively into the subject of hypnosis. One of the hypnotherapists we interviewed, Joan Packard, made an interesting comment. She said that often music is a perfect tool for inducing a hypnotic trance because of the rhythm and repetition. She goes onto say that, “rap music is the most dangerous to young people because of the lyrics combined with very rhythmic beat.” In light of what Packard said, how does Dark Horse, a hip-hop style song with witch infused lyrics, play out to the masses? Are millions of young people (and old) ignorantly being inducted into witchcraft?
As the performance begins, Perry starts out inside a giant crystal ball. A voice booms over the audience “She casts a spell, from a crystal ball, invoking the spirits, she’ll put you in a trance.”, mind you, these are not part of the original lyrics. As Katy starts singing, four demonic looking entities rise to great stature behind her, all having large horned fixtures. She then exits the crystal ball as other stage dancers appear, all dancing around Perry in almost a possessed state. By the last third of the performance, three very tall brooms have been placed in the circle, where the crystal ball once was, and Katy is dancing seductively around the middle broom (very symbolic of the three crosses on Golgotha). The performance ending with Perry clutching the middle broom and the perimeter of the circle is in flames. Sacrifice?
What was practiced is nothing new. In fact this is a ceremony that has been practiced over the centuries. There was ritual meeting, a ceremony of witches in Spain called Akelarre or Witches’ Sabbath. At this ritual, the witches would celebrate and worship the black he-goat god Akelarre. Artists and historians make the claim that the black goat was the devil incarnate. Music, drug induced, and dancing chaotically around a circle were an integral part of the ceremony.
Why is pop music’s darling performing her song in front of millions reenacting a witch’s ceremony? Why should most us of care? Isn’t it just entertainment? Isn’t it just a performance created for shock value? However we want to justify what took place at the last Grammys, a witchcraft ceremony took place in a contemporary setting and 28 million people were active participants in this ritual. Was it a way to grant a “blessing” and open the audience’s mind to embrace and accept the later musical social-political statements? Whatever the case, bottom-line, pure evil.
“It is because he [Satan] has masked himself with consummate skill that the question is so widely asked: “Does such a being really exist?” It is an evidence of his success that theories giving the lie to the plainest testimony of the Scriptures are so generally received in the religious world. And it is because Satan can most readily control the minds of those who are unconscious of his influence, that the word of God gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling before us his secret forces, and thus placing us on our guard against his assaults. Great Controversy pg. 517
Friends, we need to stop tip toeing around this subject of spiritualism and entertainment. It is not merely entertainment. As Christians we need to be at the forefront of educating people, loved ones, our own children, about the fire that is really being played with. If we are not at the forefront of educating our children, the music industry will gladly do it for you. I’m not proposing that we drown people in “Illuminati You Tube” videos or machine gun spraying Facebook timelines with “All Seeing Eye” gestures by Jay-Z, as a form of educating. We don’t need to sugar coat the matter, but the sledge hammer should be not the tool of choice. I am proposing we ask questions to engage people to think for themselves. I am proposing that we lead people to investigate these matters for themselves. I am proposing that the end goal should be to lead people to the feet of Jesus. By leading people to the feet of Jesus, desires and affections for this world will turn sour. By a connection to Christ and an investigation of Scripture, they will see for themselves the unmasking of the real Dark Horse and his agenda.
Remember, Jesus said “Be wise as serpents, harmless as doves” Matthew 10:16
