The Excitement of Breaking God’s Laws

In ancient Rome the gory battles of the gladiators satisfied the craving of the populace for excitement. And today ever so many people want to see and hear things that are likewise shocking, horrible, blood-curdling. Movies and TV programs glorify violence and make heroes out of murderers and rapists, all to feed the craving of their audiences for excitement.

Rock Music

Nor to be overlooked is the role that rock music plays in youths’ craving for excitement. As reported in the New York Sunday News, May 13, 1973, rock is an “unholy trinity of . . . violence, sex and noise.” Another writer puts it this way: “Three things distinguish rock​—the relentless beat, the freedom of conception and the overpowering volume. . . . Together with the pulsing, driving beat, it creates passionate excitement, an almost sexual tension​—one wants to move, to dance.” According to one rock fan, “the loudness makes you feel wild, it blows your mind.”

Regarding this feeding of the audience’s craving for excitement, one leading rock star said: “Time will come when somebody will have to be killed onstage to ‘get’ [satisfy] the audience. Kids are interested in the same things that have always excited them​—sex and violence. That’s what they want, that’s what they’ll pay to see.” With such a musical diet, is it any wonder that crime is increasing even faster among youths than among adults?