Well, I guess Christianity is just not popular or commercial. Big props to these hard rockers on forsaking their religeon to appeal to a wider market. It's about time artists were morally bankrupt as well.
(It's not like any real devoted followers listen to this crap anyway; they listen to Johnny Cash and Elvis Presly just like the rest of us.)

The particular case of Evanescene is kind of interesting. They're all in their early 20s. Their religious ties began in their mid-teens, as the band and their music developed. Are they selling out their Christian roots for greater commercial success? Or are they just recovering from something they consider to be adolescent naivete? Could it be they just don't want to be known for a philosphy they embraced as children? Their Christian association doesn't seem to have hurt their album sales so far.

Is evanescene christian or not? If they are and are not admitting it then there ashamed of glorifyimg god right? of course. jesus said if your ashamed of me then i'll be ashamed of you infront of my father. If they are not christian and they gladly say they are not then why are we arguing. Its really none of our business anyways. They are just people. But if they are christians and are not admitting it i hope they come to their senses. They are still a pertty good band though.

Whats up with this appealing to the wider market and forsaking their religion. If they are ashamed of being followers of God then they got something comming to them on judgement day.

I am very dissaponited in this group.
I was mislead into thinking they were indeed Christians.
I am very sad for the band to have fosaken the One who created them.
I thinkl they should at least refund the money to the actual Christains that bought the cd's.

Sigh...

I cannot believe people gauge their own feelings about music depending on the band's religious association. You know, they can be Christians and just not want to make a big deal out of it. And does their non-Christianity change the meanings of their songs? If you found them uplifting and spiritual before, why should that change?

This reminds me of the furor that surrounded King's X long ago when they shed their "Christian image." Some saw it as "selling out" so that non-religious people could get into them, others saw it as freeing themselves from a label that didn't suit them to begin with. Me? I see it as a great band doing what was necessary for them to be happy.

Just listen to the music and enjoy it for what it is. If it makes you happy, don't question it. And don't assume that just because they don't run around to every interviewer and proclaim "We're Christian! We love God! We love Jesus. God bless us all!" that they don't feel that way.

All you religious people who are upset, look at it this way - it's not like they didn't warn you: the album is called Fallen, afterall.

Actually, being an explicitly CHRISTIAN rock band is a good marketing point, or niche. There are lots of good Christian kids ready to buy this stuff, and numerous artists with marginal at best talent who have have had strong careers to prove it. Michael W Smith comes leaping to mind here.

Of course, you're right, Al - there is definitely a niche market for Christian acts. But I think what Evanescence is seeing is that they are being offered a choice right now - and they have to act right now. Either be a Christian band and face the stigma attached to that, or shed that image and just make music. I think the group's making the artistic decision over the religious decision. Really, if you want to assign religious associations with this, as many seem to want to, think of it this way: what's the most effective way to spread a positive, uplifting message to the people? What's the better way to spread "God's message"? Be more open with your religion, be a niche band, and turn off a fickle audience; or put aside the heavy religious association so that fickle audience will grow and will at least give themselves the chance to listen to you? I think they're doing the right thing. The downplayed "Christian" tag will stay with them no matter what, but they'll have the opportunity to open a few more minds who wouldn't otherwise pay any attention to a "Christian band." Why is this such a bad thing?

If Christian bands aren't going to get the exposure - and they aren't, ever - then taking advantage of the exposure offered by the mainstream spotlight afforded them by shedding their religious overtones could help make more people get into whatever positive messages they want to spread.

If Evanescene's members are not or are Christian, it seems to not matter to it's listeners. It can mean whatever it'd like to someone who listens, whether their Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindi, or any other religion. I have a friend named Shruti who is a humongous fan of Evanescene, and she's Hindi. One day I told her from reading an article in the Washington Post I found out that they were a so-called Christian rock band. She didn't care. It matters not the me, either.

There is only one form of selling out that i support, and thats the selling out of god. MXPX did it, they sold out God for some shitty songs about parties.

An artists personal views shouldn't be
of consideration when judging the merit
of that person or group.
Were this to be the case we would never
be able to enjoy such people as:

Picasso - Misogynist
Celine - Nazi Sympathizer
Coleridge - Addict
Little Richard - Homosexual
William Burroughs -Homosexual,Misogynist
and Addict.
Ambrose Bierce - Misanthrope
Etc,etc.etc.............................

Judge a band on it's musical abilities &
not the spiritual make up it's members.
It seems fair to me.

Saxton,

So William Burroughs gets a Hat Trick?

Awesome!

I hadn't really thought about it as such
but since ya mentioned it...