<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-et-christian10oct10,1,3340394.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage>http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-et-christian10oct10,1,3340394.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage
Pirating Songs of Praise
Some Christian music fans believe digital downloading is a way to spread the Word. Other voices tell them: Thou shalt not steal. By Geoff Boucher Times Staff Writer
October 10, 2006
Regina Kennedy prides herself on being a good Christian, so when the pastor at her Pentecostal church in Delaware called it a sin to download gospel songs without paying for them, her heart began to race.
The out-of-work driver went home and stared at her download collection, which included artists such as Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and others. "The songs are so beautiful, and I couldn't afford to buy them all," the 43-year-old said. "I just didn't know what to do."
In the end, she deleted every song. She's still not sure, though, that she was really stealing. "I don't know what to think, really."
Kennedy is hardly alone among conflicted fans of Christian music, but her decision to erase her library does set her apart from most of them, especially younger ones. Surveys show that born-again Christian teens are just as active in stealing and swapping music as their secular peers who pinch the latest Eminem rap hit or Kelly Clarkson power ballad.