“There are good people who listen to country, rock, classical, and alternative.”
“What you listen to doesn’t make you who you are.”
“How can you feed that crud into your brain and not have it affect you?”
“Didn’t the Nazis and Hannibal Lecter love classical music?”
Plato was convinced that music and the power to distribute music should be highly regulated by the state. Others, perhaps in the age range 12-25 mostly, think this is a hideous idea because they love their music more than anything. Still others think that it just doesn’t matter what people listen to. So, who’s right? Does the music you listen to matter? In what way? Which is more important: the music or the lyrics? Should the government be involved in controlling music? Parents? Is there any music Christians shouldn’t listen to or should listen to?
Post-Show Thoughts: God clearly loves music. He also clearly acknowledges that music can be used by awful people in inappropriate ways. But does that mean that any particular style of music cultivates particular effects in people? It may for some, but it certainly doesn't for all. Though I believe music has great power to assist memory and therefore has vast untapped educational possibilities, I must admit that lyrics seem to have no impact on me. I sang hymns every Sunday growing up, and I know very few of them and hated the experience. Though I've heard some songs hundreds of times, I still don't know the words. Being musically omnivorous, I listen to whatever fits my mood or the activity I'm trying to do. Like sauce on a meat, the music may fit the flavor or clash with it, but I have yet to find a sauce that is never useable. I may be odd in this regard. But, just as some people can consume alcohol and not become drunkards or alcoholics, likewise with music. The individual effects may well vary widely. Theories about how music causes certain mindsets or behaviors just don't fit well with real experience, even though they seem quite plausible. I say this in spite of finding Allan Bloom's analysis of music in his famous book "The Closing of the American Mind," to be quite compelling. If I didn't have so much personal exposure to so much music, I might be misled by such theoretical musings as well. They're certainly more ideologically comforting than the grand "it all depends" which I seem to be advocating. But I tend to prefer embracing a complicated reality to an oversimplified theory when the facts seem to lead that way.
Bible References: Gen 31:26-29, Ex 15:1-2, Exodus 15:20-21, Ex 32:17-18, Josh 6:1-5, 1 Sam 10:5-7, 1 Sam 16:14-23, 1 Sam 18:6-7, 2 Sam 6:4-8, 1 Chron 13:5-11, 1 Chron 15:15-16 26-29, 1 Chron 16:42 ,1 Chron 25:1-7, 2 Chron 5:11-14, 2 Chron 7:6, 2 Chron 23:11-13, 2 Chron 34:12-13, 2 Chron 35:15,25, Neh 12:31-36, Psalm 27:6, Psalm 33:1-3, Psalm 51:14, Psalm 59:16, Psalm 66:1-4, Psalm 81:1-3, Psalm 89:1, Psalm 95:1-2, Psalm 98:4-6, Psalm 100:1, Psalm 137:1-4, Psalm147:7, Psalm 150:1-6, Eccl 2:8-9, Eccl 12:3-4, Is 5:11-13, Is 30:29, Jer 7:34, Jer 31:7, Lam 5:14, Dan 3:5, 7, 10, 15, Dan 6:18, Amos 6:18, Matt 9:22-24, Matt 26:29-30, Luke 15:24-26, Luke 19:36-40, Acts 16:25-26, 1 Cor 13:1, 1 Cor 14:15, Eph 5:19-19, Col 3:16, James 5:13, Rev 14:2-4, Rev 18:21-23
Links on Music:
Does music still matter? by Observer.Guardian.co.uk
Music compatibility in relationships? by Wiredberries.com
Classical music as crime stopper by FreeNewMexican.com
Finding God in Today's Secular Music by ELCA.org
Secular Music Edifies Me by Psychocats.net
Don't Listen To Secular Music by HmMagazine.com
Growth in Faith Makes Reject Secular Rock by Theinterim.com
Is Listening To Secular Music a Sin? by Answers2Prayers.org
Secular Music In Church? by Pastors.com
Using Secualr Music in Christian Worship by Coolchurches.com
Christian Rock ApologeticsIs
Rock and Roll Inherently Bad?
Testimonies About Rock by Young People
Rock Music by Probe Ministries
Alice Cooper Builds Phoenix Youth Center by AZ Republic
2 comments:
Nearly everything I know, I learned from the Animaniacs and their songs. (I can sing the countries of the world.) And I remember a startling number of commercial jingles, tv theme songs, and girl scout camp fire songs.
But I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast this morning, what I did last week, or what college was like. It seems if it isn't set to music, it doesn't stick.
My sister-in-law works in music therapy and finds the same to be true for the seriously developmentally disabled. She wrote a song for a little girl once to teach her how to spell her own name; it was the only way she could learn; and I still sing it in my head every time I meet someone named Sophia (S-O-P-H-I-A spells Sophia, S-O-P-H-I-A that's my name, Sophia, Sophia, Sophia, Sophia ...).
Really some beautifully amazing power in music.
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