The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Christian Metalcore

In reply to:

---

Thus if we are defining acceptable music as only that which was produced with pure motives, nothing will pass the test.

---

Perhaps in your zeal to defend the ungodliness of certain "genres" of music you have failed to read ALL the replies here, at least the ones I wrote (not that mine should be given any preference), where I EXPLICITLY stated that "motives" are NOT necessarily relevant to the morality of music. Many times I stressed that there are biblical principles which need to be applied, God's nature and attributes must be the standard of what is "glory" (reflective of Him), and the rules of music theory should also be used in judging music. This is not to say that the "motives" (intent) of the composer can be totally ignored. For indeed, they are many times the actual source of the composition of which the composer desired to produce a certain emotive result. Such is the nature of all "Rock" music. The "artists" (oxymoron) KNOW, evidently far better than some Christians, that if you arrange musical notes in a certain pattern they will effect a human being a certain way. The result is that the "music" will capture the listener's "soul", although most have no belief in a soul, and make them money. These "emotions" which they aim to evoke are those which we call "base" or "primal". All one needs to do is observe the actions/reactions of listeners when the music is played sans lyrics. I would hardly call the bodily movements that are naturally expressed, which we can empirically observe, godly.

Motives are no guarantee that the intended purpose is going to be successful. For example, you obviously thought that using Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and I am going to assume you are referring particularly to the Chorale "Ode to Joy", would somehow be evidence that even the best of music written is no better than some "Metal Head's" satanic composition? [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/drop.gif" alt="drop" title="drop[/img] It isn't the LYRICS which is being discussed, which are quite simple to judge compared to the musical "genre". Apart from the "Ode to Joy", the MUSICAL COMPOSITION of Beethoven's 9th Symphony is without doubt glorifying to God by the OBJECTIVE standards of the biblical principles relevant, conformity to God's nature and attributes, and by musicology. Whether one "likes" the symphony is irrelevant, although the reason one dislikes it may be an indication of where one is spiritually. For if one rejects such pieces of music because they find them "boring", then this does reveal that the individual is looking and needing that "emotional fix"; that emotional "high" which "Rock-style" music produces and was designed to do.

Oh..... you can [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/flee.gif" alt="flee" title="flee[/img], but you can't hide! [img]http://www.the-highway.com/w3timages/icons/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink[/img]

In His Grace,