Don't Support Devilish Music(Rock Music)!!!

[Tally_Marx]

Rock performers may very well be intoxicated by their infamy and wealth, but that does not alter the fact that their music was from the very outset of their careers revolutionary; its beat and sound has always implicitly rejected restraints and celebrated freedom and sexuality, that Lennon quote surely said as much.

A beat is just that—a beat. It’s merely a count of time. All it does is p(name removed by moderator)oint a moment in time. Nothing more. By itself it’s as monotonous as tapping your hands on your knees (which is all that it is) but it is not by itself. In music it’s combined with rhythm and notes and chords. That’s what makes it music and not merely noise. A beat can be fast-paced or slow-paced according to its count, but it cannot denote anything specific other than what specific emotion/thing/experience you assign to the adjectives “fast-paced” (anger, cheetahs, and racing?) and “slow-paced” (sadness, snails, and sleeping?). I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty wide variety of things there. Obviously, something besides the beat must be there to suggest anything physical and specifically sexual to anyone.

however what I have said previously respecting the relentless beat of secular rock would still apply to the Christian variety and render it inappropriate - remember rock music cannot be sanitized because it is debased sensory material.

It’s something you really need to look into, then, because if listeners to Christian rock are not perverted by that rock, then my whole point is proven (that the words do matter as much as the beat, rhythm, and notes) and your entire theory crumbles.

“the low frequency vibrations of the bass guitar, along with the driving beat of the drum, affect the cerebrospinal fluid, which in turnn affects the pituitary gland, which in turn directs the secretions of hormones in the body”.

Not implausible, since sound is nothing more than motion (airwaves) and is perfectly capable of moving things. However, this would mean that any repetitive beat of the drum (and I would argue that the drum is not very repetitive in rock; I’ve seen my drummer play and he uses all of his drums; though he keeps the time (our metronome!) he adds punctuation to our words and measures in extra cymbal-taps and such things which are irregular to the beat and therefore not “driving”. Drumming can get complicated, too) We’ll have to get rid of the bass in general (and not just the bass guitar, but the bass, too), since in itself it’s evil. And if the low frequency vibrations of the bass can interrupt our spinal fluid, then so can the low frequency vibrations of anything. Let’s get rid of the drums, too, and organs (they can get low!) and the accordion and the tuba….

(1)One secret of music’s great power is that it appeals so directly to the subconcious. Consequently people soak up the meaning of music without being cognizant that they are doing so. (2)Now add to that the volume level, constant repetition and incessant pounding beat which are a distinguishing feature of rock music, and the scene is set for the conditioning process….

You have a point with #1. But there’s those words “repetitive” and “incessant” in #2 again, which you seem to think (wrongly) are exclusive of other genres and inclusive of rock in general. Again, people think in words. If someone listens to music and evaluates that music, then they must do it with words. Therefore, words are important. Vitally important. So important that I would begin to argue that the English language is intrinsically evil before I would argue that a certain beat is intrinsically evil. (edge.org/3rd_culture/boroditsky09/boroditsky09_index.html)
If someone can take out the offensive words and put in other which better describe (for them) the vague emotion that the music inspires, then that’s fine. I’ve done that before with no adverse side-effects. But they still have words. Now, if they are just listening to the music and not evaluating it, then I would say that they shouldn’t do that. Not so much because they might be exposed to some sort of hypnotism, but because if they have nothing to think about then why not pray… and one can pray best in silence.

Pax,
~Tally

 

[MarysGirls]

My favorite Christian rock band (as I’ve said on here before) is Skillet. Look them up on youtube or their official site, skillet.com. My fav. is “Angels Fall Down”.

Lives have been saved through their music.

Just saying.

P.S. They have a worship CD out too.

 

[Wampa]

there are many songs that make me think the words should be dedicated to Jesus… and not… some humanoid…

this one song by Yes keeps taking up space in my head… but the words i have dedicated to Jesus.

This is an excellent point! I do this ALL THE TIME with music. Fortunately, many musicians write their lyrics in a style just vague enough so that people can adapt the meaning to their own lives. [Side note to Joe and other power metal fans: Sonata Arctica is a perfect example of this. Tony has told me on numerous occasions that he intentionally writes that way and he goes so far as to not even explaining his meaning - in interviews or in private - because he doesn’t want to ruin the listeners’ meaning.]

A perfect example for me is Helloween’s I.M.E… I know they probably meaning this as a statement against proper society and organized religion, but I use this song as my statement against the depravity of American culture: I am me (that is, a Catholic) and I reject the sin society wants me to revel in.

Chorus:
I am me
Who do you think you are
To tell me what to be
I am me
No matter what you say
Today I keep my way
I am me

 

[LilyM]

Disregarding Noebel’s questionable reputation for drawing laughable parallels typical of fundamentalist evangelist… you do know not all hormones are sexual right?

Here’s one particular hormone that I just love. It’s called Epinephrine but more popularly known as… adrenaline.

Precisely. There are many many different kinds of hormones.

Some help us grow physically.
Some regulate our sleeping and waking patterns.
There are hormones such as adrenaline that keep us physically and mentally alert in situations where we need to be.
Hormones like insulin that help us regulate our blood sugar so that we don’t go into a diabetic coma whenever we eat a donut.

And hormones to do with - not sex per se, but gender. The ol’ estrogen and testosterone among them that get such a bum rap from the ignorant. Which serve a whole host of purposes, not just sex or reproduction. They’re not bad, by the way, but a very necessary part of a healthy chemical makeup.

Example - I’m not sexually active at all, but I have a medical condition that requires I take female hormones. Without them I’d be susceptible to osteoporotic fractures (I already have osteoporosis and have had a fracture resulting - don’t want to go through that again, thanks) and at greatly increased risk of certain cancers. Am I sinful in ‘increasing my (so-called) sex hormones’ in this way? Quite the contrary.

 

[Shin]

I can testify from my personal experience that listening to classical and sacred music, or no music, compared to listening to much of popular music, has improved my spiritual life.

This, already taking into account that the popular music has been screened lyric wise, and for the most directly suggestive types of instrumental music.

And so, however explainable or not, from personal experience it is clear there are issues with a good deal of music that we may not understand, but simply can witness cause problems.

There are many details one can get into, speculate about, draw conclusions about – the way the music excites the passions, takes control, is accepted completely – is often simple emotional direct stimulation and self gratification. . .

Forgetting this for a moment…

The simplest test is – give it up for a few months, and replace it with sacred and classical, and silence, and see if there is a difference in your life. And the difference will be there.

‘Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?’

St. John of the Cross

 

[LilyM]

I can testify from my personal experience that listening to classical and sacred music, or no music, compared to listening to much of popular music, has improved my spiritual life.

This, already taking into account that the popular music has been screened lyric wise, and for the most directly suggestive types of instrumental music.

And so, however explainable or not, from personal experience it is clear there are issues with a good deal of music that we may not understand, but simply can witness cause problems.

There are many details one can get into, speculate about, draw conclusions about – the way the music excites the passions, takes control, is accepted completely – is often simple emotional direct stimulation and self gratification. . .

Forgetting this for a moment…

The simplest test is – give it up for a few months, and replace it with sacred and classical, and silence, and see if there is a difference in your life. And the difference will be there.

‘Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?’

St. John of the Cross

I’m all for bringing more silence into our lives. But from personal experience it’s not an issue of classical v rock music so much as music v no music, and of also doing things like turning the TV off or unplugging the internet or mobile phone occasionally. Remember too that most classical music has no lyrics, which means a layer of ‘noise’ is removed. So the benefit is not necessarily intrinsic to the actual music itself.

Put it this way - let’s say my taste in ‘rock’ music consisted of utterly bland inoffensive insipid bubble-gum stuff. Which can still count as rock, by the way. But on your advice I gave it up.

Let’s say that I then opted for classics along the lines of the ‘driving, incessant’ 1812 or William Tell overtures, the lushly sensual Hungarian Dances by Brahms, the operatic arias of Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ (‘Don Juan’ - all about the seduction of women as you can guess by the name) - then I can tell you from personal experience it wouldn’t contribute one little bit to peace of mind or spirit!

Remember women used to treat Beethoven EXACTLY like a modern rock star, to the point of going into swoons at his concerts and the like. His music is VERY emotional. And Hitler was very much inspired by Wagner’s operas - he went so far as to say ‘I have based my religion on Parsifal’ (a Wagner opus).

So you can’t lump all classical music together as being of good effect. And if not, then one similarly can’t lump all rock music together as being of bad effect. Certainly one can say that the generality of the classics are in a different place on the spectrum than the generality of rock music. But that’s cause for discernment of the TYPE of rock or classical one listens to, not for totally abandoning the one category in favour of the other.

 

[Joe_5859]

[Side note to Joe and other power metal fans: Sonata Arctica is a perfect example of this. Tony has told me on numerous occasions that he intentionally writes that way and he goes so far as to not even explaining his meaning - in interviews or in private - because he doesn’t want to ruin the listeners’ meaning.]

And here I thought I was just a bit dense in not understanding what in the world he’s talking about in most of his lyrics. Good to know!

It reminds me of a good point, though. I think that there can be a temptation to overlook the ambiguity present in really any art form. We want a clean, neatly defined, one-for-one interpretation of each and every word. Art doesn’t usually work that way. At least, good art doesn’t.

That’s why those “this song is about satanism!” articles I come across make me wince. It’s usually based on someone trying to draw clear meaning from something that is (probably deliberately) ambiguous.

 

[rapunzel77]

I can testify from my personal experience that listening to classical and sacred music, or no music, compared to listening to much of popular music, has improved my spiritual life.

Ok, that’s fine for you but don’t try to say that this is how everyone should live. Again, another poster has stated that classical music isn’t immune from the “passions”.

This, already taking into account that the popular music has been screened lyric wise, and for the most directly suggestive types of instrumental music.

What do you have against having emotions/feelings/passions? We are not robots. We are comprised of body and spirit. Sometimes it good to get certain feelings out in a good way, through listening to music of many different types. This includes rock or folk or other types of music. I suppose you are also opposed to Middle Eastern,Celtic, African, Native American, Indian, and Asian styles of music too because they might incite the “passions”?

And so, however explainable or not, from personal experience it is clear there are issues with a good deal of music that we may not understand, but simply can witness cause problems.

For you, possibly. But not for everyone.

There are many details one can get into, speculate about, draw conclusions about – the way the music excites the passions, takes control, is accepted completely – is often simple emotional direct stimulation and self gratification. . .

What???

The simplest test is – give it up for a few months, and replace it with sacred and classical, and silence, and see if there is a difference in your life. And the difference will be there.

I listen to all types of music. It has done nothing but benefited me, regardless of the kind of music that it is. Sacred Music is best for Mass and prayer but other forms of music is good for other activities.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

There are hormones such as adrenaline that keep us physically and mentally alert in situations where we need to be.

adds… and we like it! >8D

Well at least as far as how hearing adrenaline pumping music kinda makes me imagine myself in really intense action scenes. Take this one for instance. It never fails to fill my mind with images of myself (and perhaps a few others ) battling a giant monster with enchanted hand guns, dynamic spells, and insane moves with motorized melee weapons. :whacky: Crazy? Yes. Violent? Heck yeah! But sexual? Far from it.

I can testify from my personal experience that listening to classical and sacred music, or no music, compared to listening to much of popular music, has improved my spiritual life.

There are many details one can get into, speculate about, draw conclusions about – the way the music excites the passions, takes control, is accepted completely – is often simple emotional direct stimulation and self gratification. . .

The simplest test is – give it up for a few months, and replace it with sacred and classical, and silence, and see if there is a difference in your life. And the difference will be there.

Funny. From my personal experience, I derive inspiration from all kinds music, even funny ones from ones I don’t like such as gangsta rap. I experiment constantly with the way their effects have on my imagination. Frankly, the only things that comes to my mind when I listen to your TLM tunes (or what you call “sacred music”) are paladins, nuns, clerics, priests, and medieval monasteries. :\

In fact, just now I actually decided to look up YouTube for the kind of religious music you are suggesting we listen to. I picked this one. To maximize the effectiveness of whatever spiritual effect you seem to attribute to this kind music, I didn’t watch the video. I just listened. This is a rough description of the scene that came to my mind.

[Music Starts]

<Scene opens with a young paladin (female) kneeling on one knee, directly in front of an altar inside a fantasy medieval cathedral. While praying she holds her long sword upside down and leans on it a bit in typical knightly fashion>

Paladin: prays a bit more then opens her eyes and stands up

<The girl then sheathes her sword, turns around and exits the cathedral. Outside, one can see something akin to a place like the Vatican as if it were in a fantasy setting>

Male Footman: sees paladin, walks up to her, and gives roll of parchent We’ve found him.

Paladin: looks at scroll then nods I see. You’ve done well. politely dismisses him

[Music End]

Rather incomplete isn’t it? Ah but wait, you recommended silence as well? Guess what? That brought images to my mind too. You see, it plays out like a movie. Where one type of song ends, another begins and they each befit the scene that is playing. In this case, listening to your TLM music just sparked the start but it’s definitely not going to be playing in a scene where the characters are talking while traveling a vast landscape or when one character (spellcaster preferably) is about to unleash an uber-epic spell in mid-combat.

 

[Shin]

adds… and we like it! >8D

In fact, just now I actually decided to look up YouTube for the kind of religious music you are suggesting we listen to. I picked this one. To maximize the effectiveness of whatever spiritual effect you seem to attribute to this kind music, I didn’t watch the video. I just listened.

I see there’s ‘Gregorian Chant - Dominican Liturgy’ link off that, and the CD/MP3 download through Amazon linked further off for that.

Listening to the excerpts I think I could highly recommend that!

Get enough of that kind of music on your playlist, can’t help but make you holier.

LilyM, you’re right not all classical music is good! You have to be careful! Only some of it is worthwhile. The safest place to go is the sacred music, with the cantors.

The Catholic Encyclopedia quotes Richard Wagner on Church Music by the way. I also recall that Parsifal is traditionally played every Good Friday, and all about the Holy Grail, so I think more than one person had a religious experience regarding it.

LW, your imagination sounds almost like a scene out of the true story of St. Joan of Arc’s life. I remember particularly how she found her holy sword.

 

[Shin]

I don’t agree with everything in this article on 'The Inverted Order of Rock and Roll’ but it makes some worthwhile speculation and food for thought about how the music of that genre is constructed and the problems and superficiality of it.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I see there’s ‘Gregorian Chant - Dominican Liturgy’ link off that, and the CD/MP3 download through Amazon linked further off for that.

Listening to the excerpts I think I could highly recommend that!

Get enough of that kind of music on your playlist, can’t help but make you holier.

Did you read my bit about how that one song lead to a totally different one?

LW, your imagination sounds almost like a scene out of the true story of St. Joan of Arc’s life. I remember particularly how she found her holy sword.

Yeah well, guess what. The scene I actually had in mind diverts from that. I told you it wasn’t complete right?

Paladin: is riding her horse through a forest and thinks Stay strong my sister! I am coming for you! sees someone in the forest There he is! Hyah! makes the horse jump forward

Unknown Person: !?

Paladin: AAAAAGH!! D8< leaps off horse and sheathes sword to strike down

Unknown Person: Tch…shadow teleports a few feet away

Paladin: Guh!? sword misses and smashes ground instead Grrr! raises sword back up and points at figure Halt! Foul wizard! I have come for my sister! Release her from your slavery and you will only answer to the crime of witchcraft!

Wizard: in unusual modern day accent What’s this? Monty Python!? I got no friggin’ idea what you’re talkin’ about lady. -_-;;

Paladin: Do not befuddle me with your alien sorcerer’s speech, unholy conjurer! charges sword with holy power Seraphic Spear!! thrusts sword

Wizard: shadow teleports behind her No really. I got no clue-

Paladin: does not listen and attempts to slash down wizard again Ghh!!

Wizard: blocks it with magical forcefield

Paladin: !?

Wizard: …but if it’s a fight you want… I’ll give it to ya! -_- eyes flash dangerously

<Paladin is suddenly knocked back by unseen force and new background music starts. Wizard then gives off powerful magic aura.>

Paladin: back hits tree Gah! DX

Wizard: casts Come forth raging lightning… Piercing Bolt!!! shoots out line of electricity from hand

Paladin: !! rolls to the side

Shall I continue?

 

[rapunzel77]

Lost Wanderer, LOL…definitely continue…

 

[itrytofight]

I don’t agree with everything in this article on 'The Inverted Order of Rock and Roll’ but it makes some worthwhile speculation and food for thought about how the music of that genre is constructed and the problems and superficiality of it.

If he were right, then I guess Tribal rhythms(?) and other beats from different cultures, other than from Catholic Europe, fall under the “rebellious” side of music he dislikes so much due to the fact much of it follows the “one TWO three FOUR” beat rather than a say, more constructive one.

So, say, I’m from a different culture that uses such beats in our traditions. Should I trash this style of music for Europe’s classical and chant?

 

[rapunzel77]

If he were right, then I guess Tribal rhythms(?) and other beats from different cultures, other than from Catholic Europe, fall under the “rebellious” side of music he dislikes so much due to the fact much of it follows the “one TWO three FOUR” beat rather than a say, more constructive one.

So, say, I’m from a different culture that uses such beats in our traditions. Should I trash this style of music for Europe’s classical and chant?

I have mentioned this in other posts but he refuses to answer me. I think that lot of this “rhythm equals uncontrolled passions, etc” is just his opinion. Its a bias against anything that isn’t western. I like classical too but I also love and appreciate other forms of music, including tribal rhythms and other forms of music found outside of Europe.

 

[Shin]

There’s a lot of history in the Church and Christian culture that shows not all music, nor methods of music are created equal, or of equal value.

Plenty of bad music forms a large part of many cultures. That it is part of the culture is a sign of corruption, not that the music must be retained. In fact you would expect the more separation from Christianity, the worse the music gets.

A lot of those ‘tribal rhythms’ were part of pagan religious ceremonies as part of ‘cultural history’ at some point. Now you may look back and think it ‘cultural’ alone, but its spiritual origin is not quaint.

Music forms an essential part of many religions. Some of the pagan religions of Rome had many dances and fast paced rhythms to bring people into ‘ecstacy’ as part of their worship. So too, voodoo, hoodoo, shamanism, animism, the drums, the heavy beat… these all are part of bringing the worshipper into a state of control by the music, and control by the spirits worshipped – demons in these cases, of course.

So, speaking generally, just because you view a certain kind of music as an essential part of your culture, doesn’t mean it actually is something you should be finding praiseworthy. Anymore than rap music should be considered some sort of essential part of black culture and praiseworthy. No, it isn’t.

 

[rapunzel77]

There’s a lot of history in the Church and Christian culture that shows not all music, nor methods of music are created equal, or of equal value.

Says who?

Plenty of bad music forms a large part of many cultures. That it is part of the culture is a sign of corruption, not that the music must be retained. In fact you would expect the more separation from Christianity, the worse the music gets.

Again, says who? I don’t agree at all. In fact, I find this to be offensive.

A lot of those ‘tribal rhythms’ were part of pagan religious ceremonies as part of ‘cultural history’ at some point. Now you may look back and think it ‘cultural’ alone, but its spiritual origin is not quaint.

So? If you recall, many things that were pagan in the past have become a part of our Catholic culture. That is fine. The Church has never condemned the music of other cultures and in fact, in Europe, especially if you listen to Celtic music you will find that it has similarities to eastern music.

Music forms an essential part of many religions. Some of the pagan religions of Rome had many dances and fast paced rhythms to bring people into ‘ecstacy’ as part of their worship. So too, voodoo, hoodoo, shamanism, animism, the drums, the heavy beat… these all are part of bringing the worshipper into a state of control by the music, and control by the spirits worshipped – demons in these cases, of course.

Again, the music isn’t wrong. How they were using it was perhaps misguided. Again, name me one authoritative document from the Church that states that dancing to music that has rhythm is wrong. In fact, in the Bible, king David danced before the Lord using similar instruments.

So, speaking generally, just because you view a certain kind of music as an essential part of your culture, doesn’t mean it actually is something you should be finding praiseworthy. Anymore than rap music should be considered some sort of essential part of black culture and praiseworthy. No, it isn’t.

I suppose to you that the only way one can be truly Catholic is to be culturally “white”, is that it? Isn’t that basically what you have been saying? That the only proper form of music is what has been created in Europe and no where else because its “corrupted”?

 

[itrytofight]

There’s a lot of history in the Church and Christian culture that shows not all music, nor methods of music are created equal, or of equal value.

Plenty of bad music forms a large part of many cultures. That it is part of the culture is a sign of corruption, not that the music must be retained. In fact you would expect the more separation from Christianity, the worse the music gets.

A lot of those ‘tribal rhythms’ were part of pagan religious ceremonies as part of ‘cultural history’ at some point. Now you may look back and think it ‘cultural’ alone, but its spiritual origin is not quaint.

Music forms an essential part of many religions. Some of the pagan religions of Rome had many dances and fast paced rhythms to bring people into ‘ecstacy’ as part of their worship. So too, voodoo, hoodoo, shamanism, animism, the drums, the heavy beat… these all are part of bringing the worshipper into a state of control by the music, and control by the spirits worshipped – demons in these cases, of course.

So, speaking generally, just because you view a certain kind of music as an essential part of your culture, doesn’t mean it actually is something you should be finding praiseworthy. Anymore than rap music should be considered some sort of essential part of black culture and praiseworthy. No, it isn’t.

So what’s to be done then?

I can see why such music would not be very comparable to classical due to the amount of sheer work is put into such beauty, but I would still find most cultural music with its fast rhythms praiseworthy despite that and as such, should NOT be forgotten nor ignored.

I do not know the exact details, but down south of the USA they have somehow merged Aztec cultural music (minus the depraved practices) with that of Catholic culture thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe (I think it was in a documentary on EWTN, they had a parade with alot of colorful feathers and that tribal beat in it).

Thats the kind of church I want to be in, not one that curbstomps all others who are different into nothingness.

 

[rapunzel77]

I can see why such music would not be very comparable to classical due to the amount of sheer work is put into such beauty, but I would still find most cultural music with its fast rhythms praiseworthy despite that and as such, should NOT be forgotten nor ignored.

Exactly. I am Caucasian but I have great respect for other cultures and enjoy the music that many of these cultures produce. I have no problem with listening to them just as I have no problem listening to rock, etc.

I do not know the exact details, but down south of the USA they have somehow merged Aztec cultural music (minus the depraved practices) with that of Catholic culture thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe (I think it was in a documentary on EWTN, they had a parade with alot of colorful feathers and that tribal beat in it).

Thats the kind of church I want to be in, not one that curbstomps all others who are different into nothingness.

That is interesting. I love Gregorian Chant and I go to the TLM but I know that using other forms of music in Mass is fine if it is culturally sacred music. I know that in some parts of Africa, they use a lot of drums at Mass. To them, it is sacred music. That is fine. For the Mexicans, they use some of the Aztec music. Again, that is fine too. I think it is a very grave mistake to try to make people who are non-Europeans to become “white” when they convert. It was disastrous to do that to the Native American tribes here in the US and the consequences are still being felt.

 

[Shin]

The Church has always distingished between sacred and profane music… The more sacred the better… the more profane, well…

We can use sacred music as the measure of which all other music is measured against for its goodness and holiness.

"Sacred music should consequently possess, in the highest degree, the qualities proper to the liturgy, and in particular sanctity and goodness of form, which will spontaneously produce the final quality of universality.

It must be holy, and must, therefore, exclude all profanity not only in itself, but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it.

It must be true art, for otherwise it will be impossible for it to exercise on the minds of those who listen to it that efficacy which the Church aims at obtaining in admitting into her liturgy the art of musical sounds.

But it must, at the same time, be universal in the sense that while every nation is permitted to admit into its ecclesiastical compositions those special forms which may be said to constitute its native music, still these forms must be subordinated in such a manner to the general characteristics of sacred music that nobody of any nation may receive an impression other than good on hearing them.

The Different Kinds of Sacred Music

These qualities are to be found, in the highest degree, in Gregorian Chant, which is, consequently the Chant proper to the Roman Church, the only chant she has inherited from the ancient fathers, which she has jealously guarded for centuries in her liturgical codices, which she directly proposes to the faithful as her own, which she prescribes exclusively for some parts of the liturgy, and which the most recent studies have so happily restored to their integrity and purity."

Pope St. Pius X, Moto Proprio on Sacred Music

Notice that he says that this music is inherited from the ancient fathers – in other words, the roots go back into Apostolic origin, and further – Into Judaism, and the very beginnings… In other words, God has a certain kind of preferred music, He created music, He arranged it.

Pope St. Pius X continues:

“On these grounds Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down the following rule: the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple.”

Do you read this? The more it is like Gregorian Chant the holier the music is! We have a model, a way to tell the sacredness of music itself!

This is not a European vs. the World issue… this is not a race issue (which I might add making accusations about is grave matter) this is an issue of what is sacred and what is profane. If you think there’s no difference between the music of a Christian culture and of a pagan culture, you place little weight on Christianity.