Inappropriate music. What do you consider it to be?

[Suspicious_Mind]

I’m with you - I absolutely despise rap and hip hop.

First, I find the actual music to be like nails on a chalkboard - I literally can’t stand listening to any of it. Second, the lyrics are often very profane and disrespectful.

Typical response that’s ignorant and tends to generalize with a wide sweeping statement about a massive genre.

Who cares what you find the actual music to be anyways? Inappropriateness of the lyrics is a separate issue altogether, whether or not you can stand listening to it or not has no bearing on whether the genre is OK or not, clearly there is nothing wrong with the genre, but rather it depends on the artist, or more specifically individual songs.

I’m no fan of hip hop or rap, but my dislike of the genre in general has nothing to do with the genre is inappropriate or not.

The OP is definitely a troll anyways.

 

[Joe_5859]

There is a Jimmy akin article on this somewhere, but i can’t find it. Maybe someone else will?

I always have the link ready for threads such as this.

Bad Music by Jimmy Akin

I would point out that there is a difference between music that contains certain elements and music that promotes those elements. This is present in any art form. Even the Bible contains people who do some pretty horrific things, but no one would argue that the Bible promotes those things.

The OP is definitely a troll anyways.

I don’t think that’s the case. CoolCatholicGuy has been posting for months and simply strikes me as a sincere fellow looking for answers to a variety of questions.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

What reaction does it bring in you needs to be looked at: If you’re singing along to a rap or metal song and the mood it is generating is hateful, angry, violent, unkind… your face is all scrunched up eyes wild… imagine someone from another time looking at your reaction… what conclusion would they come to? That’s the best example I can think of to help you look at it objectively… There are many things that musically are the “norm” for this time that could stand some critical evaluation.

I have to somewhat disagree. Sometimes “negative” music can help cope with negative emotions. During times when I’m sad, lonely, depressed, or angry, I actually find “happy music” to be repulsive whereas “emo music” helps me breathe it all out.

 

[tafan]

Actually, if I can’t say the lyrics aloud in church, it’s objectionable “music.” That alone knocks out almost everything except most Country songs… and some of them can be pretty crude, too.
.

I think this is too strict. I love music of many types and genres. I can think of lots of songs that are not objectionable in anyway, but would be inappropriate in church. Most secular songs fall into this categoy by definition.

Inapproriate lyrics are normally quite obvious. You know it when you hear it.

BTW, rap is not music. Music, at a minimun needs both a melody and a rythm, rap is missing the melody.

 

[edwest2]

Most rap on the radio is inappropriate. You can call it hip-hop if you want. I don’t ever sing along to music with words I don’t agree with. It don’t matter what kind of rhythm it has.

Most music today lacks soul, lacks depth and lacks feeling. If you ever read what people today have to say about music that is over twenty years old, the consensus is that it is better to much better than music produced today.

God bless,
Ed

 

[WackBob]

yeah don’t label a specific genre as ‘inappropriate’.

For instance, Underoath, is quite hard but is actually a Christian band: youtube.com/watch?v=DR9OspjIoII

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

Most rap on the radio is inappropriate. You can call it hip-hop if you want. I don’t ever sing along to music with words I don’t agree with. It don’t matter what kind of rhythm it has.

Most music today lacks soul, lacks depth and lacks feeling. If you ever read what people today have to say about music that is over twenty years old, the consensus is that it is better to much better than music produced today.

God bless,
Ed

Rubbish, this changes with time. In the 50’s when rock n roll was the big thing, the Frank Sinatra and Dixieland admirers were talking about how vile and unmeaningful rock n roll was. Nowadays people talk about Elvis, The Beatles, etc. as the “good ol’ days” - no doubt in another 20 years the same thing will happen.

Get educated on music history.

God bless,
Suspicious Mind

 

[Suspicious_Mind]

I don’t think that’s the case. CoolCatholicGuy has been posting for months and simply strikes me as a sincere fellow looking for answers to a variety of questions.

Yea, probably because he gets a kick out of asking absurd questions all relating to “is this a sin?” and has a laugh at the numerous people posting contradictory views.

If he is by some chance genuine, he needs immediate help, it simply isn’t normal for someone to be so extremely scrupulous.

 

[Joe_5859]

Yea, probably because he gets a kick out of asking absurd questions all relating to “is this a sin?” and has a laugh at the numerous people posting contradictory views.

If he is by some chance genuine, he needs immediate help, it simply isn’t normal for someone to be so extremely scrupulous.

Perhaps you are correct. If he is a troll, he is much more subtle than most and is in it for the long haul.

There are a great number of people who struggle with scrupulosity. Many come here to CAF asking if such-and-such is a sin. Some of the questions may seem ridiculous to many of us, but those who suffer from scrupulosity are genuinely concerned over such issues. I have known people like that. It would definitely be beneficial for them to seek the help of a competent spiritual director.

 

[Alex246]

Suspicious Mind, please try to be more understanding. I struggle with scrupulosity on some occasions, and it can get a lot worse than just wondering if certain music is sinful. Please don’t call someone a troll simply because you find their question absurd.

 

[rapunzel77]

I have to somewhat disagree. Sometimes “negative” music can help cope with negative emotions. During times when I’m sad, lonely, depressed, or angry, I actually find “happy music” to be repulsive whereas “emo music” helps me breathe it all out.

Thank you for pointing this out. I have been depressed before and sometimes listening to “negative” music helped to get a bunch of feelings out. This was especially the case when I broke up with my ex-boyfriend 9 years ago. I couldn’t listen to anything else but hard rock music. It was very cathartic for me and it helped me to heal. Music does not always have to be happy, etc. Music oftentimes talks about human nature…in its good and bad forms. Its a way of expressing the most deepest of emotions, sometimes with words, sometimes without words. I truly believe that all music has its time and place. Hard rock music and rap sometimes are the best to listen to in situations where you need to get your anger and pain out without harming anyone and yourself. Its better than drowning in a bottle or shooting up stuff.

 

[edwest2]

Rubbish, this changes with time. In the 50’s when rock n roll was the big thing, the Frank Sinatra and Dixieland admirers were talking about how vile and unmeaningful rock n roll was. Nowadays people talk about Elvis, The Beatles, etc. as the “good ol’ days” - no doubt in another 20 years the same thing will happen.

Get educated on music history.

God bless,
Suspicious Mind

I know professional musicians. I’d rather listen to Sinatra and Dixieland than the junk coming out of the radio today. I stopped listening in the 1990s. The only music I hear now is what is blaring out of the car next to mine at the stop light or something I happen to catch on TV, which I quickly change.

“Change with time.”? I don’t believe that. I’ve turned off the radio.

God bless,
Ed

 

[JohnCS]

3 years ago I came back to the Church after about 8 years of not thinking about God or religion. When God grabbed ahold of me and set me back on the right path I panicked. For 8 years I listened to less than holy music, watched and enjoyed extremely distasteful movies, and partook in some very sinful activities. When I got back to the Church I thought that I would never be able to be a “good Catholic” because I would never be able to stop watching the things that I liked to watch etc. I immediately started asking my priest if watching those movies or listening to those songs was sinning. I never really did get a good answer, he always seemed to not understand the question. It wasn’t long before I learned what is meant by God transforming your life. One night I was looking for something to watch with my wife and all of the usual stuff just didn’t appeal anymore. I was no longer worried about whether or not watching something was a sin, because I had no desire to watch them any more. This happens to be one of my favorite personal “proofs” of God. He transformed my life when I asked Him to do so. I can not say if it is a sin to listen to the music that you are referring to, but I can say with certainty that if you pray about it and ask to made into the person that He want’s you to be, pretty soon, it may not matter if it is a sin or not, because you won’t even care for it any more. I hope this helps.

God bless,

John

 

[Joe_5859]

3 years ago I came back to the Church after about 8 years of not thinking about God or religion. When God grabbed ahold of me and set me back on the right path I panicked. For 8 years I listened to less than holy music, watched and enjoyed extremely distasteful movies, and partook in some very sinful activities. When I got back to the Church I thought that I would never be able to be a “good Catholic” because I would never be able to stop watching the things that I liked to watch etc. I immediately started asking my priest if watching those movies or listening to those songs was sinning. I never really did get a good answer, he always seemed to not understand the question. It wasn’t long before I learned what is meant by God transforming your life. One night I was looking for something to watch with my wife and all of the usual stuff just didn’t appeal anymore. I was no longer worried about whether or not watching something was a sin, because I had no desire to watch them any more. This happens to be one of my favorite personal “proofs” of God. He transformed my life when I asked Him to do so. I can not say if it is a sin to listen to the music that you are referring to, but I can say with certainty that if you pray about it and ask to made into the person that He want’s you to be, pretty soon, it may not matter if it is a sin or not, because you won’t even care for it any more. I hope this helps.

God bless,

John

Those are some very insightful words, John. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Deo_Volente]

Grace & Peace!

Inappropriate music? Probably most liturgical music or hymnody written in or after the 70’s. Particularly anything by Marty Haugen. I don’t know how he and folks with a similar aesthetic get away with it.

Give me Cristobal de Morales, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, or even Bruckner or Ralph Vaughan Williams any day. Or Messiaen. But not that soulless jumble of blousy, whispy meaninglessness that passes for contemporary Christian liturgical music.

Under the Mercy,
Mark

All is Grace and Mercy! Deo Gratias!

 

[crenfro]

Thank you for you lovely witness to the Catholic faith. It helps me a lot – I’ve been discouraged lately.

It wasn’t long before I learned what is meant by God transforming your life. One night I was looking for something to watch with my wife and all of the usual stuff just didn’t appeal anymore. I was no longer worried about whether or not watching something was a sin, because I had no desire to watch them any more. This happens to be one of my favorite personal “proofs” of God. He transformed my life when I asked Him to do so.

 

[Musicadmirer]

Oh, and Justin Beiber or whatever. There’s something really wrong about boys who look like girls. It reminds me of thsoe passages in the bible where it speaks of men having unnatural lusts and dressing as the other gender, or words to the effect. To slightly derail the topic, just look at what’s considered “hot”, flat chested, skinny women who look more like men. Its like homosexuality without being blatant about it.

I couldn’t agree any more with you on that!

Now, pertaining to the topic, I don’t like MOST rap, but I don’t condemn the whole genre. Even though Christian rap is in the minority, it does exist.

So, overall among the dozens of genres out there, I can’t say one or a few are the worst offenders. There are inappropriate themes all over the place. I always try to find out the lyrics of songs before I listen to it more than once. But honestly, I’m not even listening to much on the radio anymore, and when I do, it is not the current ‘hits’ of today. I’ve developed greater appreciation for the music of the different eras in the ‘Classical’ genre. Classical was one of many eras in music, so it is technically not correct to stick this name on all of them.

For me, a second definition of ‘inappropriate’ music is uninspired, monotonous sound pollution

 

[IntegraCatholic]

Anything that actually commits a sin in the song is clearly immoral. By playing it, you participate in the person’s sin and propagate it. This includes using the name of God in vain (which is a mortal sin when done with full consent, e.g., on a CD), vulgar language, sexual innuendo, speaking about doing drugs, abusing alcohol or tobacco, etc., etc. These are all sins. To buy music that supports these things is clearly a sin. To play the music is clearly a sin. There is also the scandal that is necessarily involved. Certainly to sing along with it would be another sin. How can someone who believes in Jesus Christ listen to the filth that is modern music?

That is to speak merely of the lyrics. One also has to consider the beat and how it is frequently aimed at arousing a person (sometimes, by cheering him up, more frequently by his generative faculties). Look at what happens when this music is played at a rock concert. Does this happen at a symphony? The people act like animals. Sure, there are other factors than just the music that leads to the bestial behavior of young (and, alas, old) people at such concerts, but the music certainly plays a role itself. I won’t go into the details about how the Beatles have written songs in honor of Satantists, etc. I assume anyone who is interested in this can search for it on Google. How can someone trust his soul to these sorts of people, especially considering the power this “music” has to impress itself upon the memory?

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Anything that actually commits a sin in the song is clearly immoral. By playing it, you participate in the person’s sin and propagate it. This includes using the name of God in vain (which is a mortal sin when done with full consent, e.g., on a CD), vulgar language, sexual innuendo, speaking about doing drugs, abusing alcohol or tobacco, etc., etc. These are all sins. To buy music that supports these things is clearly a sin. To play the music is clearly a sin. There is also the scandal that is necessarily involved. Certainly to sing along with it would be another sin. How can someone who believes in Jesus Christ listen to the filth that is modern music?

A word of advice: Don’t lump in all contemporary music with trash hip-hop and Lady Gaga. And as far as vulgar language is concerned, apparently you need to stop fretting about petty semantics and focus on the overall message of a song.

That is to speak merely of the lyrics. One also has to consider the beat and how it is frequently aimed at arousing a person (sometimes, by cheering him up, more frequently by his generative faculties). Look at what happens when this music is played at a rock concert. Does this happen at a symphony? The people act like animals. Sure, there are other factors than just the music that leads to the bestial behavior of young (and, alas, old) people at such concerts, but the music certainly plays a role itself. I won’t go into the details about how the Beatles have written songs in honor of Satantists, etc. I assume anyone who is interested in this can search for it on Google. How can someone trust his soul to these sorts of people, especially considering the power this “music” has to impress itself upon the memory?

Biased classicist opinion.

Music like all arts is free to be interpreted on a wide range. The whole passions vs intellect arguments put forth such people has no basis in either sound logic or empirical evidence. So what if I a song cheers someone up? What if something makes you feel more and think less? Is that really so frightening to you people? As one poster already mentioned, better to listen and let your heart shout out with the music than drowning in drink or worse going about shooting people.

 

[rapunzel77]

Anything that actually commits a sin in the song is clearly immoral. By playing it, you participate in the person’s sin and propagate it. This includes using the name of God in vain (which is a mortal sin when done with full consent, e.g., on a CD), vulgar language, sexual innuendo, speaking about doing drugs, abusing alcohol or tobacco, etc., etc.

It depends upon the song. Many folk, blues, and country songs deal with these issues as well as rock. Just listen to some Johnny Cash. Oftentimes, these songs are talking about various aspects of human lives, ie. the emotions involved when being lonely, depressed, in pain, etc. Should art, music, etc be only about sunshine and daises? I don’t think these are sinful.

These are all sins. To buy music that supports these things is clearly a sin. To play the music is clearly a sin. There is also the scandal that is necessarily involved. Certainly to sing along with it would be another sin. How can someone who believes in Jesus Christ listen to the filth that is modern music?

Again, it depends upon the song, etc.

That is to speak merely of the lyrics. One also has to consider the beat and how it is frequently aimed at arousing a person (sometimes, by cheering him up, more frequently by his generative faculties).

So what? What is wrong with having feelings of happiness and euphoria. There is nothing wrong with rhythm. IF that was the case then you might as well throw out almost all non-western music and folk music.

Look at what happens when this music is played at a rock concert. Does this happen at a symphony?

Apples and Oranges.

The people act like animals. Sure, there are other factors than just the music that leads to the bestial behavior of young (and, alas, old) people at such concerts, but the music certainly plays a role itself.

So, anything that isn’t classical music is bestial?? This is a very western/euro-centric attitude.

I won’t go into the details about how the Beatles have written songs in honor of Satantists, etc. I assume anyone who is interested in this can search for it on Google. How can someone trust his soul to these sorts of people, especially considering the power this “music” has to impress itself upon the memory?

Sure, not all the Beatles songs were good. So? They have many that are. I don’t know of anyone who trusts their “soul” to rock music, etc. That is almost akin to calumny because you are attributing motives to people who listen to rock music that are not there. I enjoy listening to it. I am certainly not “entrusting” my soul to it. Nope. I entrust my soul to Our Lord and Our Lady. I have been listening to rock music for about 20 years and it hasn’t had any detrimental effects on me.