Is it 'wrong' to listen to some kinds of music?

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urban-hermit:
around in my head and sometimes they come out when I’m doing repetetive stuff. But I do think it is a good witness and gets people thinking "hey, maybe being a Catholic can be fun … "

I have had Angus McDonell’s catchy refrain from “The Holy Face” going through my head for the last few days at work. My manager heard me singing “…let the Holy Face of Jesus shine upon you …” And he just laughed and said “are you singing one of those Jesus songs again?” I laughed too and said, “yup” ! 😃
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ha ha, that made me laugh. Are some Christian artists catholic christians just not open? Matt Redman is on Matt Maher’s CD, the end and the beginning, but I know he also plays with artists like Chris Tomlin. Im not sure if he’s catholic or not. Im just curious
 
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urban-hermit:
In music ?
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Certainly, and one need not delve into pop culture to find such examples. Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, for example, isn’t appropriate for children. Moving into pop music, my wife and I can sit together on the couch and listen to Barry White, but some of his lyrics also aren’t appropriate for children.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
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snow_white:
I am going to have to borrow the question from the Protestants on this one and ask, “Would Jesus listen to this kind of music?”
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Jesus didn’t exactly ‘insulate’ himself from the not-so-good side of the culture. He used to hang out with some pretty bad elements - prostitutes, drunkards, tax collectors etc. Now I know that He was there to help those people out, not just to hang around. The question is, was He ‘putting up’ with having to be around the bad parts of the culture to help these people or did He not mind it? We don’t really know, all we know is that He was there.

Thing is, human imperfection leaks into everything we do. No-one can make music that is ‘perfect’ to listen to, neither the Christian artists nor the satanic heavy metal artists. But if we were going to concentrate on that then we wouldn’t listen to anything at all. The thing is that, I think all music has some good in it as well. God gives some people the talent to play music, so they use their talents, they get some fans and the music makes the fans happy. That’s the way that I see it sometimes.

I wish there was a definite answer on this.
 
The point I’m trying to make is that exposing yourself to certain things can alter your mood and mental state over time. Psalm 1 comes to mind. Proverbs warns not to associate with an angry man, lest you become like him. Bad company also corrupts good morals too.
 
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breathespirit:
ha ha, that made me laugh. Are some Christian artists catholic christians just not open? Matt Redman is on Matt Maher’s CD, the end and the beginning, but I know he also plays with artists like Chris Tomlin. Im not sure if he’s catholic or not. Im just curious
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It seems like most Christian pop musicians don’t mention if they are members of one church or another. I think they want to let their music speak for itself and not fall into people’s stereotypes and prejudices. And I guess we have to say there is still a lot of anti-Catholic prejudice out there, even now in 2005.

Rachael Lampa is the most popular contemporary Christian artist I know of who is Catholic. But I found that out by searching the internet for some of her interviews; I didn’t see it mentioned on her website.

Also, probably some members of some of the contemporary Christian bands are Catholic. For example, I heard that one of the guys in Jars of Clay is Catholic (although I can’t remember where I read that…).
 
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mlchance:
… Moving into pop music, my wife and I can sit together on the couch and listen to Barry White, but some of his lyrics also aren’t appropriate for children.

– Mark L. Chance.
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That’s because some of his lyrics are immoral.
 
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Flopfoot:
Jesus didn’t exactly ‘insulate’ himself from the not-so-good side of the culture. He used to hang out with some pretty bad elements - prostitutes, drunkards, tax collectors etc. Now I know that He was there to help those people out, not just to hang around. The question is, was He ‘putting up’ with having to be around the bad parts of the culture to help these people or did He not mind it? We don’t really know, all we know is that He was there.
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You know, I hear this statement a lot and I think it confuses a lot of people. Those prostitutes and tax collectors repented and changed their lives before Jesus brought them into His ministry. Jesus did not hang out with Mary Magdalene the prostitute, but with Mary Magdalene the woman out of whom He had cast 7 demons, and who had become a new woman, with a heart for God. She loved much because she had been forgiven much. She did not go back to her old ways, because she had found a much, much better Way.
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Flopfoot:
Thing is, human imperfection leaks into everything we do. No-one can make music that is ‘perfect’ to listen to, neither the Christian artists nor the satanic heavy metal artists. But if we were going to concentrate on that then we wouldn’t listen to anything at all. The thing is that, I think all music has some good in it as well. God gives some people the talent to play music, so they use their talents, they get some fans and the music makes the fans happy. That’s the way that I see it sometimes.

I wish there was a definite answer on this.
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Well, I agree with you, and a lot has to do with what the music evokes in you personally. Maybe you see good in music that I would find repulsive. The thing is, music is a way for us humans to celebrate ideas and feelings. Sure it’s fun too, but there are certain things, certain lyrics especially, that no thinking person can ignore. Much of pop music celebrates the abuse of sex, which we know from our Faith is gravely displeasing to God our Father, Who has given us everything and to Whom we owe everything. To just hum these tunes and pretend that since the melody is pleasant it’s ok … well, I just don’t understand how that can be right and good.

Somebody in this thread had said that Christian music was lame or something like that. Maybe I am just not “cool”, but I have to disagree. Listen to your local Christian music station or go to spiritandsong.com and listen to some Catholic stuff online. I have to admit the Catholic stuff is still coming along (although I truly love a small percentage of it) – but the contemporary Christian music really is as good as anything in any other genre for my money. There are all kinds of styles – rap, hip-hop, pop, … – and the lyrics will actually bless you if you get them stuck in your head. 🙂

Check out some alternatives. It’s worth it!
Giovanni Paolo - Catholic rap song – (it’s good!)

other Christian artists
 
I knew this was gonna happen, so I specifically stated in my first post, to not just say “Why don’t you go check out some Christian artists, there’s plenty in your genre.” Seems like it didn’t deter anyone.

Alright then -
Find me some Christian progressive / power metal, or even ‘classic’ metal, something sounding like Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Symphony X, Angra, Ayreon, Angel Dust, Dungeon, or even Metallica.
Also some Christian progressive rock sounding like Pink Floyd, Rush, or similar.
Also some Christian classic rock - this one will be hard because you can’t have new classic rock, no one plays like they did in the 70s and 80s anymore (or at least, I’ve never heard any that have quite this calibre) - sounding like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Guns n Roses, Queen, Dire Straits, ZZ Top, etc.

Most of the Chrsitian rock / metal artists are too alternative or nu-metal sounding for me, like Creed, Seven Sorrows and Zao. But if you know of any bands that fit my descriptions above then I’d be happy to hear about it.

Edit - Another soultion is to just listen to instrumental music - that has no lyrics! I like instrumental music but there aren’t enough great instrumental artists playing in styles that I like (it’s actually much easier to write a good song with singing in it than to write a good instrumental).
 
3 days and still no answer to this request. See what I mean?

Ok, we can go back to discussing the original question now.
 
Flopfoot said:
3 days and still no answer to this request. See what I mean?

Ok, we can go back to discussing the original question now.
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I think this is more like a matter of conscience. If such music (i.e., metal, hard rock, hip hop) causes you to turn away from God then you shouldn’t listen to it. I still listen to Metallica but there are some songs I wouldn’t listen to all the way through because of the lyrics like “The God that failed” (I think there’s a personal story behind this song but still the lyrics make me uneasy). Skid Row’s “Quicksand Jesus” is something I like to hear (I love the vocals) but I must admit I don’t quite understand the lyrics. So, know thyself.

I wasn’t really into Christian music since I thought they sounded inferior compared with secular music. However, I am looking into some Christian bands out there like Kutless and Seven Day Slumber. Hardly in the calibre of Metallica but it suits my taste for hard rock nonetheless. Seriously, I don’t think you’ll find Christian counterparts of those bands you mentioned (although there’s this website that says Eternal Decision sounds like Metallica. I listened to their samples but, I don’t know, I think I’ll stick to Metallica :o ).
 
It seems that, for many people, the deciding factor for whether or not music is acceptable to listen to is whether or not it affects the listner. I personally believe that, regardless of whether its listner believes that it affects him or not, worthless music should not be listened to.
 
Young Christian:
It seems that, for many people, the deciding factor for whether or not music is acceptable to listen to is whether or not it affects the listner. I personally believe that, regardless of whether its listner believes that it affects him or not, worthless music should not be listened to.
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Could you explain why you think this?
Does that mean that you never do anything just for fun? Do you never watch non-Christian TV shows or movies? Never talk to anyone unless it’s about God?
(Not that I’m saying there’s anything wrong with that, just wondering. Also, coz by you saying that ‘it should not be listened to’, you’re making suggestions for us as well as you).

needmorelight - I agree, Chrisitan music often just doesn’t reach the calibre of secular music yet. Except maybe U2, but they are a pop- and experimental- rock band first, and a Christian band only incidentally. ‘The God that Failed’ used to put me on edge, but then I realised that Metallica is just making a common mistake - they don’t realise that on the cross Jesus did more for healing than he ever did before in his earthly ministry.
 
Not trying to throw any stink-bombs here Young Christian, but I fear that your thoughts about worthless and mine might be quite different, as likely would be our respective thoughts about art, media and the world.

So whose view do we conform to? Yours, mine? God calls us all to find our hearts what is wholesome and good. While I would agree that music with unwholesome lyrics is not good for the soul, music that is secular in nature is not in and of itself devoid of value. Think of all the great classical musicians like Mozart who wrote secular as well as Christian music.
 
I never said that music only has worth if it directly refers to God.
I agree that some of the most wonderful music ever written did not have directly religious connotations. When I mentioned worthless music, I was refering to music which is nothing more than profanity or the promotion of drugs, sex and violence. I know that what is and is not acceptable for entertainment is not perfectly clear. I agree also that, just because a movie, book, etc. has some ungodly content in it does not mean that it is completely worthless. People often have to try and judge for themselves whether entertainment is good or bad overall, and different people draw the line at different places. But it is clear that some entertainment is almost entirely bad, and I believe that it should be avoided.
 
Young Christian:
I was refering to music which is nothing more than profanity or the promotion of drugs, sex and violence.
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Music is always something more than the profanity or promotion of sex, drugs and violence - because music is always more than just the lyrics! If music is only lyrics then it is just poetry.
If the lyrics of a song are worthless then I just don’t listen to them, I only listen to the song for the instrumental parts. In fact, I’ve thought of covering Metallica’s “Fade to Black” with a harmonica replacing the singing so that there are no words (the lyrics are about suicide, not very good stuff there). Now that would be heaps better (-:
 
The lyrics to music often are about peoples feelings or personal experiences. Do we only read books, or poetry with feel good happy themes? Bands like Metallica and other heavier bands do lean toward angrier lyrics. Most people who have experienced the trials of life can say there are times when the feelings you had didn’t exactly fit a good moral Catholic.

When I was teen I had a very difficult time. My sister died of cancer, my mother became mentally ill and was absolutely vicious in her emotional abuse toward me. She wanted me to “become” my sister and when I wouldn’t I became the enemy. My parents marriage was a constant battle ground of screaming fights for hours on end. Uh… I wasn’t exactly feeling like Barry Manilow ok. Fade to Black by Metallica although dark and depressing in many ways gave me something I could relate to, it made me feel as if there were others out there that shared the pain I was going through.

*Life it seems, will fade away
Drifting further every day
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free

Things are not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly lost, this can’t be real
Cannot stand this hell I feel
Emptiness is filing me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn
I was me, but now He’s gone

No one but me can save myself, but it to late
Now I can’t think, think why I should even try
Yesterday seems as though it never existed
Death Greets me warm, now I will just say good-bye
*
Obviously the person that wrote the lyrics was still alive or he wouldn’t be singing about. It didn’t make me depressed I already was. Listening to Fade to Black was an outlet for my anger and pain. Besides a couple very dear friends and my hubby (then boyfriend) my music was a big part of getting me through the darkest time in my life.

I know it should be God and ofcourse really it truly was God. I did talk to God all the time. But my parents had pretty much stopped going to church and I had to get by with what was available to me at the time. Music was one of those things.
 
Yea but it’s difficult to figure out if the music is actually helping with depression in the long run or just making you more depressed / making the depression harder to get out of. I used to listen to that song a lot, but while I was working my way out of my depressed state I stopped listening to it because, maybe it was just too strong a reminder of how I used to feel.
 
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Flopfoot:
Yea but it’s difficult to figure out if the music is actually helping with depression in the long run or just making you more depressed / making the depression harder to get out of. I used to listen to that song a lot, but while I was working my way out of my depressed state I stopped listening to it because, maybe it was just too strong a reminder of how I used to feel.
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It’s a tough call. In my case I don’t think it was it was making it worse, I’m not sure it made my depression better but I think it made it more tolerable if that makes any sense?

My husband came from a very abusive situation as well; not just verbal like in my case but physical as well. His taste in music is even harder then mine. In fact up until dating my hubby in highschool the hardest band I probably listening to was Cinderella. I was mostly into Bon Jovi and G n’ R.

My husband suffered from chronic depression for years. A combination of meds, counseling and developing faith in God brought him out of it. He still listens to some pretty hard stuff (not in the presence of our daughter who is ten). I think for those who have gone through some serious hard core abuse there’s a rage inside that never quite goes away. It can get burried pretty deep but under certain circumstances it will surface. I think his loud raucous music is his outlet. In his case it actually makes him feel better when he is in a rotten mood.

Music does certainly effect people. There are songs that were popular during a time period in my highschool days when my hubby and I had broken up and sometimes hearing them gives me a sense of sadness remembering what we put each other through.

Songs like the “The God that Failed” by Metallica express the grief James Hetfield had growing up because his mother refused cancer treatment believing God would heal her and she died. Most of us have felt angry at God at one time or another or felt like we had been let down or even abandoned. That’s what the song is about. I don’t think it’s immoral or sacrilegious - it anger and grief, which is part of our human existance.

If certain music depresses you obviously it’s logical and wise to avoid it. If the music is blantantly satanic or disturbing I certainly would advise against listening to it. But for most of us I don’t think to a variety of music is harmful.
 
Myself, I can’t stand most Christian music, because I hate the music first and foremost, and because “Christian” lyrics get on my nerves. I’ll listen to Catholic music, but there’s not a ton of that, so 😦

I listen to a lot of instrumental and music in different languages, primarily Japanese. A lot of die-hard radical Protestants will tell you that you shouldn’t listen to that because the lyrics could be offensive to God, but I don’t believe that; I think the problem with bad lyrics is the effect it has on the listener, and if I can’t understand the lyrics, it doesn’t affect me. 🙂

I’ve picked up on some of the lyrics, though - nothing bad in the Japanese music I’ve heard.

I do, however, have a couple of English songs from Metallica and Black Sabboth. The lyrics really aren’t that bad in any of the songs I have, though. Then there’s groups like ELP, but they don’t have bad lyrics to begin with.

In short, for me, it’s about the music. After I’ve listened to a song over and over I’ll begin to hear the lyrics, but they never really mean anything to me anyway.
 
I’m in the process of converting, so this isn’t an entirely Catholic answer, but here goes.

This may be simplistic, but I try to imagine if I’d listen to a particular piece of musuc (or watch a TV program/movie, or read a book/magazine) in the presence of Our Lord. This is highly subjective, and my standard may be more strict or more permissive than that applied by others.

Perhaps this is simply a holdover from my years as an evangelical Protestant, but it works for me, and in the research I’ve done so far, I haven’t found anything dogmatic about it.

Dan
 
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