Of course you are able to make judgments as to what works are unfruitful. The problem being, whether they be right are wrong, they are based upon your fallible opinion. As such, it is not proper for your sensitive conscience to bind me, any more than it is proper for the sensitive Jewish conscience in the first century to bind Gentile Christians from eating pork.
Because Jimmy page does not speak for all of rock and pop music, nor are his words authoritatively binding on my opinions of music.
To sum up, please consider Romans 14:13-14.
Sam, the Neon Orange Knight
Dear Ne_Orange Knight,
Cordial greetings and thankyou for your response above. Apologies for the delay in my reply, but it is my custom to take a breather from the boards at weekends.
Obviously a man’s critical faculty will necessarily be based upon his fallible opinion, but that is not to deny that there is such a thing as objective truth uncoloured by feeling or personal preference. We are not helplessly lost amidst a quagmire of competing opinions where everybody is right and nobody is wrong and where everything boils down to me and my viewpoint. This is to contend that truth is relative to one’s perspective and is merely about individual subjective feeling, with the exception, of course, of truth declared infallibly by the Catholic Church. Now that
is an absurd position to embrace and one very antithetical to the whole spirit of Catholicism, for moral theology and logic have never argued that one is free to do as one pleases in the absence of some official pronouncement. Actually, the demand for hard evidence and proof in support of one’s position on any given topic, supplanting the former use of logic, reason and obedience, is very much a post-Vatican II mindset.
There most decidedly is a philosophy of rock and pop which is so wedded to a anti-religious, anti-authoritarian and anti-morality world-view that it would not be an overstatement to describe it as sympathy for the Devil. Indeed, many within the rock media freely admit that rock has been the occasion of an immense amount of high moral damage, especially amongst youth yet in a state of formation. Moreover, it is incontrovertible that its predominant message has always been sexual permissiveness and revolt against authority. Its very essence has a propensity to foster a spirit of lawlessness that is capable of subverting the social order. Rock and pop music inclines its devotees away from self-control, respect for one’s superiors and sublimation; it fails to channel the emotions but rather pumps them up by continually appealing to man’s elemental passions. This negative appraisal is not based on subjective biased opinion, but upon self-evident data that would be generally aknowledged, save by those who had some particular theory to uphold, for example the desire to make rock and pop a perfectly acceptable and respectable art form.
Jimmy Page was only referenced because it is Led Zeppelin who are the subject of the present thread. However, there are many other examples that could be cited to demonstrate the blatant immorality being peddled by rock and pop music. Whilst their filthy opinions and utterances are not “binding”, any man desirous to protect his mind from impurity and keep himself unstained from the world, will not hastily dismiss their remarks, if he intends buying their records and listening to their musical compositions.
No, I do deny that examples can be found of songs with inoffensive lyrics, but even these belong to a genre of music that poisons the mind and demoralizes the life. Moreover, it is important to remember that the music
per se conveys a message; the medium is the message, irrespective of what innocent words are slotted into it. The music, its melody, harmony and rhythm alone disposes a man to virtue or vice by a powerful moving of the emotions. In short, music impacts us for good or bad. Since rock and pop have a wholly negative impact upon man, why would he wish to befoul his soul by listening to such debased sensory material? However, I am pleased to hear that you at least exercise some discernment as regards rock music, that is a start, dear friend.
As regards the Romans passage, I cannot see what relevance this has to the issue of whether or not one should listen to rock or pop music. Having looked at the passage again over the weekend, I fail to see how this forbids a man to use his critical faculties in relation to rock/pop music or to refuse genearally to discern between goodness and evil, any more than our Lord’s words in the Sermon on the Mount (S. Matt. 7: 1) argue for a complete suspension of one’s critical faculties. It is not uncharitable to pass unfavourable judgement upon that which we believe to be inherently evil. Moreover, just because we must not judge other men, it does not therefore follow that we must never *reprove *them, which is a great duty and act of love which may even be the means of effecting a change of heart. There is surely a place for fraternal correction, provided that it is done so in a charitable manner. What we must avoid is presuming to judge the eternal disposition of another man’s soul, since that is God’s perogative alone. However, it is right and proper to admonish our brethren if we feel that their moral health is being endangered by wrong choices, for that is a work of mercy and an act of love.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
Pax