Music and Mortal Sin

[Image_of_God]

I tend to be very scrupulous. I don’t why, but I always have to neat and fine distinctions between mortal and venial sin. This scrupulosity also leads into music. I like to listen to some pop music. Some of it, as you would know, can have a sexual tint. Most of the time I don’t pay attention to the lyrics, but only the melody. I was wondering if such music would be a mortal or a venial sin to listen to?

 

[alongexpected]

I tend to be very scrupulous. I don’t why, but I always have to neat and fine distinctions between mortal and venial sin. This scrupulosity also leads into music. I like to listen to some pop music. Some of it, as you would know, can have a sexual tint. Most of the time I don’t pay attention to the lyrics, but only the melody. I was wondering if such music would be a mortal or a venial sin to listen to?

Stop worrying about it. You’re fine.

 

[Joe_5859]

Jimmy Akin wrote an excellent article on this topic:

Bad Music

There is a reason the Church has never issued any sort of universal condemnation of a particular genre of music. A good spiritual director is invaluable for sharpening your skills at discerning these sorts of things, particularly if you believe you are prone to being overly-scrupulous.

 

[Bookcat]

I tend to be very scrupulous. I don’t why, but I always have to neat and fine distinctions between mortal and venial sin. This scrupulosity also leads into music. I like to listen to some pop music. Some of it, as you would know, can have a sexual tint. Most of the time I don’t pay attention to the lyrics, but only the melody. I was wondering if such music would be a mortal or a venial sin to listen to?

in the area of sin and music in general…

Some music can be objectively sinful to listen to…say that which worships the devil…or makes one lust…etc

others can have problematic elements which are not a problem for us or those around us…this can be fine… (one has to make a judgment…)

and even in some cases there is music that is not problem for us though the original meaning may not have been very good --but we have different associations with it and take it in a different way…which can be fine too…(one of course has to take into consideration how others will understand you listening to a particular song and its effect on them as well) (one has to make a judgment…)

so there is an objective aspect to it

and a subjective aspect in some things

in making your judgments.

so i encourage you to not scruple about it…and work against your scruples…

 

[Highwayhound]

I tend to be very scrupulous. I don’t why, but I always have to neat and fine distinctions between mortal and venial sin. This scrupulosity also leads into music. I like to listen to some pop music. Some of it, as you would know, can have a sexual tint. Most of the time I don’t pay attention to the lyrics, but only the melody. I was wondering if such music would be a mortal or a venial sin to listen to?

The question I would ask is, “Does the music I listen to bring me closer to God?”

This is simple and not scrupulous. Do you have any friends that are musicians? Some of my best friends are musically inclined. They play music all the time that is uplifting and clean. I rarely listen to any pop music or rock.

Have you ever listened to music by Rich Mullins? He was an innovative song maker.

youtube.com/watch?v=5Tpq4MoRVV4
youtube.com/watch?v=n_P8n6eysZ0&feature=related
youtube.com/watch?v=7qszqI7wUXM&feature=related

God bless

 

[Image_of_God]

The question I would ask is, “Does the music I listen to bring me closer to God?”

This is simple and not scrupulous. Do you have any friends that are musicians? Some of my best friends are musically inclined. They play music all the time that is uplifting and clean. I rarely listen to any pop music or rock.

Have you ever listened to music by Rich Mullins? He was an innovative song maker.

youtube.com/watch?v=5Tpq4MoRVV4
youtube.com/watch?v=n_P8n6eysZ0&feature=related
youtube.com/watch?v=7qszqI7wUXM&feature=related

God bless

Thank you for answering.

Yes, I am aware of such music and that’s the kind of music I try to listen too. However, sometimes I decide to listen too other kind of music that is not so morally correct. I was wondering whether listening to them was a mortal sin.

 

[Bookcat]

in the area of sin and music in general…

Some music can be objectively sinful to listen to…say that which worships the devil…or makes one lust…etc

others can have problematic elements which are not a problem for us or those around us…this can be fine… (one has to make a judgment…)

and even in some cases there is music that is not problem for us though the original meaning may not have been very good --but we have different associations with it and take it in a different way…which can be fine too…(one of course has to take into consideration how others will understand you listening to a particular song and its effect on them as well) (one has to make a judgment…)

so there is an objective aspect to it

and a subjective aspect in some things

in making your judgments.

so i encourage you to not scruple about it…and work against your scruples…

ps this was actually a topic did a paper on in Steubenville

 

[Image_of_God]

in the area of sin and music in general…

Some music can be objectively sinful to listen to…say that which worships the devil…or makes one lust…etc

others can have problematic elements which are not a problem for us or those around us…this can be fine… (one has to make a judgment…)

and even in some cases there is music that is not problem for us though the original meaning may not have been very good --but we have different associations with it and take it in a different way…which can be fine too…(one of course has to take into consideration how others will understand you listening to a particular song and its effect on them as well) (one has to make a judgment…)

so there is an objective aspect to it

and a subjective aspect in some things

in making your judgments.

so i encourage you to not scruple about it…and work against your scruples…

Yes, I have been thinking to myself about it. Every time I think about it, I cannot but think that I’m being hypersensitive about it. The songs do not make me lust although one song I’ve listened to has a scary theme and makes me think about zombies and Halloween—though I personally do believe these things are real.

I have managed to avoid songs that are more sexually explicit. The problematic songs I listen to are implicitly sexually or moderately so, but I really don’t pay attention to the lyrics that much.

 

[Joe_5859]

You really have to think about how the song effects you and whether it causes you to sin. In general, listening to music is, at worst, morally neutral. I would say that overall listening to music is a moral good because it has the potential to lift our hearts and minds to God in ways that other things can’t do. That’s why Vatican II’s document on the liturgy says “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art” (SC 112). That means it’s greater than all the paintings, mosaics, sculptures, stained glass windows, church architecture, etc. That’s saying something!

If listening to a certain song causes you to lust, then it would be sinful. For me, even when a song is about sex, it doesn’t cause me to lust. It may cause me to roll my eyes or reach for the off button, but that’s about it. For other people, it might be a different story.

Some music I listen to can be pretty critical of Christianity. If those songs caused me to doubt my faith, it would be sinful to listen to. But they don’t. If anything, it bolsters my faith because I realize how weak their arguments are.

Remember, there are three conditions for sin to be mortal: (1) grave matter; (2) full knowledge; and (3) complete consent. Listening to music by itself is not grave matter. If a song incites you to lust, yearn to kill yourself, dabble in occult practices, etc, then it would involve grave matter because of those things, not because of the music itself. That’s why it’s all about how it affects the individual.

Generally speaking, we should also bear in mind possible cumulative effects of listening to certain music. It is possible that listening to one song one time might not have any sinful effects, but perhaps listening to similar songs over a period of time may have a corrosive effect of leading us to reject certain Church teachings. Since you admit to being somehwat scrupulous, you probably don’t need to worry about this one, though. If you are well catechized and have an active faith life, it is not very likely that you will be suddenly seduced by some band’s questionable lyrics.