Music and Sin

[JButky]

Hi all,

After an interesting discussion on this topic I thought I’d post to the group for opionions.

As someone is reatail business would it be a personal sin to sell popular sheet music? There is much that could be construed in the mainstream popular music as pornography and loose sexual ethics.

I don’t control the content of the carrier that supplies the stock. But would it be considered to be sinning on my part by in essence providing this stuff (promoting it as it were)?

I have to make a decision what to do about this situation. Any replies will be greatly appreciated.

Joe B

 

[Della]

I wouldn’t stock such music if it were me. But, I’m no expert–that’s just my first response and I think yours too or you wouldn’t be asking the question. Yes?

Call up your priest to ask him about it or contact someone in your diocese if you want a better answer than our mere opinions. And God bless you and your business!

 

[Flopfoot]

A couple of distinctions need to be made…
There’s a difference between someone who has power in that business (the owner, who can decide what they do and don’t sell) and someone just working at the counter, say. For example, people working at the counter of pharmacies or chemists have asked if it is a sin for them to sell condoms to people, and the answer is no it is not. This is a very remote material cooperation with the sin. They are not the ones making the condoms, choosing to distribute them, or using them for an immoral purpose.

From your post I can’t tell whether you are the one distributing or merely selling over the counter? How much control you have over the situation?

However, must also make a distinction between selling something that’s main use is evfil in itself (eg, condoms) and selling something which, although it may lead to temptation or whatever, is not evil in itself (like ‘bad’ music). It is not objectively a sin to listen to that music (it can be if it unnecessarily tempts someone to sin, but there are other factors - music is never totally ‘unnecessary’ - and affects different people in different ways) and hence it is not a sin to distribute it.

So either way you are fine (-:

 

[JButky]

Thank you both for your reply,

FYI, I am the owner, but I have an outside contractor do the sheet music, They stock it, and manage it, but it is in my store. I can get rid of it, but it’s an all or nothing deal.

If I do get rid of it all, then I have the dilemna of stocking things myself, which in itself is not the problem. The problem comes in when someone then asks for something like that which is immoral in content. Now I have the same problem.

My wife says that I am sinning for continuing to let it happen. In a way I do understand her point. I am helping someone into a near occasion of sin by my action or inaction. On the other hand, I can’t control what everyone else does, so how does that make me guilty?

So that is basically where the thought process is at currently.

Joe B