A question for those Christians who are asking others to give up secular music?

Nobody wants to dictate the end of secular music in America. Anyone making such a suggestion would be making reference to the endless bevy of songs on the radio with lyrics like "At First you didn't want me now you all up on me". The songs promote corruption of mind. One who tunes out the hedonistic and narcissistic garbage has a lot more time for introspection and reflection on God's word. Some secular music promotes positive values but very little of it does.

Listen to what you want and I will do the same.

I do not worry a second about the devil being in music, when I know he is already in my heart.

I choose to listen to music that edifies me in my struggle, but I understand not everyone struggles as I do.

Hope that helps.

Common sense tells us that music is not neutral, that all music is not the same. Such an idea is strictly contrary to our experiences in life. There is sensual music and spiritual music, music for partying and music for worship, music for marching and music for dancing, music for romance and music for warfare. The notes and components of music are neutral, but when these are arranged into a pattern, that piece of music no longer is neutral but becomes a voice, a language. “Just as vowels and consonants can become blasphemy and pen and paper in the hand of an artist can become pornography, so notes and rhythm, in the hands of a composer or artist, can become sensual” (Frank Garlock, Music in the Balance, p. 100).

Knowledgeable men of all ages, even secular men, have recognized the power of music for good or evil. In fact, the strange idea that music is neutral is only a few years old.

Plato, B.C. 428-348, “Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul” (Plato, Fourth Book of the Republic).

Aristotle, B.C. 384-322, “Music directly represents the passions or states of the soul--gentleness, anger, courage, temperance … If a person habitually listens to the kind of music that rouses ignoble passions, his whole character will be shaped to an ignoble form. In short, if one listens to the wrong kind of music he will become the wrong kind of person; but conversely, if he listens to the right kind of music he will tend to become the right kind of person” (Aristotle, Republic, Politics, 8, 1340, quoted in Donald J. Grout, A History of Western Music, 1980, p. 8).

“Music is a curiously subtle art with innumerable, varying emotional connotations. It is made up of many ingredients and, according to the proportions of these components, it can be soothing or invigorating, ennobling or vulgarizing, philosophical or orgiastic. It has powers for evil as well as for good” (Dr. Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and teacher, Director of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 99, p. 317; the quotation is from an address entitled “A Musician’s Point of View Toward Emotional Expression,” delivered by Dr. Hanson at the 98th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association).

Ask the movie maker. Music paints a mental and emotional picture, creates a mood. The television/movie industry understands this and they spend millions upon millions of dollars annually to create just the right musical effect for each scene.

Ask the advertiser. Businesses understand that music is not a neutral force. They know that certain kinds music can increase sales while other kinds of music can actually reduce sales.

Ask the tavern owner. Why does the owner of a tavern or a night club choose a certain kind of music? Because that type of music creates the right atmosphere to promote the fleshly activities of that establishment.

Ask the rock band. The rock band strives to create a certain reaction in its hearers, and it uses exactly the type of music required to produce that reaction. Rock star Jimi Hendrix understood this: “Atmospheres are going to come through music, because the music is a spiritual thing of its own. ... You can hypnotize people ... and when you get them at their weakest point you can preach into the subconscious what you want to say” (Life, Oct. 3, 1969, p. 74).

Ask the Bible. The Bible plainly states that music is not neutral. Christians are instructed to use a certain kind of music to worship God and to build up the Christian life.

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs do not describe the world’s music. God’s Word is reminding us that there is a music which is fitting to the Christian life and there is a music which is not, and it is the Christian’s task in every generation to glorify God only with the type of music which is fitting for that exalted task. The music is to be spiritual as opposed to carnal.

The philosophy that music is neutral and that apart from the words it has no influence or voice of its own is the Devil’s lie, and this false philosophy is being used to build the ecumenical end-times apostate religion.

The fact that music IS NOT neutral is a loud warning to Christians that we must be very careful about what type of music we listen to and what type of music we allow in our homes and churches. Some music encourages the flesh, while some music encourages the spiritual.

Indeed, it is a great tenet of Christianity to allow free will and cover our judgment.

You seem to take your materialist faith very seriously alw

You have an excellent point!

I don't UNDERSTAND why "CHRISTIANS" ATTACK CHRISTIANS anyway...

relax... they don't know any better...