How Should We Judge Music?

[thebiblicalway]

Here’s a question that has perplexed me my entire life: What standards can we use for judging the morality and quality of music? (It's important to me, because I love to listen to music, and I want to be sure that it's good music.) Many people consider music (minus lyrics) to be amoral, but I’m an absolutist and believe that there is only black

Comments

[arcticfidelity]

I would have to say that a lot of music is to be considered on the note of what it can do to you, how it affects your attitude, etc. I think that a lot of music has a very negative effect on a lot of people

[thebiblicalway]

I think that a lot of music has a very negative effect on a lot of people.

Absolutely agree. Music was originally created for worship (the angels were singing before man was created), I believe, and much modern music is anything but worshipful. Instead, most modern music is man-centered, pride inducing, or sensual in nature. Yet, I'm not willing to say that how music affects me is a good enough measure of whether it is God-honoring or not. There must be much less subjective measurements of that, it would seem.

I think that verse about whatever is good, whatever is holy, etc. is a very good verse to go by here.

Yes, agreed. However, is there not a place for spooky music or tense music, say, for example, in a movie? True, that isn't worshipful music, but perhaps the Fall has made a need for less than worshipful music, as we express fear and other emotions in music. Just a thought...

I have to admit that I LIKE the music they produce

OK, I'm not going to touch that...

All in all, we should have the glory of God as our goal.

[arcticfidelity]

Haha, yeah, things like Linkin Park are a very dangerous thing to deal with

[thebiblicalway]

Hey, excellent thoughts, Aaron! I've enjoyed reading them...

About music before the creation of man. What I was referring to was Job 38:7, which says, "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Many believe that the "morning stars" in that verse refers to angels. But, feel free to disagree; I won't mind.

When you talk about spooky or tense music, you seem to be saying that it cannot, for the simple reason of it being powerfully "impending", be godly or good.

You have a really good point that needs to be considered. Certainly there can be wholesome music that contains disharmonious, dissonant, edgy or tense elements. I don't see any problem with that. As you say, the Bible contains violent and otherwise gory parts, but taken as a whole, it is lovely and good (Phil 4 as you mentioned). If music were composed for various parts of the Bible, I can imagine a large spectrum of music--including disturbing music.

And I do not think music was intended to be solely "worship," but there are many

[arcticfidelity]

You have some great points there. Although I don't know about the whole morning stars thing. Then again, I have not studied that much at all, so I can't say one way or the other.

But yes, you're right about worship. That is why I had it in quotes, to represent the "worship" music that exists today as a genre.