Catholicism And Pop Culture Music

[Rowan d'Alexandre]

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but I want to hear some new opinions.

Obviously there's a huge spectrum of music, Gregorian chant to Marilyn Manson. I want to know where you draw the line and why, and how Catholicism influences that line.

A popular position is the lenient approach. Most of my friends listen to your typical autotuned pop croutons -- Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, whoever's got the newest and glitteriest single high on the charts. They say they don't really listen to the lyrics.

Then there are the people who won't listen or buy anything that's by an immoral performer. Obviously, these are the folks for whom Christian rock is their entire sphere. Their reasoning is flawless as far as I can see - they don't want to show support to artists who use their fame selfishly & immorally.

Another friend (my music afficionado in crime) simply won't listen to anything with the f-bomb in it.

What do y'all say? I'm curious because music is a huge part of me, and I'm still figuring out where I stand on this.

[Anomaly]

So the Village People songs and Queen are all off limits ?

[Rowan d'Alexandre]

I'm sorry if what I said came off as absolutist -- I was really looking for a range of opinions, and maybe debate could come from that.

I don't think that was a black-and-white proclamation that all who listen to secular music are going to burn in eternal hellfire. o.O

If it came off as such, feel free to bash.

[Basilisa Marie]

For me it really depends on the band and the song. I'm a music person too, and don't believe that any particular genre of music is inherently sinful. I've got a screamo/techno album that I like to listen to on airplanes, and all the lyrics are about Christian stuff (not that you can tell...).

But in general I don't like to listen to anything that demeans people, so most rap is out for me because of the lyrics. I don't mind swearing, as long as it doesn't feel excessive.

[kujo]

[size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I don't really care. If I like the song, I'll listen to it again. That tends to cover a fairly wide swath of [/font][/size][color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]music, fro[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]m hip-hop to folk to screa[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]mo to old Catholic hy[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]mns. I tend not to let the lyrics bother [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]me one way or the other.[/font][/color]

[size=4][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]As for whatever passes for "Christian [color=#282828]music" these days, I think Dr. Eric Cart[/color][color=#282828]man said it best:

[quote][/color]All we have to do to make Christian songs is take regular old songs and add Jesus stuff to them! All we have to do is cross out words like "baby" and "Darling" and replace them with Jesus.[/quote][/font][/size]

Edited May 31, 2012 by kujo

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='kujo' timestamp='1338438699' post='2438471']
[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I don't really care. If I like the song, I'll listen to it again.

As for whatever passes for "Christian [color=#282828]music" these days, I think Dr. Eric Cart[/color][color=#282828]man said it best:[/font]


[/quote]
Also what Hank Hill said:
[quote]Can't you see? You're not making Christianity better. You're just making rock and roll worse![/quote]

That said, I don't hate all contemporary Christian music.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y284YvkYrZo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y284YvkYrZo[/url]

[kujo]

I've always been partial to this guy's stuff:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TaLD6nwKGg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TaLD6nwKGg[/url]

[kujo]

Also

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P35umpAPbY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P35umpAPbY[/url]

[havok579257]

i don't listen to anything using the Lord's name in it sinfully. i don't listen to songs talking about sex which seems to be a lot this day and age. no single group of music is bad just as long as they don't hit my 2 points mentioned above.

[ThePenciledOne]

I think, when it comes to music its aweful to try and paint it white and black terms. Given sure there are songs and bands that are more 'beneficial' or 'counter-productive' (to use such callous economic terms), but I think that since music is an art form and as long as it protrays beauty it is serving its purpose.

I think it's incredibly crude to try and rank music according to a certain order etc because it's like trying to rate ice cream according to superiority etc.

[havok579257]

[quote name='ThePenciledOne' timestamp='1338467696' post='2438620']
I think, when it comes to music its aweful to try and paint it white and black terms. Given sure there are songs and bands that are more 'beneficial' or 'counter-productive' (to use such callous economic terms), but I think that since music is an art form and as long as it protrays beauty it is serving its purpose.

I think it's incredibly crude to try and rank music according to a certain order etc because it's like trying to rate ice cream according to superiority etc.
[/quote]

well thats easy. anything with peanut butter is obviously at the top of the list.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

[quote name='kujo' timestamp='1338439244' post='2438479']
I've always been partial to this guy's stuff:

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TaLD6nwKGg[/media]
[/quote]

i like brian doerkson and shawn mcdonald

[cmotherofpirl]

I used to belong to the camp that the music and lyrics don't matter, its just a song. However the older I get the more I wonder about the subtle effects of music we might not consciously be aware. If I put on the oldies I can still remember the lyrics of songs from the radio of my childhood, so I wonder what effects the cumulative effect is all those years of drugs, sex and rock and roll songs I grew up hearing.
Music bypasses the rational brain and directly connects to the primitive, resulting in changes of BP,hormones, and your capability to retain information. So I do wonder what we have been doing to our brains and souls with our choices in this area.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

i think the line is black,grey and white, just don't listen to evil stuff. Half of the secular stuff (for want of a better word,because there is church secular too.) major record label or independant, pop or not is black or grey, the other half to my experience is pretty evil whether it's done with sneakers on or clod hoppers or slippers. Though i shouldn't say half half,more like 45 percent black or grey,45 percent rotten stinking decieved by evil,and than the 10% left iz actually beutifully white.and maybe if i knuckle it down even more it's probably 40/40 and than the 10 percent dazzling white and than 10 percent something that doesn't fall into either category. And also we must understand music nowdays is art for the better part and open to interpretation,sometimes i will listen to a top 40 erotica/sensuality song and pretend there singing to jesus or the holy mother or visa versa jesus or the holy mother singing to us. Like that jason durulo song,i pretended i was singing it to the body of christ/our church, of course though it doesn't always work exactly everytime,and possibly it can be used in other topic songs, i don't know. Even bob the builder them song one could have a saint joseph pray for us momment. I hope some of that may help you find that answer which you seek.

God bless you.
Onward christian soul.
JESUS iz LORD.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' timestamp='1338478178' post='2438676']
I used to belong to the camp that the music and lyrics don't matter, its just a song. However the older I get the more I wonder about the subtle effects of music we might not consciously be aware. If I put on the oldies I can still remember the lyrics of songs from the radio of my childhood, so I wonder what effects the cumulative effect is all those years of drugs, sex and rock and roll songs I grew up hearing.
Music bypasses the rational brain and directly connects to the primitive, resulting in changes of BP,hormones, and your capability to retain information. So I do wonder what we have been doing to our brains and souls with our choices in this area.
[/quote]

even more so when you add the film clips, the way it penatrates the brain. Than two senses are magnifying the message the artist iz trying to deliver.