From: ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (andrew.j.whitman)
Subject: Re: Is music amoral??
Organization: AT&T
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 14:01:31 GMT

>In article <1992Sep3.150549.19150@news.cs.brandeis.edu> aaron@binah.cc.brandeis.edu writes:
>>In article <1992Sep2.163642.1379@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, noel@crs.cl.msu.edu (Noel Estabrook) writes:

>>Obviously, then, it would be bad for you.  But does that make it bad for me?
>>Or, bad in general?  Not all music is for everyone and certainly some music
>>would cause problems, such as you describe.  But, the fact that certain bands
>>and/or songs would be bad for some does not make it bad for all.  The verse I
>>have refered to several times says that if you think something evil, then to
>>you it is.  The key is that to you (and I'm sure many others), secular rock
>>would be evil because of the associations with your past.  However, to many
>>others (like myself), the music has no such connotations and is simply good
>>sounding, interesting music.  I would not listen to such music around you
>>out of respect and brotherly love but there would be nothing wrong with 
>>listening to it in other situations.  
>
>But that wasn't the question - the question was whether it was bad for
>Greg Volz to perform it.  If that song will cause brothers or sisters to
>stumble, then their obligation is not to perform it.  Again, we're dealing
>with an issue of rights vs. what is right.  Sure, they have every right
>to perform it, but should they?  A song that has the connotations that 
>Dream On has for many, I don't think it's appropriate.

Let's look at the lyrics to this song:

Dream with me, dream for a year
Dream of the laughter dream of the tears
Sing with me, just for today
And maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away.
Dream on dream on etc.

Noel, you're arguing that Greg Volz shouldn't perform this song because
it will cause people to stumble.  Apparently it has some negative
connotations for you, and brings to mind things about your past
that you have rejected after you came to the Lord.  It seems to me
that your response of not listening to the song is entirely appropriate
in that situation.

But what, specifically, about the song makes it inappropriate as a
song for Greg Volz?  The lyrics?  Nothing that I can see.  What then?
Based on your argument, it may be inappropriate for Christians performers 
to sing *any* song because musicians have no way of knowing what
connotations the audience may bring to any particular piece of music.
Somebody out in the audience may have listened to "Yankee Doodle"
once while getting high, so Christian musicians had better not play 
"Yankee Doodle" because somebody might stumble.  Somebody might have 
been listening to "My Old Kentucky Home" while fornicating, so better
not play that one either.  I mean, how far do you want to take this?

Greg Volz sang a song which has morally neutral lyrics, just like
"Yankee Doodle" or "My Old Kentucky Home."  The lyrics aren't
explicitly Christian, and probably won't bring you closer to God.
Neither are they sinful, unless you consider the concept of 
"dreaming" to be ungodly.  *You* have a responsibility to determine
the music that will be most beneficial in your walk with the Lord.
You've obviously made your decision concerning "Dream On," and
that's fine.  But the argument that Christians might stumble over
a particular song can be applied to *any* song, and in that case
it would be best if Christians gave up on the idea of music
altogether.  An even better alternative, though, is for Christians
to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, to take
responsibility for choosing the good and rejecting the bad, and to
allow other Christians the grace and freedom to make the same
decisions.  In other words, try to not violate your own conscience
while also giving Greg Volz some slack.  

>Noel Estabrook          |       Let us not merely do that which is our
>noel@crs.cl.msu.edu   __|__	RIGHT, rather, let us desire to do that
>Educational Technology  |	which IS right - Me
>Michigan State Univ.    |				Romans 12:2

Andy Whitman
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
att!cblpn!ajw  or
ajw@cblpn.att.com