From: harling@pictel.com (Dan Harling)
Subject: Re: Is music amoral??
Organization: PictureTel Corporation
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 18:00:47 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.231308.14600@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> noel@crs.cl.msu.edu.UUCP (Noel Estabrook) writes:
>In article <1992Sep4.140131.1637@cbnews.cb.att.com> ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (andrew.j.whitman) writes:
>>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?
>
>Well, you have a good point, but one thing:  I think there is a question
>of probability here.  Yankee Doodle is not very likely to be a song 
>someone got high to in the past.  Dream On, however, is _very_ likely
>to be a song that could bring back such memories.  In an audience at
>a concert, those who had bad experiences surrounding that song would
>be much great than those who listened to Yankee Doodle.  I agree that
>we can't watch every single little thing we do out of fear of possibly
>offending _one_ person.  But if it's likely that our action could
>reasonably cause others to stumble, then that's a different story.

Your assessment of that probability or likelihood is still determined
*entirely* by your own experience.  If you cannot at least set down a
list of guidelines by which one can *objectively* determine whether a
song is "too likely" to encourage (not "cause") Christians to stumble,
then all an individual can do is use his own conscience, and if it
responds differently than yours would, you will once again complain
that he is so *obviously* leading people astray, and that the obvious
answer is the answer *your* conscience dictates.

Unless we all agree on a list of Good (tm) songs in advance, or allow
one person to determine that for us, people will inevitably perform and
listen to music that others find offensive.  Those who perform and
listen have an obligation to "reasonably" (by their own conscience)
avoid music that would encourage Christians to sin, but those who would
nevertheless be offended should be expected to take "reasonable"
measures to avoid such a situation, rather than just stubbornly insist
that they not play it.

If the consciences of so many mature, discerning Christians are not
offended by a song, perhaps it is a stumbling block for the individual
who is offended, rather than the deceived, misguided consciences of all
the other Christians.  The offended individual should take this into
account and be considerate toward those who can feel free to enjoy the
song, rather than trying to convince everybody how evil the song is and
insist that nobody play it.

When I write this response, I have in mind several people I met at
Gordon College while I was a student there, none of whom have
contributed to this thread.  However, the arguments are almost
identical.  My characterizations of those who object to a particular
song are not intended in any way to be attributed to anyone who has
participated in this thread; they are observations of others who have
expressed these sentiments in past discussions.
____________________________________________________________________________
Daniel A. Harling                        (harling@pictel.com)
PictureTel Corp.             Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of
Peabody, MA  01960                 PictureTel, but they ought to be!
Newsgroups: rec.music.christian