Is Music A Gift from God or a Gift to God?

[Phousty]

Music plays such an important role in many religions, not least Christianity.

Is this because music is a gift given by God, throguh which can move closer to the Supreme.

Or is religious music an offering from us to God, performed in celebration of our faith in a higher power?

[McCulloch]

Or is religious music an offering from us to God, performed in celebration of our faith in a higher power?

Must be.
That is why there is no secular music and that only the One True Religion™ has any decent music. Hasn't anyone ever noticed that the religious groups which are closest to being correct have better music?

[micatala]

Is this because music is a gift given by God, throguh which can move closer to the Supreme.

Or is religious music an offering from us to God, performed in celebration of our faith in a higher power?

Why does it have to be one or the other?

I would use the "inclusive or".

I would say it is both.

That is why there is no secular music and that only the One True Religion™ has any decent music. Hasn't anyone ever noticed that the religious groups which are closest to being correct have better music?

Wow. THis means I need to be signing up for the church of John and Paul

(and George and Ringo).

. . . or wait . . . maybe the church of Bach. But no, that can't be right. Then I would be Lutheran, and everyone knows Lutherans can't sing (well, except maybe for Garrison Kiellor)

and I would hate to have to live without Klezmer music.

and what about good old time bluegrass gospel music. That stuff is pretty good.

I know. I'll be Jewish on wedding days, Catholic on Sundays, Evangelical when gospel revivals are in town, African Anglican when I am in the southern hemisphere, Hindu on alternate Thursdays, Unitarian when Peter Paul and Mary are in town, and Lutheran on all the other days.



I'm so confused!

[Burbot]

Welllone perspective is that EVERYTHIGN in our relity is a gift from god, and we are to choose how we use his gifts. So in that sense, some people use music to entertain others (which can help them through emotional times or what-have-you) while others use it as or in their worship. Is one way better than the other, I don't think so.

sometimes (most of the time) music isn't the place for deep theological discourse.

[Phousty]

Guess that was a rather vague first question given the responses.

What I was trying to get at was the intention that lies behind the creation/performance/appreciation of religious music.

Of course there is great secular music. But you could argue that best music, secular or religious music illicits a spititual response.

My point really is, does religious music illicit a spiritual response because it ties into a subconcious "undertsanding" - the gift that some would say comes from God? Or is it the "offering" element of musical performance/participation that creates this spirituality.

[micatala]

Putting it that way, I would say it is a gift from God. I say this because I think people of all religions, and even non-believers, can appreciate the 'spiritual' aspects of music. Some even come to believe through music. The worship aspect is then a response to the receipt of the gift.

[McCulloch]

[...]Of course there is great secular music. But you could argue that best music, secular or religious music illicits [elicits] a spititual [spiritual] response.

Really? What is a spiritual response? How do you tell that music elicits one (illicits would be more humourous)?