Why Certain Types of Music Make Our Brains Sing, and Others Don’t
“our prediction of musical events remains inexorably bound to our musical upbringing. To explore this phenomenon, a group of researchers met with the Sámi people, who inhabit the region stretching between the northernmost reaches of Sweden and the Kola Peninsula in Russia.” - Neroscience News
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[Kevin Miller] Would there have to be some colors that are unacceptable to God in worship?Scott Aniol has pointed out that in heaven all the saints will only be wearing the same garments that are of the same color: white robes. There will not be an endless variety of people wearing all different colors in the presence of God when they worship Him.
Scripture has other things to say about colors that are relevant as well to your question, but I am not at the point in my consideration of that material to set forth an informed response to your question that I believe would be biblical.
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Note: My linking to the article by Scott does not mean that I agree with or endorse everything that he says in his article or in any of his other works.
[RajeshG]I see what you are doing here. You are trying to shift the conversation about body posture to JUST be about “corporate” worship rather than any other type of worship I may ask about.Yes, there are body postures that are unacceptable to God for use in corporate worship.
[RajeshG]So how does one check to see whether everyone in the corporate setting is being edified a particular musical piece? In fact, how is someone even built up spiritually by any musical piece that is just being played by instruments? It may be “peaceful” or “majestic”, but where is the spiritual edification in that?That might be true, or it might not be true. It would depend in part on what that kind of instrumental music is, etc.
The Bible teaches that all of our hearts are deceitful and have been misshapen by exposure to corruption from ungodly cultural influences.
In corporate worship, only that which is edifying to all is acceptable to God.
[RajeshG]Interesting thoughts in that article, but what strikes me is the “timeframe” factor that I mentioned in an earlier post. We are given the white robes after our time here on earth. So, just as God’s acceptance/non-acceptance of worship practices changed between the OT and the NT, so too could God’s acceptance/non-acceptance change between our time here on earth and our time in heaven. Does that fact that God gives me a white robe in heaven mean that I can’t wear a navy blue suit to church? Of course not. God hasn’t given me my white robe YET, so unless he gives me some actual color directive for my time here on earth, then I don’t need to worry about not having the white that God finds acceptable in heaven.Scott Aniol has pointed out that in heaven all the saints will only be wearing the same garments that are of the same color: white robes. There will not be an endless variety of people wearing all different colors in the presence of God when they worship Him.
Scripture has other things to say about colors that are relevant as well to your question, but I am not at the point in my consideration of that material to set forth an informed response to your question that I believe would be biblical.
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Note: My linking to the article by Scott does not mean that I agree with or endorse everything that he says in his article or in any of his other works.
[Kevin Miller]I have been talking about corporate worship in this thread long before this comment of yours.I see what you are doing here. You are trying to shift the conversation about body posture to JUST be about “corporate” worship rather than any other type of worship I may ask about.
[Kevin Miller]I have not talked about particular musical pieces—I have repeatedly talked about kinds of instrumental music.So how does one check to see whether everyone in the corporate setting is being edified a particular musical piece? In fact, how is someone even built up spiritually by any musical piece that is just being played by instruments? It may be “peaceful” or “majestic”, but where is the spiritual edification in that?
My focus is on kinds of instrumental music that are not acceptable to God for use in corporate worship.
As for the spiritual value of just instrumental music, I presented a very extensive treatment of 1 Sam. 16:13-23 in a previous thread. In this thread, I do not recall that I have specified that I was speaking about just instrumental music when I have spoken about the use of it in corporate worship.
In 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, the Spirit sets forth several explicit commands to NT Christians, including a command not to touch the unclean thing:
2 Cor. 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
7 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Note that this passage speaks explicitly about unbelievers, unrighteousness, darkness, the devil, and idols. To assert that this apostolic, epistolary instruction has no bearing on what believers do with musical instruments in corporate worship begs that question. If someone wants to say that “the unclean thing” in this passage does not have anything to do with any kinds of instrumental music, he has to prove that is true biblically.
“My focus is on kinds of instrumental music that are not acceptable to God for use in corporate worship.”
Give an example of a kind of instrumental music that is not acceptable to God that we can hear.
"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan
[Ron Bean]“My focus is on kinds of instrumental music that are not acceptable to God for use in corporate worship.”
Give an example of a kind of instrumental music that is not acceptable to God that we can hear.
He won’t or he can’t
[Dave White]I have repeatedly made clear in previous threads that I believe that providing examples to listen to and assess in that manner is an unbiblical and potentially dangerous methodology. I am not going to provide any such examples for people to listen to.He won’t or he can’t
[RajeshG]Yes, you’ve been making the shift back and forth several times when discussing worship in this thread. I even discussed this topic earlier in the thread when you brought up Cain’s worship and at that time you said your discussion was specifically about the kind of altar worship that Cain did. So I’m constantly trying to scope out your nuances to see if you are discussing worship in general or corporate worship or some other specific type of worship altogether.I have been talking about corporate worship in this thread long before this comment of yours.
The fact that you added “corporate” to your statements in our current conversation shows that you may not be fully understanding a point that is part of my position. If I were to say that all kinds of music (or colors or buildings or postures) are acceptable to God, I would NOT be saying that all kinds are acceptable in every situation in every location. If a particular thing is acceptable to God in even one worship situation, then it wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t accepted for corporate worship. If it’s accepted for “at home” worship, then it would be accepted by God for worship. Your addition of a “corporate” nonacceptance is beside the point.
If you are talking about instrumental music (or any other thing) with an inherent non-acceptability in every situation and circumstance, then your addition of “corporate” would also be beside the point. You would need to make the case for why it would be unacceptable in every situation and circumstance, and not subsequently shift the conversation to just being about corporate worship.
[RajeshG]If someone wants to say that “the unclean thing” in this passage does not have anything to do with any kinds of instrumental music, he has to prove that is true biblically.
Why? Your logic doesn’t make sense. Nowhere in the bible do we have instrumental music mentioned as an “unclean thing,” so why would it even cross someone’s mind to think of instrumental music as an unclean thing. Where’s your Biblical support for that notion?
I suppose it might make sense if your logic is that, since “unclean things” exist, then absolutely EVERYTHING existing on the earth today could be an unclean thing, and the only way to be sure that something is a “clean” thing is if God has specifically declared it to be clean.
[RajeshG]But every kind of music would be performed in a corporate setting in the form of individual musical pieces. so your objection is a distinction without a difference. Anyway, I’ll ask it a second time using the word “kind.”I have not talked about particular musical pieces—I have repeatedly talked about kinds of instrumental music.
My focus is on kinds of instrumental music that are not acceptable to God for use in corporate worship.
So how does one check to see whether everyone in the corporate setting is being edified a particular kind of instrumental music?
We are already on page 4 of this thread. Way back on page 2, in the 15th post of the page, you said to dcbii:In this thread, I do not recall that I have specified that I was speaking about just instrumental music when I have spoken about the use of it in corporate worship.
As I see it, the ultimate issue is not whether you or I or anyone else believes that such and such kinds of instrumental music are “unsuitable” or not. The fundamental issue is whether there are kinds of instrumental music that God does not accept for use in corporate worship.
In some previous posts, you had just mentioned “music” or “worship,’ but in this post you made clear that you were referencing instrumental music in corporate worship. Of course, in later posts, you shifted back to just “music” or just “worship,” so I could never be sure when you were going to throw in a specificity nuance.
[Kevin Miller]No, I do not have to make any such case. When God prohibits entire realms of human activity and experience, such as the occult, it is you who has to prove biblically that any use of distinctive things of that realm in offering worship to God is acceptable to God in spite of His categorical prohibitions.If you are talking about instrumental music (or any other thing) with an inherent non-acceptability in every situation and circumstance, then your addition of “corporate” would also be beside the point. You would need to make the case for why it would be unacceptable in every situation and circumstance, and not subsequently shift the conversation to just being about corporate worship.
[RajeshG]So what you are saying is that you can make a declarative assertion that something is a “distinctive thing” in the realm of the occult WITHOUT having to then make a Biblical case for it. The assertion itself is enough? What kind of crazy logic is that? Calling it a “distinctive thing” tells us that you believe there are distinctive biblical characteristics to it that show it to be of the occult, but you then refuse to back up that assertion with the Biblical distinctives. That’s crazy logic. Telling someone that they then have to bibilcally disprove your crazy logic is even crazier logic. It’s clear that you don’t have an actual biblical case to make about instrumental music and you are just throwing out assertions.No, I do not have to make any such case. When God prohibits entire realms of human activity and experience, such as the occult, it is you who has to prove biblically that any use of distinctive things of that realm in offering worship to God is acceptable to God in spite of His categorical prohibitions.
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