Music and Dancing

[aqrinc]

Patrick,

And so they will stay with me. Btw, my 3rd youngest brother was the Drummer for
the Lord Rhaburn Band or Combo as we called them. This was over 20 years ago,
at that time they were the #1 to #3 Band in The Caribbean consistently.

My claim to music fame was if you could play it i could dance it in tune first time.

That's all you get Kathy.

george.

Claudia, it's my dad and Bob Wills fault. Yes, that Bob Wills (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys); they were close friends. My brother and I disliked that music so much; a friend turned us on to a new band named The Guess Who (American Woman-No Sugar Tonight) and I never looked back.
I've been playing the drums since 1973.
Never heard of Stomp.

George, I have some stories also, but I keep them between God and myself. 

[cjwood]

Claudia, it's my dad and Bob Wills fault. Yes, that Bob Wills (Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys); they were close friends. My brother and I disliked that music so much; a friend turned us on to a new band named The Guess Who (American Woman-No Sugar Tonight) and I never looked back.
I've been playing the drums since 1973.
Never heard of Stomp.

George, I have some stories also, but I keep them between God and myself. 

patrick,
stomp is a large group of very talented people playing drum beats/rhythms on all kind of things like, well drums of course, but also on garbage cans, pieces of wood, and just about anything you can bang around. they even had one scene where they stomped around with garbage can lids on their feet. it might sound chaotic but it was all very melodic instead. you couldn't help but stomp your feet along with theirs and keep beat with all the drumming they did. i saw it at the paramount theatre here in austin. it was awesome!

claudia

[Mbwa]

I don't know what you guys think of omens and such, but I've just lost my mp3 player, and it's kind of freaking me out.  Do you think this could be a sign that  rock music is in fact not something I should listen to?

[aqrinc]

Mbwa,

I think it means you need to get a new mp3 player.

george.

[Craig]

If it does then I hope you don't lose your house keys.

Craig

[Ninny]

Oh, Craig you are so funny! I knew there was something special about you besides the Barney Fife persona! hee!
Dog...Just get the new mp3 player! 
Ok George! I got one for ya! I want to see you dance OUT of tune!!! Heeheehee
Oh, wait...You don't drink anymore, right? 
Kathy

[Mbwa]

 

So I'm getting worked up about nothing?  It just seemed ominous to me because it was like, right after I asked about music, and somebody said that if God did not want rock in my life then He would take it out, or tell me to, possibly by making me lose my mp3.  Is this just coincidence? Thanks again for all your help.

Mbwa

[WhoAmI]

I thought this was interesting... I was reading Ray's transcripts on Marriage because of my cousin promoting his polygamist lifestyle now... his wife sending out emails to the family saying how its ok to have bisexual relations within the confinements of a plural marriage and the the Bible says it's ok, etc.  I never realized how delusional my cousin or his wife were regarding the Bible and what it states is acceptable within the eyes of God and what is not.  His wife apparently thinks whatever her lusts of the flesh are, that God says in the Bible its ok... but anyway ... while looking up VA laws I ran across something I found interesting.  Not only are there alot of Laws in VA regarding what you can and can not do sexually, there are Laws regarding marriage too.  One of the older Laws in VA is that a unrelated Man and woman CANNOT live together unless they are married... actually it says co-habitat.

Ray refers to some guy talking bout marriage and they guy is accusing Ray of saying there are certain laws that he's not going to adhere to, etc and Ray says living together doesnt mean your married no matter what you want to think, and that there is no law that says it's illegal for two people to live together without having a marriage license when actually in Virginia there is a Law on the books that says it's illegal.  So if anything the VA Law proves Ray's points... as if there was any doubt that Ray was right all along and this guy he is referring to is wrong.

Way to go Ray!  Just thought I'd share this little tidbit of knowledge.


"I can't believe you would call that sinful living.
Maybe Babylon is right; we do need to have a physical circumcision and a physical water baptism and a physical wedding ritual etc... etc... etc... everything's physical, it's all physical.  Perhaps even God's law is physical and it matters not whether you truly love your wife or not, as long as you got that physical marriage license, you're good to go.  And there is no 'law of the land' that says it's illegal for two people to live together without having a marriage license." (Ray's comment - Is there a law that says you can't do that? That sounds good, I mean the guy is spouting off all this worldly wisdom.  Of course I have a little statement in my notes here too: Likewise there's no 'law of the land' that says when two people live together that they are LEGALLY husband and wife, either, is there. [What about common law?] It doesn't, you can claim it sometimes, but the powers that be do not make you husband and wife.  They do not.).  "Maybe in the dark ages, and OT but not now, not in the U.S. nor Europe or any other civilized society.  Perhaps in the middle east, but they're still physically stoning people.  So I wouldn't want to follow that 'law of the land'."

Marriage by law is not "love" nor does it certify that two people "love" each other. Marriage is something that needs to be properly addressed but I'm afraid that is another tradition that is not going to go away easily. I am quite  surprised at how many still adhere to the religious faslehoods related with marriage.

[Ninny]

Mbwa,
Listen, if you think that God is telling you something by your having lost your mp3 player, then take that Idea and think about it for awhile. You know we all believe that God is in control of everything, so you are in a place right now where you will know how well you will do without the music, don't be hasty to replace the mp3 right away. Wait a week or so then if you seem to be ok with it and your not suffering withdrawals then go from there. You have to make up your mind what God is telling you. None of us know your heart, only God knows your heart. So it's back to the beginning for you! You now have a way to hear from God. He's giving you a chance to answer this question yourself.
Worrying is bad for your health!
Kathy

[Mbwa]

Thanks Ninny.  Actually, around the time I started this thread, I said that I would not listen to my mp3 for a week.  I'm still doing fine, I might actually go longer just to prove to myself that I can, but the 'omen' had me worried there.   Oh yeah I worry all the time.  I know it's bad...

[Mbwa]

Alright, I really have been reading the Bible more, and I've tried to focus more on the deeper spiritual aspect of things rather than the outright physical aspects, and I've been pretty content with 'worldly' music, doing my best to let God lead my through my troubles.  However, I just heard something from a fundamentalist that's really bugging me, more so now because I believe that I may soon be joining a band/musical project, and maybe there are others here who worry about this same issue.  The band is with my friends, we won't be playing spiritual music, but now I can put something to use that I've learned here: although our songs won't necessarily be about God, as a Christian and an artist, the Lord is behind everything I do, whether it is directly about Him or not.  Still, here's what's been bugging me from the fundamentalist:  he says rock music may be related to paganism.  Think about it.  The beat of rock music ultimately came from blues/jazz, which was the music of the African slaves in America.  They brought over their music from Africa, where they used that beat to dance to animal spirits and such.  Isn't there a verse that says "Learn not the ways of the heathen" or something?  I know in asking this, I'm relying on humans again, and not God, but I think I could get some help here, especially from musicman, who I hear is the resident.... music man.

Sorry for the trouble.

[Ninny]

Well, dude it seems as though right from the start you have forgotten that Sunday worship and the majority of Christian customs was borrowed from heathenism!! Don't lose your focus, Doggy!
Remember that in order to control the people the church leaders instill fear into their flocks! They want you to believe that everything you do that is against what they teach is a sentence to Hell! FOCUS!
Now, that's all I have to say about that! Like I've said before others here are more eloquent than I am and can put it so much better. 
Hugs,
Kathy 

[Jackie Lee]

King David danced for the Lord I believed he played a harp also, or maybe it was a flute.
I have no idea what the beat was though.
Read Psalms 148 and 149.

[Dave in Tenn]

Play everything in 3/4, or at least put the accents on the 1's and 3's.  It's that back-beat that stirs up the heathen in you.

Also avoid synchopation...it's full of bad juju.  If you want to keep people from the evils of dance, play prog rock.  On second thought, trying to dance to 13/16 or something that swings from 9/8 to 5/4 would make the audience at least temporarily insane. 

I might have a more serious answer for you later, I just wanted to lay the law down right now.

[aqrinc]

OH DAVE  ; i always thought it was 1 an 2 an 3; why miss 2 
unless you, don't like bass strumming or steel drums.

george.

[Mbwa]

Ninny:

"Well, dude it seems as though right from the start you have forgotten that Sunday worship and the majority of Christian customs was borrowed from heathenism!!"

Yes, but that doesn't necessarily make it okay, does it?

Jackie Lee:  Thanks for the reply.  I have read about that, but the Baptists say that we should no longer dance to the Lord as worship, and even then, the 'beats' were not the same as the pagan's, I think.  Not to say they're right, they just worry me...

Play everything in 3/4, or at least put the accents on the 1's and 3's.  It's that back-beat that stirs up the heathen in you.

Also avoid synchopation...it's full of bad juju.  If you want to keep people from the evils of dance, play prog rock.  On second thought, trying to dance to 13/16 or something that swings from 9/8 to 5/4 would make the audience at least temporarily insane. 

I might have a more serious answer for you later, I just wanted to lay the law down right now.

 That reminds of a comment from this guy on youtube.  I was watching the video for the Radiohead song 'Paranoid Android,' which has some parts in 7/8, and some changes in tempo and sonic texture, if you will. (pretty weird song).  The guy said that the song made him depressed because it was hard to dance to.  (I'm glad there's humor here, some people have this stereotypical vision of Christians not having any fun, always serious and gloomy.)  And I do like prog, by the way.

[Ninny]

Ok Mbwa, you got me on that! I told you other people would have better answers!

George, 1 & 2 & 3?? Are you listening to Lawrence Welk??    I'm waiting for the bubbles!! 

What's music without a back-beat, Dave?? No syncopation?? That would make "Jail House Rock" pretty boring, wouldn't  it? What about Footloose?
Ok, I realize I am way out of my element here! All these weird time signatures   I only understand the simple ones so I shall bow out of this very technical discussion and I will sit back and learn!
What do you expect from someone who can only play the radio and the ukulele!
Oh one more thing those hard-to-dance-to 13/16 or the 9/8 to 5/4 thing that might be a cool way freak out a room full of drunks!! (do they really play music with Improper fractions?) 
shutting up.....
Kathy

[aqrinc]

Ninny & mbwa,

The tempo may change but cadence is what you dance to either 1- 2-- 3--- or 1 -   2 --  3 --- 
or a variation with mix and move. The other combinations are all based on 1 an 2 an 3. Talk about
freaking out; try it with a couple steel bottoms (not the shoes) and a bit of white lightening.

Oops; just realized that is what stirs up the heathen in Dave.

george. 

[Dave in Tenn]

OK...here's an ernest attempt at a serious answer, still delivered with a smile on my face (from picturing that guy with the 'dance' comment').

Some stuff--understanding, wisdom, discernment--comes with experience...experience with the Word of God and experience given by the Grace of God from the life we've led under His Sovereignty.  That includes EVERYTHING--good and bad.  There's scarecely a figure in the Scripture that doesn't give us SOME lesson in how NOT to live.

There isn't always a clear 'commandment' in scripture concerning every decision we're faced with in this life.  That's by design!  God is building character in us...conforming us to the image of His son.  We're not there yet.

You don't seem like the kind of young man who is out every weekend shooting heroin in your eyeballs and shagging prostitutes.  None of us want to be the 'cause' of you becoming that guy, I'm sure.  But part of what builds the experience you need is taking some wrong steps, so we also don't want to be the ones to deny you that hard won (and most valuable) wisdom by laying down laws for you to follow--like your fundie friend, who I'm sure is hoping to keep you out of Hell.  I know from your first post in this thread you already possess some wisdom in this area.

To me, the scripture that covers your life-experience (as I vaguely imagine it via the internet) doesn't have to do with music, dancing or anything related to that.  It has to do with maturity in the faith.  You're going to get to a point eventually when you don't need to consider all these things...you will KNOW what you need to do.  I am pretty sure you're not there yet...otherwise you wouldn't be asking the question.  There are issues for all of us that put us right there in the same boat with you.  I have no doubt of that.

I typed all that long enough to decide that I am not going to give you 'an answer' until you answer some of mine.  OK?

1.  Forgetting what your friend said, what do YOU think about this oppurtunity?  Is it a good one?  Are there dangers involved in it--obvious and clear in your mind?

2.  If you learned that what your Fundy friend says is true, would it change your life in any way?

3.  If you learned what your Fundy friend said was hogwash, would it change your mind about music?

4.  What do you believe the Spirit of God is 'influencing' you to do?

Try those on, if it suits you, and maybe 'we' will have a better handle on what 'wisdom' to offer you in return.  After we do, assuming we can, Jesus is still Lord and you still have to decide.  You'll decide according to the way God has already foreseen.  No circumstance changes from what already exists.

[Ninny]

Mbwa, Dave is onto something there isn't he? Yes, because when we refer back to your original post you were trying to understand what God was trying to tell you. Dave has given you some questions that you can ask yourself. Was the fundamentalist you listened to a friend of yours? I wondered if you maybe had been brought up that way. It does give us something to think about it all comes back to what I told you before you have to literally give it to God and wait for Him to give it back to you or not!
Good advice, Dave. I told him before we aren't going to spoon feed him, but we are willing to help him find the answers he needs. I now will let you help him, man-to-man! I think Mbwa, that you will benefit from what the men on this forum will have to say as they are mature and have walked the road that you are walking now, we all have to live and learn, that is basically what Dave has said.
Praying for your greater understanding
Kathy