Concerning Good Music

Understanding good music is like coming to Jesus; while earlier in life is generally better, it's less important when you know the truth than that you know the truth at all.

Of course I don't share the same relativism with my religious beliefs as I do with artistic taste and, on the flip side, I'm not trying to equate any person's musical taste (least of all my own) with absolute truth. I'm really just trying to find someway to relate that happy feeling that comes with somebody I know coming around to some band or song or style of music that I've loved for a long time. Sorry if my analogy is a bit overreaching :-)

Comments

[Mugs of America]

I think the overreach is that "some band or song or style of music that [Courtney has] loved for a long time" is by default "good music." Of course, that your musical taste is the Jesus in the second half of the analogy is a bit alarming, as well. Much of what you listen to is not even partially righteous or partially human, let alone the full measure of each at the same time :-)

[Ploafmaster General]

Well I think I covered the "music that I like" with my second paragraph - the relativism toward artistic taste.

And I think you've misinterpreted my analogy anyway - I'm not equating my or anybody's taste in music to Jesus. My analogy talks about "coming to Jesus" and "understanding good music" - you can't take pieces of those and say that's what I'm comparing.

I was tempted to post this originally without the explaining paragraph, but it looks like even with that in place, it's done no better job at clarifying what I actually meant.

[Mugs of America]

I'm not saying that you're intentionally comparing your taste in music to Jesus. It's just that Jesus plays a role in one side of your analogy and that your taste in music plays a similar or the same role in the other side of your analogy. Or coming around to your taste in music serves that similar or same role.

Of course, one could pick apart the notion that it's somehow better to come to saving faith at a young age--I happen to think that the chronological moment that you make some sort of profession is not as significant as it is sometimes made out to be. This is not to say that "eureka!" moments with the Lord are not valuable; rather, I mean to say that the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts long before we are privileged to know that he is, and knowing that at a younger age makes us no more blessed than if we come to know it at a later age.

[Ploafmaster General]

Fair enough, on both of your paragraphs.