The meaning of music (and dance??)

Music can enrich your life. It can edify and inspire you and help you draw closer to Heavenly Father.

 Clearly music is important to us it has been a part of the human experience as far as we know in history. The make music is human.

Music has a profound effect on your mind, spirit, and behavior.

 It does. There is scientific research showing its effects. However, it's not a simple effect. Happy music doesn't always bring happiness. Sad music doesn't always make us sad.Sometimes the effect is opposite to the classification.

Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening.

 This is an odd approach. Sometimes the same music can make me feel good, sometimes sad, sometimes restless or sometimes irritated. There isn't a one-to-one connection between the music input and the feeling output. Something else is going on.

Some music can carry evil and destructive messages. Do not listen to music that encourages immorality or glorifies violence through its lyrics, beat, or intensity.

 Unfortunately all communication can carry evil or destructive content. This is the underlying premise of "politically correct" speech. I have yet to hear an immoral beat or intensity. Nobody has ever used the pernicious effect of a tempo or volume as mitigation for a bad act. If this correlation is true, what rhythmic pattern or amplitude produces predatory capitalists?

Is the converse true? Are there lyrics, rhythms and volumes that induce good behavior? Why or why not?

Do not listen to music that uses vulgar or offensive language or promotes evil practices. Such music can dull your spiritual sensitivity.

 How many times do we have to listen to this music to feel compelled to be insensitive? Once? Twenty times? Can we listen just enough then quit before the dire consequences? If we can't listen at all how do we know what's in the music in order to avoid it?

Where is the good music that forces us to be good?

Learn and sing the hymns. Hymns can lift your spirit, move you to righteous action, and help you withstand the temptations of the adversary.

 I think this is supposed to be the good music that forces goodness, but how does that fit with the idea of agency and self-determination?

When listening to music, be courteous to those around you. Keep your music at a reasonable volume, and remove your earphones when others are talking to you or want you to be part of their activities. Remember that the Spirit speaks with a still, small voice. If you listen to music constantly, you may not have the quiet time you need for thinking, feeling, and receiving spiritual guidance.

The first two points are etiquette not specific to music and dance 

Does this mean people who work in heavy construction, mining or boilermaking, all very loud environments, don't have the spirit with them? Do childcare providers lose the spirit because children are loud? If so are these employments and the nurture of children to be avoided?

Dancing can be fun and can provide an opportunity to meet new people. However, it too can be misused. When dancing, avoid full body contact with your partner. Do not use positions or moves that are suggestive of sexual or violent behavior or are otherwise inappropriate.

This "full body contact" phrase is the latest in a string of attempts to describe what to avoid. Does this mean contact from the waist up (or down) is acceptable because its not "full"? Why don't we just say sexual activity while dancing is inappropriate? I have no idea what positions or moves are suggestive of sex or violence short of beating on each other or mating with a partner on the floor. This just begs for a less obscure explanation.

Attend only those dances where dress, grooming, lighting, lyrics, music, and entertainment contribute to a wholesome atmosphere where the Spirit may be present.

Couldn't we just say "Attend only events where conduct and content contribute to an atmosphere where the Spirit may be present.", in which case this isn't about dance or music at all?

Overall, we need a better discussion on these topics. This isn't very convincing and a weak message is seen as hypocritical and shallow. Lastly, what happened to dance? There is not a word on the subject that addresses dance, only the music and attendees.

What the youth of the church want is not what they get

Pondering on the meaning of music, went to the source but on the way I ran into this little coincidental correlation. The most popular searches in FtSoY are:
Dress and Appearance
Sexual Purity
Friends
Agency and Accountability
Dating

What we are teaching is

YWM 2012 [http://www.lds.org/manual/young-women-manual-1?lang=eng]

Living as a Daughter of God Contributing to Family Life Learning about the Priesthood Learning about Family History and Temple Work Being Involved in Missionary Work Increasing in Spirituality Living a Virtuous Life* Maintaining Physical Health Developing Socially and Emotionally* Managing Personal Resources Developing Leadership Skills
APM 2012 [http://www.lds.org/manual/aaronic-priesthood-manual-1?lang=eng] The Priesthood The Calling of a Deacon Administering the Sacrament7 Gathering Fast Offerings Faith in Jesus Christ The Holy Ghost “A Mighty Change of Heart” “Honour Thy Father” Respect for Mothers and Their Divine Role Family Unity “As I Have Loved You, Love One Another” Following the Living Prophet Every Member Is a Missionary Serving Others Unity and Brotherhood in the Priesthood Charity Personal Journals The Word of Wisdom Overcoming Temptation* Proper Use of Agency* Pure Thoughts: Clean Language Covenants Guide Our Actions Pray for Guidance Christ-Centered Repentance Forgiveness Do Good on the Sabbath Reverence Respect for Womanhood* The Eternal Family The Plan of Salvation Continue in Prayer and Fasting Tithing Scripture Study Obedience The Sacrament Testimony The Priesthood of Aaron Magnifying the Calling of an Aaronic Priesthood Holder Missionary Work through Example The House of the Lord Sexual Purity* Honesty  Tools for Searching the Scriptures Becoming a Better Home Teacher The Sacred Power of Procreation* Decision Making* Consecration and Sacrifice The Power to Baptize Using Time Wisely* Does anyone else see the disconnect? I've put a * by the lessons which address the most searched topic in FtSoY.. It's not many. Its not that what is taught is unimportant, the topics are good ones. It is just that what youth are seeking most often is so rarely addressed if leaders follow their manuals. Clearly we're talking past each other. Here's the Google ranking again: Dress and Appearance Sexual Purity Friends Agency and Accountability Dating The whole idea that appearance and dress is top is very telling. It's a superficial issue - making bad choices in these areas have no lasting consequences, yet our youth are the most curious and confused about them. The remaining issues make some sense they are trying figure out who their friends and spouses will be and how to negotiate the difficult path to lasting relationships. Take away points?	1. We're focusing too much effort of superficiality
1. We're investing too much time in superficial issues
2. What the youth are begging for is help with friendship and sex
3. We're not doing a good job of helping them with their issues (if they knew they wouldn't be hitting the web so often) or our explanations are not very satisfying. Can we do better? How?

Reflections on why young adults leave the church

(with credit and thanks to Rachel Held Evans) Her comments are in normal face, mine in italic face


1. Young adult women leave the church because they're better at planning scripture studies than baby showers...

• It makes no sense to refuse to use a talent (a gift of God after all) simply because it doesn't fit a preconceived idea of the way that person should be. The example here is based on gender -- there are other issues too.
• The church is always looking for effective teachers, planners and ministers
• Why discard half (or a third or one tenth) of our strength?
• Which verse commands that women should plan social activities but never critical thinking activities?

2. They leave the church because when we talked about sin, we mostly talked about sex, euphemistically

• We spend way too much time on the evils of sex and way too little on the realities of sex
• We spend way too little time on sin which deadens the testimonies of the young, materialism, injustice, disenfranchisement, greed, worship of worldly talents.
• We have a pattern of teaching that when one is sexually active outside civil marriage (why civil and not sacramental marriage?) that one has lost it all; that one, admittedly unwise, choice nullifies all other choices until it is rectified. It is easier in terms of church status to repent of drug abuse, theft, fraud and cruelty than promiscuity. Why?
• We largely avoid talking about real sexual activity but spent a lot of energy creating elaborate analogies such as 'too close' dancing, immodest dress (mostly in females), steady dating, and flavors of kissing.
• We spend very little formal or informal time teaching how to create a wholesome relationship except to immerse the couples' time in church programs and scripture study.  What skills do young adults have that came from the church instruction in conflict resolution, planning, personal development? 
• What do we teach the young to do when one or both of them is less interested in spiritual matters than other interests temporarily?

3. They leave the church because their questions were seen as liabilities to be minimized, ignored or suppressed.

• When a difficult question is seen as a risk, liability, or problem it reveals one thing: that we, the questioned, are insecure in our faith.
• Real, true principles will stand up to intense questioning. Truth remains truth no matter how it is examined

4.They leave the church because sometimes it felt like a cult, or a country club, and they're not sure which was worse.

• When a church becomes more about a mortal person than a divine one, it has lost its way. The purpose of church is not worship of a person or a class of persons, it is about worship of God - three beings that have overcome the limits of mortality. Every person who lives today is fallible and imperfect. If we use them a exemplars, we risk copying their weaknesses as well as their strengths.
• Humans are social but when we use church membership, seniority or other material factors to control who benefits from church we leave God's stated principle of universality behind and with it the core meaning of discipleship.

5. They have left the church because they believe the Earth is 4.5 billion years old and that humans share a common ancestor with apes, which they are told was incompatible with their faith despite physical evidence.and statements from the church to the contrary

• This returns to the meaning of truth. Is something true only if endorsed by hierarchies? Do we really believe in Paul's admonition?
• Can we accept, as at least working truths, those things which appear to be true based on evidence?

6. They leave the church because sometimes they doubt, and church can be the worst place to doubt.

• We need two rooms for church meetings, one for the convinced and completely perfect people, and one for the uncertain, searching and doubting people
• If we avoid contact with doubters, who then are we preaching and teaching for? See Rameumpton.

7. They left the church because they didn’t want to be anyone’s “project.”

• When church destroys dignity to create propriety it has lost its way. We need to learn to humbly tolerate imperfection and deviation rather than enforce conformity. 
• See D&C 121:32-end. It's a basic principle: we don't compel, we persuade gently and with love.

8. They leave the church because it is often assumed that everyone in the congregation voted for Republicans.

• Never seen this happen in my church.
• Seriously, authoritarian, socially conservative, intolerant, plutocratic and inequitable policies are not taught in scripture
• There is no scripture addressing capitalism as the divine way

9. They left the church because when they like they are the only ones troubled by stories of violence, misogyny and genocide found in the Bible, and grow tired of people telling them not to worry about it because “God’s ways are higher than our ways.”

• A lot of the scriptures are not about God, they are about Man's failure to respond to God. 
• It is a rhetorical trap to insist on the infallibility of scripture. What has been written does not produce perfection by reading, reciting or study. More is needed.
• Those claiming to know "God's ways" usually think they are the same as their own ways. We should expect them to be as humble and teachable before God as they are with us.
• If we can't, in time, understand God's ways, we are doomed. We should worry about it if it will lead to our doom.

10. They leave the church because of their own selfishness and pride.

• We walk into church proud, selfish and self possessed. 
• Instant gratification, even when directed at godliness, is not a gospel principle.
• God has said He is willing to suffer our imperfection as we grow. Shouldn't we human beings do the same?

11. They leave the church when they become convinced they will never see a woman behind the pulpit, at least not in the congregation in which they grew up.

• If God values women, then He listens to them. He listens to their prayers. He listens to their sermons too. Who are we to deny an act of faith?

12. They leave the church because they want to help people in their community without feeling pressure to convert them to Christianity.

• Missionary work is a program of the church. Sharing love, talents and good works are gospel.
• Statistical programs emphasize behavior over belief. Which is the church?

13.They leave the church when they realized they have learned more from Oprah about addressing poverty and injustice than they had learned from 25 years of Sunday school.

• The gospel tells us to care for the poor until there are no more poor among us. 
• When we speak of injustice it usually means an act which violates gospel principles.
• When we make no personal progress in these two areas, we make no progress in our spiritual development. What are the fruits of our labor by which we are known? 
• Do we have programs that have statistical measures of the number of poor or abused we have redeemed? Why?

14. They leave the church because there are days when they're not sure they believe in God, and no one tells them that “dark nights of the soul” can be part of the faith experience.

• If what we learn in church doesn't prepare us for real life, then what is its purpose? 
• We don't live the set piece stories we are hearing all the time. 
• Not all problems have 20 minute answers.

15. They are leaving the church because one day, they see signs out in the church parking lot that said “Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman: Vote Yes on Prop 1,” and they know the moment they see them that they never wanted to come back.

• Reaching beyond the church to compel behavior rather than teach uplifting principle will never work. Civil law compels, always.
• When sexual behavior is used as the entire measure of a man we lose the spirt of God's word. 
• If the primal meaning of marriage is the type of people in it, why does the church permit or recognize civil marriages as equivalent to church marriages in mortality?
• Male and female are recognized as equal before the law, there is no legal basis for gender discrimination in civil law if taken to its logical end.
• The basis of gender discrimination is theological. If there is an important difference between same and complimentary gender marriage it is in the church not the community ethics,
• If same gender marriage is a violation of gospel law that means the first action is to restrict marriage to be solely the province of the church. We cannot rely on civil law to enforce church law. Denial of authority to set civil standards for civil contracts is not a church power. If the church wishes this why are they not working to ban civil marriage?

Exposing your weakness

What would you do if you knew you could  not fail?

Who would you help if you could see them succeed?

What would you sing if your voice was magical?

Who would you love if only the two of you knew?

Up and down

Another disappointing attempt. How will I ever learn this stuff if all I focus on is where I've come from? I have big dreams. The world is such a small place with everyone grabbing.

The Sun will raise tomorrow, I'll get up up and I pray I'll keep moving.