Subject: Music, religion, etc.
From: Jon Tveite (jontv@ksu.edu)
Date: Thu Jan 06 2000 - 14:04:13 EST
Hi, JD people,
I don't post very often anymore, but once in a while a topic comes up
and draws me in. Music and religion are special points of interest for
me, especially in combination. The discussion started out seriously but
didn't seem to follow through -- and I'd like to try. So here goes.
Someone said (I'm on the digest, so sorry about the impersonality) that
atheism is not a religion. I totally agree with that: it's a religious
belief, I suppose, but not a religion. As someone else pointed out,
however, human beings are very much prone to feelings and expressions on
metaphysical subjects. I would agree with this second person that
spirituality is so important to the human experience that it's
practically a biological urge. Practically.
I draw a distinction, though, between "spirituality" and "religion".
Religion tends to involve organized, communal expressions of feeling and
belief, along with creation theories, meaning-of-life-type stuff, and
codes for behavior. Spirituality doesn't, necessarily. It can be more
personal and less organized. All religions have spiritual aspects, but
not all spiritualities fit my loose definition of a religion.
It's helpful to think about the many functions of a religion. Some are
spiritual, but I would argue that the vast majority are social. Without
religion, it can be hard to get large groups of people to agree on rules
and principles necessary to maintain a relatively peaceful society or
culture. I wouldn't be so cynical as to say that all religions were
created expressly for the purpose of social control, but all religions
have that element.
Spirituality, on the other hand, has its own set of functions. To me,
the main one is to break down the walls of self that keep us focused
exclusively on our own petty little egotistical concerns. How you do
that is up to you, but once you break through, you begin to tap into a
state of mind that is either biological or so deeply ingrained in human
psychology that it may as well be. That state of mind calms us and puts
us in greater harmony with powers most people don't connect with in
day-to-day life: the power of the universe, of all life, of those around
us, of our own inner selves -- or, if religion is your thing, maybe you
personify it as some superior metaphysical being.
Music, because it has a beauty and power that defy logic and verbal
expression, is one of the best ways to break down those walls and enter
a spiritual state. Not all music will automatically do that for all
people, but certain kinds of music work really well for me. So music is
definitely spiritual for me. I don't worship music or my favorite
musicians, but it is a spiritual gateway for me, and for many other
people. Of course, music has its social functions, too -- and taken
together with the spiritual ones, music can function much like a
religion.
Okay, I've gone on long enough. I enjoyed myself, at least. Reading
and writing is another good way to break down those walls. Anything
positive and life-affirming can be, if done in a contemplative state of
mind.
Jon
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b25 : Mon Feb 28 2000 - 08:38:07 EST