Hey Mormon Community, Bad Language in Music

[stab-westward]

frankenstein:

Kids are more savvy than you think.

I certainly know that when my kids go to school I cannot choose their friends for them.

And to be honest I do not want to.

I just want to make sure that the choices their friends make do not determine their actions as well.

[jadams_4242]

Hi my name is Stab. HAH. In real life my name is Jon.

Recently one of my children has been listening to BAD music. Music with BAD language in it.

All his friends listen to the same music. I catch him listening to it on his iPod or on youtube countless times.

I try to explain to him that I do not want him to listen to this music, because I fear that he will start using the same language he hears.

Anyone go through this?

if he likes music then he needs to be directed towards the l.d.s song ...called "do what is right"...

[mtomm]

My oldest son listened to death metal. I complained, he didn't really care. Since he was complete straight arrow in every other way I chose not to fight that battle. He's now on a mission in Colorado. It will be interesting to see what he picks up when he comes home.

My middle son wanted to like death metal but just couldn't. He's all over the place now. Having his brother leave on a mission has allowed him to choose the music he wants.

My 13 year old daughter is totally crushed on the Beatles.

My husband is country music, and not the contemporary stuff from nowadays, we are subjected to the stuff from waaay back. Twang it is.

I've never expected my children to like the music that I do, I didn't like my parent's music.

Maybe we just lucked out, my sons find safety in the commandments. So give your own son a chance, too. Show him you trust him besides just ruling with an iron fist. I liked Stu's post.

[thesometimesaint]

stab-westward:

The second our kids walk out that front door they will be influenced, for good or ill, by their peers. What we must do as parents is prepare them to make good decisions on their own. Or as the Prophet Joseph Smith said "I teach them correct principles, and let them govern themselves".

[Obiwan]

My oldest son listened to death metal. I complained, he didn't really care. Since he was complete straight arrow in every other way I chose not to fight that battle. He's now on a mission in Colorado. It will be interesting to see what he picks up when he comes home.

My middle son wanted to like death metal but just couldn't. He's all over the place now. Having his brother leave on a mission has allowed him to choose the music he wants.

My 13 year old daughter is totally crushed on the Beatles.

My husband is country music, and not the contemporary stuff from nowadays, we are subjected to the stuff from waaay back. Twang it is.

I've never expected my children to like the music that I do, I didn't like my parent's music.

Maybe we just lucked out, my sons find safety in the commandments. So give your own son a chance, too. Show him you trust him besides just ruling with an iron fist. I liked Stu's post.

I think that is a serious mistake.... First, you clearly can't "trust" them, because they are listening to inappropriate music. Just "hoping" they turn out okay when you aren't actually doing anything to train them up in the way they should be in that particular thing is playing Russian Roulette with your childrens souls and character. You can't just "trust" that all will work out because other things are occuring that are good in their lives. We should be mindful of "all" harmful influences on our children lives, and steer them away from them. Second, would you allow your children to watch porn, watch "R" rated movies that have sex and nudity in them, or another other example? How bout having "close" friends who swear, drink, do drugs, have sex, etc.? You wouldn't be so willing to "trust" that there ISN'T and couldn't be some sort of harmful effect of those things on your children, so why would you just allow your children to listen to whatever they want? Since when do children know how to make good judgments? You guide them in everything else, why not in music? This is something that I've seen for a long time with LDS family's, and it's a slippery slope. It's so disheartening to my soul when I hear and see LDS children or any children listening to such immoral and destroying of spirit music.

No-one is saying kids "can't" be good, while still listening to music that is clearly on the dark side, but that doesn't justify Christian anti-mormons from their fruits and ideology's. Them being Christian in every other aspect of their lives doesn't mean they are Christian in their anti-mormonism. They are in fact on the dark side. As parents we should never "allow" the dark side to flourish and take hold in our children's lives, no matter how "innocent" such may seem. Music has it's evil side also, not simply the words. Of course, most of the time people who listen to such music don't even distinguish the words, they just are conditioned to liking the beat.

We are to try and stand above the world in all things, not simply in some.

Anyway, just a sincere FYI.... according to the Gospel. I know people don't like to be told that whatever they are embracing or the music they like is not good. But as Latter-day Saints we should be much more discerning. Music has an extreme and very intimate effect on our souls, for it goes to our very core, shaping our spirits, shaping our minds. Just think how "righteous" and of God our children could be if they even forsook bad music, and stood for the right in ALL Things???

With Love....

Edited March 3, 2011 by Obiwan

[stab-westward]

My oldest son listened to death metal. I complained, he didn't really care. Since he was complete straight arrow in every other way I chose not to fight that battle. He's now on a mission in Colorado. It will be interesting to see what he picks up when he comes home.

My middle son wanted to like death metal but just couldn't. He's all over the place now. Having his brother leave on a mission has allowed him to choose the music he wants.

My 13 year old daughter is totally crushed on the Beatles.

My husband is country music, and not the contemporary stuff from nowadays, we are subjected to the stuff from waaay back. Twang it is.

I've never expected my children to like the music that I do, I didn't like my parent's music.

Maybe we just lucked out, my sons find safety in the commandments. So give your own son a chance, too. Show him you trust him besides just ruling with an iron fist. I liked Stu's post.

I understand your point, but I cannot understand willfully letting my child listen to music and message that I know is wrong.

My parents did not ever get involved with my musical preferences, and suffice it to say, I did not like the majority of the music my mother liked. But -- i wasn't listening to BLATANTLY vulgar, hateful, sexually deviant filled rap music either.

Metallica CD might have some hidden messages or bad areas, but I hardly think its the same thing.

[bookofmormontruth]

Years ago when I my daughter was a teen we were driving and she had turned on her station. As I listened I was shocked and turned the station. I asked her "Do you know what this song is saying." She acted surprised and said no, she just liked the beat.

Every parent struggles with this at some point. Heavy Metal was the big thing when my kids were young.

I notice I do the same. Listening to the beat, not realizing the words.

[Obiwan]

I notice I do the same. Listening to the beat, not realizing the words.

You should reflect on taking things even further than the words, but to the beat itself.

Although, more accurately it's not the "beat" per-se, it is the spirit of the music itself, that it is trying to portray.

For example, many traditional cultural music styles have a similar beat pattern to modern music. For example, Islander and African Music has similar beat styles to Rap, but there is a significant difference in spirit between the two types of music. For example, Islander/African music has a fun, power type spirit to them, while Rap has a "sexual" and "I'm bad, or cool tuff guy" spirit to it, thus an omission of the light, while the other is very much so light hearted and good spirited.

In other words, you need to look deeper into the music as to the sort of feelings it portrays itself and creates within yourself. Music programs us deeply, thus we should also be discerning of it's spirit, not simply it's words.

People, LDS especially, should understand that there is good and evil or light and darkness within everything. All things have it's good side and it's perverted side. This includes music. Like words can be good or bad, the music itself can be good or bad. I should be clear to mention that there is some very extremely rare "lighthearted" rap, but it's so rare that you just don't see it. This wouldn't necessarily be "bad" music. But, standard rap, even most of the stuff that has "good or 'christian' words" within it, are of a bad spirit, same for punk, etc.

Anyway, something to be mindful of....

Edited March 5, 2011 by Obiwan

[Calm]

My daughter listens to a number of foreign language songs....no way to understand the lyrics even if one listens. This could be a compromise,

[Skylla]

Automatic generated message

This topic has been closed by a moderator.

Reason: Congenial discussion only in Social Hall

Thank you,

Mormon Dialogue & Discussion Board Staff