# Church Music: The Sacred and the Profane **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2001, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992 "2001-05-30T15:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/41 "2001-06-02T02:19:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GingerOfTheNorth \* > \*\* > Does anyone remember this one? > > “Make me a channel of your peace > where there is hatred, let me sow your love > where there is injury, your pardon, Lord > and where there’s doubt true faith in You”\*\* Dude, that’s based on the prayer of St. Francis of Assissi(did I even come close to spelling that right?) We sang that at my first communion-and my mother made the wafers for it. they were…sort of like gingerbread. I doubt the Vatican would have approved. \*\* > [@](#): > > Am I the only one here who was involved with the “Search” and “Live-In” societies? This could be why I think the ‘new’ stuff all sounds better with an acoustic guitar.\*\* If it’s the same thing, I did Search in HS, as a junior, then I was a search leader. We had no musicians at ours though-everything was on a cassette player ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/42 "2001-06-02T02:36:23Z")
Thanks Lsura, I knew it was from St. Francis, I just can never remember how to spell Assiss… Asizzi… Ah fut 😉 That was the song that the ‘back-up’ people sang to wake the people making the Search or Live-In. It is a beautiful way to wake up. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/43 "2001-06-02T04:09:05Z")
Near here there is a small but pricey church affiliated collage with a worldwide reputation for quality choral music. My youngest daughter went to school there and was in the choral program all four years. The college puts on a big program at Christmas time and three or four smaller performances during the course of the year. Tickets to the Xmas concert are pretty well limited to big givers and parents of performers so the first time Mrs. G. and I got to attend was when the kid was a freshman. Now, I think I’m a major grouch and a devout cynic. Nonetheless, I sat there for two hours and cried like I was demented. There just can not be any music that is much more moving than the classic religious stuff sung by really well schooled choirs of blended voices. We have made a point of trying to go back every year and have resorted to kissing up to tone-deaf fat cat donors in order to get tickets. Even though I know what’s coming I still weep like a little girl through the whole performance. ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/44 "2001-06-02T04:40:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Opengrave \* > …no one feels like they have to suffer through the same old hyms for the 1000th time. Ironically, I have the experience of hearing the same thing for the 1000th time when I visit my home church – but not during the “traditional” service when they sing the old hymns, rather in the so-called “contemporary” service. I just want to run screaming out the door. There are about 200 melodies to choose from in the hymnal, most of which are known by everyone (even if not loved) and have been weeded out over the centuries to be reasonably singable. The collection of contemporary pieces adds up to maybe 75, of which they use about 30 frequently and the congregation (thanks to the pitifully bad singing of the leaders) can decently follow about 10. It’s painful. This could improve over time, but the last decade hasn’t helped much. If I hear Morning Has Broken one more time, I’ll go insane. Disclaimer: this is not true of all modern services, I know. It’s just that this congregation has gotten into right back into the same old rut – and with lower quality “campfire” music. Arg. If we have to the same old stuff, can it at least be good music? Why must we always have guitars? _whine_ rivulus ---
**Author:** ![Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fairy_Princess_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/45 "2001-06-02T06:03:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chrome Spot \* > \*\*Problem with the contemp service itself is that it lacks portions that the traditional service has, like confession. Further, assuming that the contemp service is an entry point for church membership, there is no plan for how to move new attendees from the contemp to full membership. IMHO, the contemp service is an extended junior sermon. \*\* Umm… being a member of the younger generation who loves both the more modern music (who can resist singing along to Lean On Me or Awesome God at retreat at 3AM in the morning after bawling for hours?) anfd the more traditional stuff… The contemporary services, at least at my church have just about everything that a normal mass has. I went through the confirmation program and the entire thing is geared towards teenagers and they did have us do alot of the Life Teen and contemporary stuff. However, they still stressed that fact that we do need to read the Bible, go to confession and everything else. They encouraged us to be better Catholics in all aspects of the religion. You just have to stick around for a little bit. Kitty Oh yeah for the people that say that there’s no references to the Bible in all the modern stuff have you heard Awesome God by Rich Mullins? And the Lord wasn’t joking when he kicked ‘em out of Eden It wasn’t for no reason that he shed his blood. His return is very close and so you better be believin’ that Our God is an Awesome God … And when the sky was starless in the void of the night (Our God is an Awesome God) He spoke into the darkness and created the light. (Our God is an Awesome God) The judgement and wrath he poured out on Sodom, The mercy and grace he gave us at the cross I hope we have not too quickly forgotten that Our God is an Awesome God ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/46 "2001-06-02T17:20:28Z")
Although I like most music when it’s well done, and well-done religious music very much, I actually prefer to go to daily Mass where there is no music at all. To me, the music becomes the “entertainment” of the Mass. It distracts me from the essentials, the liturgy of the word, and the celebration of the Eucharist. I sing religious songs in my car, while I’m cleaning (what’s up with that, anyway? I like religious songs and Les Miserable {Look down, look down, don’t look 'em in the eye…}). StG ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/47 "2001-06-04T21:31:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rivulus \* > **Ironically, I have the experience of hearing the same thing for the 1000th time when I visit my home church – but not during the “traditional” service when they sing the old hymns, rather in the so-called “contemporary” service. Disclaimer: this is not true of all modern services, I know. It’s just that this congregation has gotten into right back into the same old rut – and with lower quality “campfire” music. Arg. If we have to the same old stuff, can it at least be good music? Why must we always have guitars? _whine_** I know EXACTLY what you are talking about!! We had a dynamic music director who was always coming up with great new songs to sing - noting ever got boring because it was usually fresh and new. He left and the new guy, well, lets just say he hasn’t ‘found his feet’ yet and it is starting to get pretty boring singing all of his favorites over, and over, and over. Contemporary does not mean good. Bad music is bad music no matter what era or style. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/48 "2001-06-04T22:37:24Z")
Well, how about “In the Garden of Eden”, by I. Ron Butterfly? ::D&R:: ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992/49 "2001-06-04T22:38:30Z")
damn you smileys! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-music-the-sacred-and-the-profane/66992.md?page=2)