3 ms·
For me, the big problem with this kind of musical/theatrical production is that you're doing one thing — provoking excited emotions and feelings in a group cont
by zellyn 8y ago
For me, the big problem with this kind of musical/theatrical production is that you're doing one thing — provoking excited emotions and feelings in a group context, just as would happen at a well-produced secular concert, or a moving, personal comedy show — and implicitly or explicitly claiming that it is a personal religious experience. Many times with young people who don't know the difference.
I suppose it might be fair to include music-induced group ecstatic experiences in your definition of “religious”. But I find the mix-n-match, the implied claim that the emotion of the large-context experience is actually a result of some kind of personal, relational connection to God, to be a heavily loaded and ambiguous possible untruth.
ymmv — I definitely have religion issues :-)
- bartread 8y ago> you're doing one thing — provoking excited emotions and feelings in a group context, just as would happen at a well-produced secular concert, or a moving, personal comedy show — and implicitly or explicitly claiming that it is a personal religious experience. Many times with young people who don't know the difference. That is a very thought-provoking perspective, which I think I'll probably be chewing over for a while - thanks for sharing it.
- pnathan 8y agoI would stringently urge any evangelical who hasn't attended a high energy secular concert - a good one - to go. After you've had that kind of experience, it is like subtracting the noise from the signal. gave me a permanent distaste for "concerts" at church.
- phd514 8y agoThis video parody of those kinds of productions both pokes fun at them and raises some of the same kinds of questions about them that you do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys4Nx0rNlAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys4Nx0rNlAM
- zellyn 8y agoYeah, that's an oldie but a goodie, from North Point here in Atlanta. Everyone's welcome there, unless you try something crazy, like being gay and doing child care at the same time.