[rock_show_host]

Thomthom, could you please respond to the question I asked about your first post?

Originally Posted by Thomthom

I feel that all music was created originally by God and for the purpose of praise and worship but man has, as usual, defiled it.

Are you claiming that the sole purpose of music is to praise God, and that anything not overtly religious is "defiled" and needs to be rewritten (note that this would include a song like Happy Birthday)? Or are you simply referring to music that directly contradicts Christian beliefs?

Originally Posted by Leboman

That argument could be made for any style of music used in a service.

This matter is one of opinion...and there's nothing wrong with that.

I have incorporated bits and pieces of secular songs into "medleys" during a service before.

True. I wasn't making a universal statement or claiming that it's a bad worship tactic in general -- just speaking for myself. But I do know I've heard from a ton of other people who've said similar things, so I think it's a widespread enough reaction to be aware of.

[Thomthom]

you want a reply ... okay here it is....


This is my last post...


I did not join this forum to be bashed or ridiculed by the way or what I sing and play.. different parts of the country do it differently and different religions have different ideas about it.

I only joined this forum because I thought it would be a good way to meet fellow Christian guitarists/singers and could swap ideas and input and help each other learn and grow in Jesus.

I guess I was wrong.

[Sean]

Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anyone bash or ridicule you. I saw someone disagree with you. There's nothing wrong with disagreeing and discussing.

[relient nelson]

Originally Posted by Thomthom

you want a reply ... okay here it is....


This is my last post...


I did not join this forum to be bashed or ridiculed by the way or what I sing and play.. different parts of the country do it differently and different religions have different ideas about it.

I only joined this forum because I thought it would be a good way to meet fellow Christian guitarists/singers and could swap ideas and input and help each other learn and grow in Jesus.

I guess I was wrong.

Can I say that I saw this reaction happening after the second post in this thread? Whether or not that's a "bad" thing, I dunno..

[OiBoyz]

Thomthom, you say you want to swap ideas and get input, but you decide to take your ball and go home when some folks try to give you a different perspective? It may just be that there are people in your congregation who feel the same way about switching out lyrics as has been posted here. So perhaps you haven't been as edifying to them as you thought. Don't you want to know that? Or do you just want people to agree with you? If you did not really want a discussion, you should have stated that up front. It would have saved us all time.

Just iron sharpening iron.

[rock_show_host]

Since I imagine this was mostly directed at me....

Originally Posted by Thomthom

I did not join this forum to be bashed or ridiculed by the way or what I sing and play..

Where was I or anyone else doing this? I'm sorry if anything I wrote came off as harsh, but I didn't feel I was bashing you. It seems this is a passionate subject for both of us; we just fall on opposite sides of the fence.

Originally Posted by Thomthom

different parts of the country do it differently and different religions have different ideas about it.

Which is why when you post a thread asserting a very specific viewpoint, as you did in your first post, you can expect people to vocally disagree. That's all that happened, and I don't think anyone was even particularly rude about it.

Originally Posted by Thomthom

I only joined this forum because I thought it would be a good way to meet fellow Christian guitarists/singers and could swap ideas and input and help each other learn and grow in Jesus.

I guess I was wrong.

To echo OiBoyz, if "swapping ideas and input" doesn't involve listening to people with conflicting viewpoints, then what exactly were you looking for? Having our perspectives challenged is part of how we can help each other learn and grow in Christ. Honestly, reading the words of people on this site who have disagreed with me has been enormously helpful in coming to grips with my own beliefs.

Thomthom, if I was coming off as rude or bashing, please tell me how/where, because I honestly didn't feel that way. When I asked for a reply in my last post, I was actually concerned that I was misrepresenting/oversimplifying your viewpoint and wanted you to help me understand it better. I didn't want to talk past you by challenging beliefs or attitudes that don't actually resemble yours. If asking you to clarify makes me come off as rude, then I'm at a loss.

[earlessdog]

I think there has definitely been a misunderstanding.
ThomThom, I don't think anyone meant to offend you, but with discussions in a forum, this is what often happens. People read someones post thinking they are being rude, when really the person may have written it with an entirely different attitude and/or perspective.

I hope you do not stay away from this site just because of this, but i'll be honest, you will always encounter people and topics in which you may not agree with. I was very similar to you when I joined this site, I found topics being discussed where I had a completely different opinion than someone else in that thread. I would get mad, angry, and offended. I was tempted to leave many times but I eventually learned that everyone has different opinions and that doesn't mean that they are wrong or that I am right. You have to respect different people's opinions (that goes to anyone), as they have to respect yours. Sometimes you have to take things with a grain of salt, but that's life.

Anyway, I think enough has been said in this thread so I am closing it.
ThomThom, I hope you don't leave this site due to one small disagreement in this thread, but if you do than the best to you, it was nice having you here.