Once we become aware of the power of music to influence our spirituality for good or bad, we often start to take inventory of the types of music in our homes. This leads to a need to remove some types of music and replace it with others. However, that can seem a bit overwhelming financially. How can we carry out the process of making our music pleasing to God?
The first step is to identify what music needs to leave. Frequently, we’ve paid little attention to the message our music is sending us. While we don’t have to restrict ourselves to religious music, we do have to be certain the music isn’t placing into our minds messages that counteract those God is placing in our minds through the spirit, and that our music isn’t chasing away the spirit. This means we’re going to have to listen to our music, paying attention to the words and the overall message, and also to how the music itself makes us feel. If the music is too hard-hitting, you may feel God’s Spirit leaving the room.
Depending on your media, you may be able to save specific songs that are fine, while deleting those that aren’t on any given piece of media. Otherwise, you’ll need to remove the entire CD or other media, so the songs that are inappropriate are gone.
If you have teenagers, you might offer them a budget you can afford to help them replace inappropriate music. You don’t have to replace everything at once. This can be a long-term project.
Of course, this leaves the family a bit short of music for a while. Fortunately, there are many free or inexpensive sources of music to help supplement the current collection. Radios carry music, although they may not be reliably safe and listeners may have to stay on guard and be ready to change the station. Many websites now allow you to download single songs inexpensively, so you can hoose just the music that is appropriate. While it may not be the cheapest way to buy a complete CD, it is one that allows you to have good music, and avoid that which is inappropriate. Doing it this way also sends a message to the artist. If the morally clean songs sell better than the immoral ones, more appropriate music will get made.
Libraries often carry music that can be borrowed. This allows the family to have consistently changing music for variety. Family members can also trade with each other for a little more variety.
Some radio stations focus only on appropriate music. For instance, Brigham Young University, which is owned by the Mormons, has two stations, one for instrumental music, and one for other music and sermons. The music on these stations is spiritual in nature, and therefore morally clean.
Using morally clean radio stations and libraries allows you to find new artists who are more reliably moral than those you may have listened to in the past. It is helpful to discover artists you can trust to uphold your values, so you don’t have to carefully research each purchase, or find yourself the owner of something you don’t want to own. For instance, the Mormon family, the Five Browns, are popular with people of all faiths and are reliably safe.
The new year is a good time to set a music resolution—from here on out, only music you would play for the Savior will be welcome in your home.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
