by journey-on 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Even if it were just four or five good singers that practice during the week and get to know the new songbook well, this would benefit the whole congregation. Music is such a vital part of the overall emotional connection to the gathering, a well-rehearsed choir singing along with the congregation would encourage and uplift, don't you think?
What is the society's reasoning for not doing this?
~ undo attention/glory to individual(s)
~ creature worship
~ it's a fun activity, non-essential to knocking on doors
It's because the R&F might just have some FUN! Can't have that now can they!
But, from what I hear, nobody can sing the new songs with clarity and enthusiasm. They sound like caterwauling. You would think they would at least allow a trial run at it.
Yeah...y'all are probably right. I forgot about "the FUN thing". Also, there would be the possibility that Brother Goodvoice might be alone with Sister Smoothsound on practice night when the other two or three don't show up.
They used to have pianos in some of the halls. I remember playing with them when I was really young. But yeah, choirs are something Babylon the great does; can't do anything like them!
I loved those days, DanaBug. I was a kid and my mom was the piano player. She would embellish the music and we had three or four really good singers that would really get into it especially during the chorus part. It was a sad sad day when the piano was removed and the CD equipment installed.
Because UNITY is their most important value and everyone can't be in 'the choir'. Everyone must be the same, do the same thing, look the same.
They can't have one congregation having an awesome choir and another having a not awesome choir or whatever.
There can't be differences.
Unity, unity, unity.
Part of the reason is that modern-day church choirs come from the practice of using Gregorian chant in order to "pray" the psalms. This is still done today through something called the Divine Office or the Liturgy of the Hours, a practice the first Christians took directly from 1st-century Judaism and incorporated into sanctifying as well as marking the hours of the day.
All forms of Western music today is based on the Gregorian chant choral music system (the "Do-Re-Mi" note system), and our understanding of harmony is based on this form of prayer developed by monks. Choirs grew out of the choral music system, which were developed to either sing for the congregation, lead the congregation in prayer, or the like. Eventually hymn singing was assigned to them, especially after the Protestant Reformation and even for the first few decades after Vatican II in the Catholic Church (Gregorian chant has since been restored to the Catholic Church as well as found its way into most other Christian denominations).
Adapting the choir system might just "smack" too much of "Christendom" for the JWs. It would also lead to studying music theory, which could lead some to backtrack to some of this information and see where and how Western music came about, risking exposure to such things as early church history and causing a backlash effect.
This is actually part of the reason why the JWs went to great extent to avoid using other hymns from other faiths, not just because they originated from other religions, but there is significant history behind many of the hymns that could in fact counter some of the teachings of the JWs.
What I don't get is to change established songs with different words and an altered track. Forget that! I am so glad I don't go anymore. The new way to do the old songs is NOT Jah's direction. That is horsepucky.
