Music and Religion

Before I get started on my blog, I wanted to give y’all some background of how music in religion pertains to me. When I was younger, my family went to church every Sunday, and every holiday. Church was the one place that we could be together as a family, and be relaxed while praising the Lord. I used to go to Christian camps to learn more about the Bible, and Jesus and I used to attend youth groups so that I could meet new people.  As I got older, I started going less and less to church because of how busy I was. As you read through my blog, I’m not just addressing how the music pertains to me in my religious background but also how music pertains to religion through the use and aesthetics. 

I grew up in an Episcopal church with the same people for years, so I knew everyone around me. As a little girl, I remember learning the basic hymns and songs from church, and at night before my siblings and I went to bed, my mom would sing “Jesus Loves Me.” This hymn stuck with me through my childhood till now, and I still hum the melody without consciously knowing I am doing it. From Godtube, it is said that the hymn is taught to new converts and children, and it teaches that God loves each and every one of his creations despite our mistakes and sins. The hymn also teaches us that even though we are weak, he is our strength and is with us every step of the way. Below is the video of lyrics to the song, they are very simple but hold so much meaning. I also attached a picture of me with my cousin and brother taken after Church.

https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/jesus-loves-me/

Although I talked about my experience to music pertaining to religion, I want to talk about the generalization of music connecting to religion. In the website, The Importance of  Music In Different Religions, I focused solely on Christianity, but if you click on the link below it will take you to a PDF about other religions and how they use music for worship. In Christianity, music is a way to worship God, to connect to him and understand him. Music unites the church to God through one voice. The hymns, songs, and psalms are a way that Christians express personal or communal belief regarding faith. The aesthetics in music is different for everyone, but for me I love the sound of the organ playing. The sound of the acoustics of the organ, and the echoing off the walls makes me appreciate the beauty of the instrument, and the bells chiming when I am singing hymns in church adds to the aesthetics of the church overall. Below I attached a video of a church organ, and other videos that will influence the appreciation of music through religion. (The music is long but please skip around to hear how beautiful it is!)

https://cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/mypad.northampton.ac.uk/dist/8/5781/files/2016/04/WR70-1psuxta.pdf