MUSIC IN RELIGION: THE INDISPENSABLE SILVER CORD TO THE SUPREME BEING

Abstract

This paper explores the importance of music in religious practices of various faith traditions. Focusing on the concept of the "silver cord" as a metaphorical representation of the connection between human and supreme beings, it highlights the instrumentality of music in connecting the practitioners to the divine. Spiritualists, enchanters, exorcists and the likes use music to arouse ecstasy and to connect to the divine. For prophet Elisha to hear from God, he needed music. The Holy Bible records that "... when the minstrel played, the power of the LORD came upon him" (2 Kings 3:15; Revised standard version). Pople (2002) has defined music as "the organized arrangement of sounds and silences, created by humans and appreciated for its aesthetic qualities, cultural significance and ability to evoke emotions" (p.19). The paper is worried that, in spite of the importance of music in religious practices, practitioners have not given it the pride of place it deserved. The paper made use of historical analysis of documentary research which depended on extant literature, magazine and journal articles and Internet resources. It found out that music enhanced the spiritual experiences of religious practitioners, had psychological, emotional and communal effects and the ability to create a bridge between the earthly and the spiritual realms. The paper concluded that religious leaders should not allow modernity to imbue religious music with immoral and secular content. Key words: music, religion, religious experience, silver cord, supreme being and transcendence.