https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy Made with an open mind en-us 2018-03-02 05:05:43 UTC 2026-01-05 12:57:44 UTC hello@padlet.com abeljoseph2396 https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237281871 I definitely believe my own personal experiences play into the fact that I believe that these experiences can be real. I've mentioned before that I've been to several concerts and worship nights in which I've experienced these moments. Generally what happens is I walk into one of those concerts and begin to sing along with the band. In singing along, often I can get lost in just singing the words, however in the times where I've experienced otherworldly calm and quality are in times where I'm worshipping. In those moments in my mind I'll be thinking about Jesus and my faith in Jesus and the fact that He's forgiven me of all the bad and wrong things I've ever done. In that moment when I'm singing, the words I'm singing along to become worship, because it comes from my heart and I sing in appreciation to God. 

However, in my opinion, I enjoy when my friends are singing on the stage and playing the instruments because when they play there is a true sense of genuineness that I feel. Because an actual band is paid to perform there is a way that their worship can be more focused on how the music sounds as opposed to the genuineness of their hearts. When my friends play, because I know them well, there is a knowing of their heart on my end, and knowing that we're all on the same page of worship towards God. Attached here is a link that one of my friends is singing at and I've experienced genuine worship and thankfulness toward God. ]]> 2018-03-02 05:07:37 UTC https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237281871 abeljoseph2396 https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237282104 The question asks "do you find the idea of popular music concerts as sites of religious or spiritual experiences convincing?". Unfortunately, because there is a lot of corruption in the world, people manipulate spiritual experiences. Because of this, its hard for people to believe that spiritual experiences happen. In my opinion, I definitely do believe that these experiences can happen. I agree with the question because I've experienced this many times in my life. As a Christian, I've been to several Christian concerts and services where different bands play and invite you in to worship with them. In those times, when your heart is in the right place, there is "a calm, otherworldly quality" (Music Appreciation, 3).   ]]> 2018-03-02 05:10:43 UTC https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237282104 abeljoseph2396 https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237284359 My favorite part in religious concerts are the times when the singers signal to the rest of the band to stop playing and when they do, its just the voices of singers and the audience. When at a concert, it can be easy to get lost in the pounding of the drums, the strumming of the guitar, and the beauty of the singer's voices, however when its just the singers without the instruments and with the audience singing along, its one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Its because it invokes a feeling that I'm actually singing and talking to God. The acoustic version "represents the voice of the church rather than any single individual" talking to God all at once (Music Appreciation, 3).

In the video below, there is a such experience. Compared to earlier on in the video, the music dies down and its just the singer singing and the piano playing. At that time, the camera moves in on the audience and you see the people singing along and people have their hands in the air in worship and the looks on their face clearly tell that the experience that they're having cannot be mimicked and is a genuine spiritual experience. At 9:14 you see an elderly lady singing along and the look on her face is of the worship that I was speaking about. ]]> 2018-03-02 05:29:26 UTC https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237284359 abeljoseph2396 https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237287542 One of the most unique experiences that I've been given the opportunity to be apart of was a conference called Urbana. Urbana is a conference where people from all over the world come to, to be commissioned to serving God in various parts of the world. At this conference one of the things that we get to do is worship God in different languages. So the band will lead the entire audience in a song in the native tongue of a certain ethnic group who were able to join us at Urbana. In the Bible, it says that there comes a time when people of "...every nation, tribe, and tongue will come together to worship the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9). In doing so, "people all over the world use organized sound to enhance and even transcend the possibilities of language" (Deli' Antonio, website 1) in worship to God. 

Attached is a link of a such experience. The singer at the beginning gives a background to the song and why we were going to sing it together. She then goes on to lead a song in a language that is naturally unfamiliar to her to help others understand what it would be like to worship God together in heaven.]]> 2018-03-02 05:59:01 UTC https://padlet.com/abeljoseph2396/68doxm6qz3oy/wish/237287542