Loving the Arts

Now let’s take a look at loving the arts. Those who love the arts are innately fond of singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, and they also enjoy performing. The more people there are, the more excited they become; and they want to put on a bit of a show, doing crosstalk, skits, singing, dancing, or playing musical instruments to make everyone happy and help them to relax. What kind of manifestation is loving the arts? First, we need to look at whether the arts consist of positive things or negative things. If you are not clear on this, then let Me ask you: Do you think singing and dancing are legitimate needs of humanity? (Yes.) They are legitimate needs of humanity. That is, people use their singing voices, body language, or a kind of artistic method to make life fun, to add to the joy of life, or to express one of their moods. Can this be considered legitimate? (Yes.) Now, let’s go back to the original topic—loving the arts, loving to sing and dance, to play instruments and perform—what category do these kinds of manifestations belong to? (Interests and hobbies.) Since they are interests and hobbies, what do they fall under? (Innate conditions.) Some children like listening to music and watching dances from the age of five or six, and when they hear the beat of the music, their hands and feet start moving, and they feel the urge to dance. This is innate. Some people hear songs and dance music and want to learn, but are unable to, even in their teens or twenties. It is very strenuous for them to try to learn to dance, and they are particularly clumsy. This is also innate. By contrast, those who innately love singing and dancing can start dancing happily when they hear music playing. When they hear someone sing a song, they can follow along and learn from them, and after just practicing a few times, they can sing it themselves. This proves that for this type of person, these things are innate and in their bones; they like these things at heart, and they are also good at them. They know how to do them without anyone teaching them. There are even some particularly outstanding individuals who can sing a few lines of regional opera at just seven or eight years old, and their singing has that authentic feel to it, and it’s in the right tune and follows the right rhythm—that is truly rare! Some children can even sing a few pop songs, and some can dance in styles such as Indian dance, Xinjiang dance, or modern dance. When they hear dance songs or music, they instinctively like them, and they quickly start to move their bodies to the music. If you don’t let them sing, they will secretly sing in their hearts or find a suitable place to sing out loud. They just want to sing and love to sing, and no one can hold them back. They were not influenced by their parents, nor were they taught by anyone. Since they were little, they have possessed these strengths or hobbies. It is obvious that this is an innate condition—they have an innate interest in the arts. If those children are interested in the arts, must they engage in this work—must they do a job in this industry for their entire lives? Not necessarily. It depends on God’s ordination, on how God exercises His sovereignty and arranges things. If God arranges for them to work in the arts, they will be bound to this industry for their whole lifetime. But if God has not arranged or ordained them to work in this industry, they will merely have this interest and hobby, and even if they enjoy it, it won’t be possible for them to engage in that work. Some people have liked the arts since childhood. Their parents, seeing that their child has this interest and hobby, think, “Let’s nurture it then. Maybe our family can produce an artistic talent. Perhaps our child will even become famous and be a star!” So they start nurturing their child in their dancing and singing studies, and eventually, the child gets admitted to an art academy. Although the child’s interest and hobby in the arts remains strong after graduation, whether they can work in this industry is uncertain. It is possible that when they are about to engage in this work, their mood changes, and their attitude and views toward this work then change, and it is also possible that due to various reasons within the objective circumstances, they miss out on being a part of this industry. All these things are possible; it depends on God’s preordination. But looking at it from the root cause, the child’s interest and hobby is their innate condition—before they were even born, God had already arranged this strength for them, and added certain special qualities to their humanity, making them innately especially sensitive to and good at music, dance, and other aspects of the arts. Thus, what they reveal in their daily life is a particular fondness for singing and dancing. Regardless of whether their personality is lively or shy, whether they love to talk or do not love to talk, in any case, there is something deep in their bones that cannot be removed—they like to sing, like to dance, and like to perform. Some people, even though they become extremely energetic and feel a sense of release in their soul when they are singing, are still very shy when you talk to them, and they are not good at expressing themselves or interacting with people. When associating with others, they are especially stiff and tense, and even nervous and afraid, not knowing how to handle these situations. But when they step onto the stage to perform, they do so with ease; it’s as if they have become a different person. Nonbelievers say this is the “patron deity” of their field granting them this ability to make a living—is this correct? In actuality, this is God’s ordination. What strengths, interests, and hobbies a person innately has is related to God’s preordination. Whatever strengths and hobbies a person has, they are all preordained by God. If God gives you an interest and a hobby, you like it and appreciate it from the depths of your heart, feeling especially passionate about it. When you engage in this work or do something related to this work, you feel especially tranquil and at ease inside, and you are also especially interested in it. Therefore, if you have some kind of strength, when the work of God’s house has need of it, you should do that corresponding duty. For you, this is the best opportunity to bring your strength into play. Likewise, since this strength was given to you by God, it is not your private possession; you may not misuse it at will. When the work of God’s house has need of it, you should bring it into play and offer it to God, using it in your duty. This is a favorable condition for you to attain salvation, and it is also a superior condition that God has given you—you should bring it into play well and apply it well, without holding back. That way, in one respect, you can bring your strength into play, and in another respect, you can also fulfill your duty to repay God’s love. Isn’t this great? (Yes.)

God has given people certain kinds of strengths, and whether it be in ancient times or modern times, one of these—the arts—has never been taken seriously, and has always been listed among the things of the lower classes. In particular, in some relatively traditional and feudal social environments, people all look at the arts through a tinted lens, and the arts are always discriminated against by some. Among people, the arts are characterized in this way, and they have this kind of rank, status, or definition, because of people’s notions, people’s feudal ideas, or those distorted, fallacious thoughts and viewpoints that Satan instills in people. There is another factor, which is that a bad climate has been fostered in this industry due to the influence of evil society and evil trends, and so, people give a poor assessment of the arts industry. Some people engaged in this industry have used their interests and strengths in the arts to do many negative and wicked things, which has tarnished the arts and distorted the nature of the arts. As a result, people have developed many negative opinions about the arts world, and regard those who work in the arts or have interests and hobbies in this area as negative figures. However, regardless of how this society and humankind view this kind of strength, in short, if any person—whether they are a member of God’s house or a person who is outside of God’s house—has a strength or interest and hobby in this area, it is undeniable that this strength and hobby are innate conditions. Precisely because they are innate conditions, they are neither negative nor wicked. It is only due to the direction of certain erroneous thoughts and theories in particular eras that the arts and those who engage in them have been characterized as wicked and negative things. This is something that has frequently occurred throughout history. It’s just like how soybeans can be made into fragrant tofu that people enjoy eating, but can also be fermented with microorganisms like mold to become stinky tofu. You cannot say that soybeans are bad just because you don’t like to eat stinky tofu. Is this logical reasoning correct? (No.) It is obviously incorrect; it is distorted. Therefore, although there are some filthy and ugly things within arts groups in society, you cannot say that the arts themselves are filthy, ugly, and negative, much less can you say that these people who like and are skilled in the arts are all wicked and ugly negative figures. This is faulty reasoning; it is not a correct comprehension. If, because some of those people are wicked, you say that the arts they are good at are also wicked, then this is a grave mistake. The various strengths that God gives people are meant to serve the human world. If humankind had no cultural life, that would be far too dull. God arranging for people to have a cultural life is not wrong. Those wicked things are all caused by devils and Satan exploiting opportunities to create disturbances. Even though, compared to the perfect humankind—the one that will ultimately be made complete—this humankind that God created is not perfect and has defects now, this does not mean that the humankind that God created is wicked or negative—these are two different concepts. Do you understand? (Yes.) Regardless of how this evil era and evil world position the arts, and interests, hobbies, or strengths in singing and dancing, in any case, it is undeniable that they are needs of humanity, and that they are also interests and hobbies possessed by some special people. Since they are interests and hobbies, they are innate to people and something people are born with, which means that they come from God and are given by God. Before people are even born, God has already predestined the occupation that each of them will engage in: Some people are placed in commerce to do business, some are placed in factories to be workers, some are placed in agriculture to do farm work, some are placed in education to be teachers, and some are placed in the arts to be performers. God has already placed various kinds of strengths within different people by the time they are born. That is, within their fleshly life, each person’s interests, hobbies, and strengths are different. Before you were born, God had already added some special and different things to you. If you do not have interests and hobbies or strengths, you should not complain that God did not add them to you. Without these, you can still live, and you can still do your duty. You are not lacking anything compared to others, because you have the same opportunity as others to do a duty. Your corrupt dispositions are the same as those of others; it is just that people’s innate conditions are different—each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. So what is the key point? The key point is differences in humanity. A person who possesses some special interests, hobbies, and strengths within their innate conditions is not some kind of special talent, and a person who does not possess any interests, hobbies, or strengths within their innate conditions is not some kind of mediocre person. Everyone is more or less the same. It is just that whatever God gives you, He requires from you, and you should use it in your duty, and whatever He does not give you, He does not additionally require from you. Although God may not have given you interests and hobbies, or strengths, the various things or conditions you possess within your humanity are still sufficient for you to take on an item of work or a duty. If you are unable to take it on, then it is possible that you are someone outside the ranks of those who do a duty, and that would be another matter altogether.

We’ll end our discussion on the topic of loving the arts here. The characterization of this kind of strength should now be clear to you. Do not think that those who love the arts are weird or wicked. If you think this way, then your comprehension is very distorted. You should treat such people correctly, interact with such people correctly, and encourage them to apply the professional techniques that they are skilled at and understand to their duties. If you are a leader or worker, you must learn to use the correct approach to help, guide, and direct those people in bringing their strengths into play, so that they can get on the right track and take on a duty related to their interests and hobbies, thereby becoming created beings who are up to standard, and being worthy of the various interests, hobbies, and strengths that God has given them. If they are unable to take on a duty related to their interests and hobbies, it is also fine for them to do another duty. However, they should not be restricted from having their own interests and hobbies, because this is a part of humanity.

On that note, I am reminded of something—right now, in God’s house, some new singers have recorded songs. These new singers, after diligently acquiring professional knowledge and practicing singing, have finally been able to record finished songs, going from working behind the scenes to performing on the main stage. Even though their singing falls short of a professional standard, and doesn’t yet reach the level of professional singers, and there’s room for improvement—some of them sing without much seasoned finesse, some singers’ voices are not so melodious and their performances are not so pleasing to the eye—their attitude in doing their duty is worthy of encouragement. Going from being an amateur to appearing on screen as a rookie singer, an inexperienced singer, is something that is worthy of encouragement. So what is it that I want to say to you regarding this matter? It is that when the hymn videos recorded by these new singers are uploaded to the internet, you should give them some encouragement. You can also offer some good suggestions that they can benefit from, but do not nitpick, do not belittle them in a disdainful way, and do not be overcritical. This attitude is not good; at the very least, there is no love and tolerance in it, and it is not the attitude one should have toward their brothers and sisters. What is the appropriate way to treat them, then? You should encourage them and cheer for them a bit, and then offer some appropriate suggestions; only this is beneficial to them. At the very least, they have the courage to stand on stage and sing hymns to praise God, which is beneficial to God’s chosen people. Therefore, everyone should help them do their duty well, and everyone absolutely must not make irresponsible remarks, and must not be jealous of them. We should be happy and glad that God’s house has more people who are talented at singing—this is a good thing. Those who have strengths in this area should all be allowed to put them to use; they should all be given opportunities. They themselves do not have much confidence, and they don’t have an outlet for the little interests and hobbies they have. If they have the willingness to do this duty well and have recorded hymn videos, when you see it, you should at least listen to it two or three times—listen attentively and carefully—and give them some encouragement. Do not undermine them behind their backs. You should tell other brothers and sisters to listen more to the songs they sing and give them more likes. Some of them sing quite well, with genuine emotion, articulating every line quite clearly; their attire and demeanor are dignified and proper, making them appear appropriate to others. Others, however, might be lacking a bit in terms of their voices and technical maturity. If you know a bit about music and can pick out flaws, do not mock them; treat them properly, and encourage and support them all the same. This is the attitude that you should have as a family member, as a brother or sister. Do not imitate bad people by doing things that belittle others or put others down. If you yourself cannot get on stage, yet when anyone else does, you become jealous, undermine them, and make petty remarks behind their backs, this is lacking in humanity. Conducting yourself in this way is not good—it is despicable. Even if you can pick out their flaws, you should still encourage them. You should do this because they are brothers and sisters—they are not professionals, nor have they undergone professional training—and their being able to sing as they do now is purely the result of their own exploration, practice, and hard work. So why not encourage them? If you learn to be encouraging and tolerant, and can still treat them correctly with love and tolerance even when you notice some defects in their singing, then this shows that you have humanity. Some people always compare the singers in God’s house with professional singers of the nonbelieving world, and therefore look down on the singers in God’s house and nitpick at this and that. This is a lack of humanity. If you always pick out others’ shortcomings and always think you are better than and superior to others, then why can’t you sing a song that moves people? Do not nitpick at others. The singers in the church do not come from professional backgrounds, but there is one thing that is special about them: In doing this work, they are not engaging in a career—they are doing their duty. Their duty is to use their voices to sing God’s words and to testify to and propagate God’s words. So you should encourage them. Isn’t doing this good? (Yes.) This is having humanity. Don’t nitpick when you listen to a new singer sing, saying, “This person’s voice is no good. It’s not refined. They’re off-beat, and their pitch is off—I’m not listening! No one should listen to them, and no one should give them a like!” What are you being so meticulous about in this matter? Singing a bit off, singing without seasoned finesse, or in a non-professional way—does this go against the truth principles? It does not. They are doing their duty, so you should measure their singing with the principles of doing a duty, not based on your own tastes and perspectives. To put it bluntly—what do you know? If you know so much about singing, why haven’t you sung a single song to an exemplary standard? Since you haven’t sung to an exemplary standard, you have no right to criticize others. Of course, even if you can sing to an exemplary standard, you still should not criticize others. Their performance of this work is in itself not engaging in the arts industry or working in the arts—it is doing a duty and propagating God’s words, which is of a different nature. Regardless of whether they sing well or not, they are putting their heart into what they do—they are doing their duty. As for their professional level, that is another matter. A professional standard can only be gradually achieved through learning and long-term practice. The new singers in God’s house are currently at the level they’re at. People should treat them correctly—everyone should give encouragement and support. Do not nitpick, and do not flaunt yourself. If you flaunt yourself, people will find you repulsive. If you do not flaunt yourself and instead listen a few more times, people will think you are quite a good person, someone who has a God-fearing heart, whose heart is with God’s house, and who has tolerance, and this is then a strong point, a merit of your humanity. If you do this, people will like you, and God will also like you. If you show off, always picking out flaws to show that you’re brilliant and you’re an expert, then you are undermining and disturbing the work of God’s house. If you undermine the work, can God like you? (No.) God will not like you, and the brothers and sisters will not like you either. How have the singers offended you? Why do you have to show off and undermine them like this? Are you only undermining one person? No, you are undermining the work of God’s house, you are undermining God. If you do this, can God like you? Even if you hear flaws in the songs they sing, you should not judge them, because reaching a professional standard in any specialized work is not something that happens overnight. It is not easy—it requires honing and practice, and guidance from professionals; and, in addition, everyone has different aptitudes. Even God does not make requirements of them based on professional standard, so what qualification do you have to require this from them? Always demanding that others should reach a certain level is not rational; this is arrogance, and it is showing off. When others stand out, you feel upset at heart and become endlessly jealous, always wanting to say some sarcastic and cutting words to satisfy your vanity. How base it is to do this! This is despicable and vile, and such a person has no conscience and reason. You should do things that are beneficial to others, things that are worthy of others’ admiration and also remembered by God. Do not do things that undermine others. Will you remember this? (Yes.) If you cannot achieve being tolerant, supportive, and encouraging, and cannot come to protect and safeguard the church’s work, if you lack this humanity, then at least do not do or say things that undermine others. This is the absolute least that should be done—this is the boundary.