The Fall is a good place to start with this issue. I’ve had a similar discussion with people about drugs. Are the substances themselves bad or is it how they’re used? But could you say that an atomic bomb is "good" in any way? It might have potentially saved the lives of many American (and Japanese) soldiers by its use in WWII, but by killing many civilians in Japan. So how is the making of the bomb "good" in any real sense. It is only "good" in relation to other evils. So, fundamentally, it is a technology formed in a sinful world where the concept of "good" only makes sense as a lesser evil.
But we’re talking about colors and sounds, a more fundamental experience perhaps. Well, there is no such thing as a "pure" color or sound. So we can’t pretend to know what it would mean for color to be "good" in and of itself. Colors and sounds are used in meaningful contexts, so we can’t really talk about colors and sounds outside of the way they are used (see Wolterstorff’s "Art in Action" again, pp. 96-121).
Back to the Fall. God created a "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". To be consistent with the biblical narrative, this must have been intended for good. It must have been "good" in and of itself because up to that point we see God accepting the creation as good. After the Fall, what was intended for good (and we don’t know how things would have turned out if mankind didn’t distort God’s good intentions) is skewed. We fall out of the proper relationships God intended (with creation, with ourselves, and with God). And so all parts of creation, including colors and sounds, are affected by our sin. They are now used to manipulate, to frighten, to keep others at a distance. They are used to hide or distract us from our being in God’s image. In short, they serve our sinful desires, which are manifested in broken relationships—ones that are contrary to God’s intended meaningful purposes.
grant
Dec 13 2007
02:39 pm
The Fall is a good place to start with this issue. I’ve had a similar discussion with people about drugs. Are the substances themselves bad or is it how they’re used? But could you say that an atomic bomb is "good" in any way? It might have potentially saved the lives of many American (and Japanese) soldiers by its use in WWII, but by killing many civilians in Japan. So how is the making of the bomb "good" in any real sense. It is only "good" in relation to other evils. So, fundamentally, it is a technology formed in a sinful world where the concept of "good" only makes sense as a lesser evil.
But we’re talking about colors and sounds, a more fundamental experience perhaps. Well, there is no such thing as a "pure" color or sound. So we can’t pretend to know what it would mean for color to be "good" in and of itself. Colors and sounds are used in meaningful contexts, so we can’t really talk about colors and sounds outside of the way they are used (see Wolterstorff’s "Art in Action" again, pp. 96-121).
Back to the Fall. God created a "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil". To be consistent with the biblical narrative, this must have been intended for good. It must have been "good" in and of itself because up to that point we see God accepting the creation as good. After the Fall, what was intended for good (and we don’t know how things would have turned out if mankind didn’t distort God’s good intentions) is skewed. We fall out of the proper relationships God intended (with creation, with ourselves, and with God). And so all parts of creation, including colors and sounds, are affected by our sin. They are now used to manipulate, to frighten, to keep others at a distance. They are used to hide or distract us from our being in God’s image. In short, they serve our sinful desires, which are manifested in broken relationships—ones that are contrary to God’s intended meaningful purposes.