Downloading songs

[dreambrother]

What is the view of downloading songs? In Christianity, do you think it's wrong, or right?

[FlyerBoy]

In my opinion it would depend. Like I know some local Christian bands that would love for me to download there songs and give them out to some people. I think it all depends on how much you are downloading and what the purpose of the download is.

[jeolmstead]

If it's copy writed and you haven't paid for it or got permission it's against the law

[RichardT]

Downloading Copyright Files On File Sharing Software Is Obviously Stealing. Repent.

[DoctorWho]

If one of the many downloading services is being used, such as i-tunes or napster, then I don't see anything wrong with it.

However, if you're downloading and NOT paying for it, then IMHO it's wrong.

:)

[RichardT]

If one of the many downloading services is being used, such as i-tunes or napster, then I don't see anything wrong with it.

However, if you're downloading and NOT paying for it, then IMHO it's wrong.

:)

How can it not be stealing ?!

[dreambrother]

Well, I don't think it's wrong. I shouldn't have to buy a cd for one song, or to SAMPLE it, and I'm not going to.

There is nothing wrong with it. That's how I've found all my music.

It's not stealing. Now, however, if I was to go to the store and put a cd in my pocket, and walk out with it, then yes, that'd be stealing.

[twistedsketch]

How can it not be stealing ?!
iTunes and the new Napster have permission to distribute the songs once the downloader coughs up the fee.

[twistedsketch]

Well, I don't think it's wrong. I shouldn't have to buy a cd for one song, or to SAMPLE it, and I'm not going to.

There is nothing wrong with it. That's how I've found all my music.

It's not stealing. Now, however, if I was to go to the store and put a cd in my pocket, and walk out with it, then yes, that'd be stealing.
The law states otherwise, and as Christians we are to obey the laws of the land (Romans 13:1-7). Until you repent of this, you will be a thief in the eyes of God and man.

[Catechumen]

If it's copy writed and you haven't paid for it or got permission it's against the law

Who cares if it's against the law? Man-made laws don't mean anything. The question being asked is if it's morally wrong, which is all that matters in the end anyway.

And yes we are supposed to obey the "laws of the land" but not if they require or allow immoral actions. The government says abortion is sometimes legal, but that doesn't mean it's moral. Abortion is murder, for example.

[SumTinWong]

What is the view of downloading songs? In Christianity, do you think it's wrong, or right?
It is illegal to download copyrighted songs without paying for them. Therefore if doing what you know is wrong is a sin, what does that tell you?

[willin_christ]

God created wonderful diversity and variety. There was no money in the garden of Eden and there is no money in the millennium or the new city. Only in between from the fall to the return of Christ does money exist. Why? Satan tries to unify all things into the mammon of unrighteousness. If Satan could get man to give a value for the moon and the sun, he would. This means all money is the root of all evil. There are other causes to evil, but at the center of any evil will always be money. Satan is let loose even for a short while at the end of the millennium to show even some men still have the love for money even though there is none in the millennium. There is no money in the millennial kingdom-to-come.

[CrazyforYeshua]

[quote=willin_christ] This means all money is the root of all evil.[quote]

Not really, it's what we do with it.
1Ti 6:9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

To answer the OP, I have heard both sides, that it is illegal to d/l, and the other side that says if it's for your personal use, it's ok. Kinda like a TiVo, I can go to Starz and record a movie, and d/l it to a DVD If the capability is on the machine, and they sell them that way, how can it be illegal? But, some say it is....

[Jacob4707]

What is the view of downloading songs? In Christianity, do you think it's wrong, or right?

If this is about songs that are not clearly labeled for "free downloading," or about downloading music that one knows is copyrighted, available on CD, etc., the fact that the question is even being asked means that one knows the answer.

[Disippelen]

Who cares if it's against the law? Man-made laws don't mean anything. The question being asked is if it's morally wrong, which is all that matters in the end anyway.

And yes we are supposed to obey the "laws of the land" but not if they require or allow immoral actions. The government says abortion is sometimes legal, but that doesn't mean it's moral. Abortion is murder, for example.

Hey Catechumen.. As Christians we are commanded by God to obey the laws of the country we live in - it is God's will. (of course as long as the law isn't making you sin)

But in addition to obeying human governmental laws, Christians are also commanded to follow God's moral laws, which we find in the Bible, NT.

Your reasoning needs some comments: yes, we should keep the law. And conserning abortion, yes, that is a sin, but we are not forced to abort, the human laws only open the possibility to do it - we can refuse to abort, and still keep the law. The other example, stealing/downloading illegaly, is a completely other case. Though some might think it's not morally wrong, doesn't change the fact that most (if not all) nations have laws against theft - and so Christians must obey these laws.

Christians must follow both human laws and God's laws, that's the case..

[RichardT]

When something is copyright , and you download it off a P2P network , is it not stealing from the company?

[dreambrother]

When something is copyright , and you download it off a P2P network , is it not stealing from the company?

no, it's not. kthnx. there's a difference between stealing something, and getting it for free. if I went into a store and somebody gave me a candy bar, would that be stealing because I didn't pay for it? no. I got it for free. the same thing goes with downloading songs.

[twistedsketch]

Who cares if it's against the law? Man-made laws don't mean anything. The question being asked is if it's morally wrong, which is all that matters in the end anyway.

And yes we are supposed to obey the "laws of the land" but not if they require or allow immoral actions. The government says abortion is sometimes legal, but that doesn't mean it's moral. Abortion is murder, for example.
I fail to see how it is a moral obligation to download songs. What you say has validity if the government were to tell us to not evangleize, or force us to have abortions. Downloading copyrighted music isn't in the same league. It's not even the same sport.

[twistedsketch]

no, it's not. kthnx. there's a difference between stealing something, and getting it for free. if I went into a store and somebody gave me a candy bar, would that be stealing because I didn't pay for it? no. I got it for free. the same thing goes with downloading songs.
That is because someone with the authority to do so GAVE you the candy bar for free. An artist does not just GIVE songs out for download unless he posts it on his web site and makes it available for download. Other people do not have the authority to give out songs. According to copyright law, only the copyright holder does. What you're talking about is just TAKING which is completely different. Taking without permission is also called STEALING.

[jive]

just figure id throw something out there about the file downloading.
people have been arrested and got in trouble for sharring the files to dl. i dont think its unlawful to dl them, ive never hurd or seen any one getting intruble for just downloading them, i think its just the ones putting the files on the net download that get in trouble....

why? i dont know its just like.............for example, if the person sharring the song files, was to have bought the cd and them put the on the net for downloading, it would be just like letting you borrow the cd. say u take the borrowed cd home, and burn it on to your computer. thats exactly what its like when you dl files from the networks that do the file sharring. hows that breaking the law? i dont know. but supposedly it is. i think its because the state or gov. arnt getting the TAX off of it, you know how they love there god, the Almighty Dollar.

[twistedsketch]

but supposedly it is. i think its because the state or gov. arnt getting the TAX off of it, you know how they love there god, the Almighty Dollar.
The author or artist automatically holds copyright over it. Copyright in the US is as old as the US itself (fair use exceptions are documented in the ARTICLES of the Constitution, not the Amendments). This was before sales tax. It's stealing from the author, artist, or distributor - whoever has the legal right to make money off it - first and foremost.

[jive]

The author or artist automatically holds copyright over it. Copyright in the US is as old as the US itself (fair use exceptions are documented in the ARTICLES of the Constitution, not the Amendments). This was before sales tax. It's stealing from the author, artist, or distributor - whoever has the legal right to make money off it - first and foremost.

thx for the info, i didnt know copywright was around that long. i did know about copywright laws though and i knew thats why it would be illegal, if you were making money off it, but the p2p is not making money off it, lest not the ones i use. to me if someone borrows a cd you bought and they burned onto a comp, you should be able to do that. you payed the 20 + bucks for, 2 or 3 songs that are actualy worth listening to, so you should be able to do with it what you want, exept make money of it. like the big artist are worried about it anyway. a couple million a year to do something you love ant enough?

about the gov. i just ment that the gov. today isnt to worried about the people, and there rights. there main motivation is the Almighty Dollar. i think its obvious, but thats just my opinion. the government in a whole, is crooked and evil. but the post was mainly about just the lawmakers.

[Wisdom's Child]

I just think about all those people out there that violate copyright when they are wearing headphones and singing out loud to the music and others hear them singing or the kid with the $5,000 dollar megawatt car stereo which can be heard a quarter mile away (violation=public performance without paying royalties).

Even if you happen to remember a song in your head, and hum it quietly to yourself, the fact remains that you posess a "copy" which has been recorded upon a recordable medium (brain cells). Even Repeating lyrics to another is considered sharing copyrighted material.

Solution......quit listening to music.
PROBLEM SOLVED

[twistedsketch]

thx for the info, i didnt know copywright was around that long. i did know about copywright laws though and i knew thats why it would be illegal, if you were making money off it, but the p2p is not making money off it, lest not the ones i use. to me if someone borrows a cd you bought and they burned onto a comp, you should be able to do that. you payed the 20 + bucks for, 2 or 3 songs that are actualy worth listening to, so you should be able to do with it what you want, exept make money of it. like the big artist are worried about it anyway. a couple million a year to do something you love ant enough?

It's still a violation. The only permission anyone has to obtain most of it is by paying for it.

I'm not going to get into how much the artists make because it varies wildly. The law is still the same whether they are just a local band starting out or a household name. It is their intellectual property, and if they wanted you to have it for free, they would have either put it up for download off of their website or referred you to a free site or service for download. Services that authentically clear all their music first before making it available are fine to use. Unfortunately, you've got to pay them most of the time (iTunes and Napster).