Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Arts and Crafts/Poetry and Songwriting/37/en

11. Why do poetry and songwriting have such an impact on the minds of people? Are there good and bad forms of each? How can an author write poems or songs for the glory of God?

Poetry and songwriting are an open opportunity to express ideas and thoughts. They are also open for interpretation by the hearers. The images that these create are very different and far more graceful than the images that everyday speech creates. Just like any other type of art, there are ways to create quality, as well as downright immoral poetry and songs. Often the most subtle influences of evil are slipped into the words, and the power for good that could be had is lost. Anything that can be taken by the audience in a bad or immoral way should be avoided or at least carefully considered, especially since we are the authors. Writing any of these forms of art should be written in a way that God is not dishonored in any way.