Even the most die-hard anti-Christian is likely to concede that a lot of the music inspired by Christianity is excellent, although the words are often simply appalling. Growing up in the Methodist Church with its emphasis on singing, I used to love the hymns we sang in church and the Christmas carols.
As Steve Martin points out, atheists have no such songbooks. Here he and the Steep Canyon Rangers offer up one potential contribution.
Actually having our Sundays free in exchange for singing hymns in church looks like a pretty good deal for atheists.
I am thankful to be free of having to listen to the “speaking in tongues” aspect of Pentecostal Churches. Not to mention having to endure the three hour long services.
Yes, there are great hymns and there is the great old time singing, clapping, stomping gospel music. There is fantastic Christian art.
But — is it reasonable to say that the good Christian stuff are just relics of days gone by?
Because I see contemporary Christian art and music — it’s schlock. Garbage. Barfola.
@godlesspanther- Well said. I have always said of Christian rock that if it was any good it would be called rock.
Sorry but that’s not a point I’m willing to concede. It’s mostly rubbish, familiar at best, painful at worst.
As a counterargument, I offer “St Matthew’s Passion” (Bach) and a wide assortment of other classical pieces.
As Hank Hill told a Christian Rock musician, “You’re not making Christian music better; you’re making rock and roll worse.”
Great tight harmonies in this song.
Did Dave say “album”? Was he holding a record? (That was a pretty big CD cover!)
Is Steve Martin putting out records again?
😀
Evolution by Show of Hands.
One doesn’t need to sing about the lack of a god to be an atheist song. There is more to us than lack of faith or science.
We would rather sing about Reality. Not all songs have to be about good things (Gimme Shelter).
Sometimes songs don’t have to be about anything in Particular (Hoppipola) or even have any sensible lyrics (Now We Are Free).
Atheism is inspirational when you realise because it lets you be inspired by life and by death and everything inbetween.
Nice job of atheist gospel by Martin and Co. Good music is good music, making use of hooks and brain worms that appeals to people. The nice thing, we don’t have to be limited to gospels and religious music.
It may not be a purely atheist hymn, but John Lennon’s Imagine does touch touch upon the subject.
For atheists there is also nearly all of heavy metal. Gospel does NOT appeal to me and I couldn’t stand most music that was played during my forced attendance at Catholic Mass.
all non-religious music is by definition secular -- that’s good enough for me.
I second that; Samual Barber’s “Agnus Dei”, a choral version of his familiar Adagio for Strings; Mozart’s “Mass in C Minor”; a bunch of stuff by Josquin des Prez or Henryck Gorecki.
Also, consider the architecture of those beautiful cathedrals.
By constrast, most modern church music sounds like the worst of ’70’s pop.
Monty Python, See it from the bright side of life.
First, most pro-religious “music” is propaganda, whether written to promote religion or to insult and threaten others (e.g. “onward christian soldier”, “the little girl”).
Second, music which is deliberately written about a topic is forced and tends to be terrible. Great songs occur naturally, out of inspiration and by experiences.
I can and still listen to Blood, Sweat and Tears because it is great music by great musicians with a great singer, not contrived crap by self-serving hypocrites trying to forward an opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK62tfoCmuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unFgFoFebaQ
When atheists and agnostics have recorded songs about the falsity of religion, they are rarely propagandistic or having the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Rush’s “Show, Don’t Tell” doesn’t attack creationism directly, it says “Present the evidence and let me decide for myself”. And Matthew Sweet’s “Evangeline” is about a girl too willing to listen to her father and religion (i.e. “god” in both cases) instead of the man who likes her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8FBjXaoDTw
Atheists don’t have music? I guess Tim Minchin needs to work harder.
How about John Lennon’s “God”?
I’m surprised no one has mentioned XTC’s “Dear God”…
Leonard Cohen is Jewish/Buddhist, but lots of his music is pretty antireligious. Certainly “Hallelujah” is, at least when he or Tom Waits sings it. Rufus Wainwright’s version kind of inverts the meaning of that one.
Well, I don’t know about that “modern church music” thing. Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear” can be pretty catchy.
Thirded. J. S. stomps all over the haters.
The Catholic church I attended had the benefit of being well-funded by a largely upper-class congregation. A benefit of this was the incredible pipe organ setup. I don’t think I would have such an appreciation of subharmonics were it not for that church’s organ and more than mildly creepy organist.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer -- The only way.
Pretty lame lyrics though.
ELP’s Tarkus bashes religion generally. “The preacher said a prayer, save every single hair on his head, he’s dead”.
Be-Bop-Deluxe got there before Genesis with Blazing Apostles. “Just keep up with the payments and we’ll make your misery whole”.
Jethro Tull’s Wind Up “How do you dare to tell me that I’m my father’s son, when that was just an accident of birth? I’d rather look around me, compose a better song, ’cause that’s the honest measure of my worth”.
Any ELP fans need to go to You Tube and search for Rachel Flowers, 17 year old blind girl with amazing keyboard skills.
Not to forget Frank Turner, too -- notably two songs:
One Foot Before the Other
“(…) I’m not convinced of the existence of these things that don’t exist
Yeah by Jewish boys with big ideas and scratches on their wrist
By a loving or a vengeful God
Or one who condescends
Who’ll wash his hands down in the mire among the misery of men
Or by ever turning circles hanging timeless in the sky
Like a dream catcher distracting from the fact you’re gonna die (…)”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1o3byr-xuo
Glory Hallelujah
“(…) I know you’re scared of dying man, and I am too
But just pretending it’s not happening isn’t gonna see us through
If we accept that there’s an end game and we haven’t got much time
Then in the here and now then we can try and do things right
We’d be our own Salvation Army and together we’d believe
In all the wondrous things that mere mortals can achieve (…)”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbUCzUk84fE
Those two are very openly atheistic, but there is a general topic of “make the best of your life because it’s the only one you’ve got” and “people don’t go to heaven so it’s our job to remember them” that features in a number of songs.
Also, he’s an amazing entertainer (in the best sense) and an all-around good guy. If you get the chance to watch him live and you like the music, you’ll certainly not regret it.
Yes the album is called Rare Bird Alert.
Rush has a song called “Faithless”
I’ve got my own moral compass to steer by
A guiding star beats a spirit in the sky
And all the preaching voices --
Empty vessels ring so loud
As they move among the crowd
Fools and thieves are well disguised
In the temple and market place
Like a stone in the river
Against the floods of spring
I will quietly resist
Like the willows in the wind
Or the cliffs along the ocean
I will quietly resist
I don’t have faith in faith
I don’t believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that’s faith enough for me
I’ve got my own spirit level for balance
To tell if my choice is leaning up or down
And all the shouting voices
Try to throw me off my course
Some by sermon, some by force
Fools and thieves are dangerous
In the temple and market place
Like a forest bows to winter
Beneath the deep white silence
I will quietly resist
Like a flower in the desert
That only blooms at night
I will quietly resist
Here’s a list of 65 atheist songs:
http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/songs-atheists.html