Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jo Jerome on June 4, 2009 at 12:48am

There are a few songs which I used to like before seeing the atheist light which now make me cringe a little.

But for the most part, I see religious imagery as just that; cultural imagery. Take Janis Joplin... "Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?" I really don't think she's trying to preach the gospel to us and if anything might just be poking fun at those who would pray to their all-powerful sugar daddy in the sky for a car or TV.

I think especially in older rock and such there were a lot of closet atheists and pagans who couldn't say it directly as they'd be banned from the radio, but wove it most eloquently in their lyrics. Several Jethro Tull songs strike me as such.

"Stairway to Heaven" perfectly describes not my religion, but my break from it. Some of the most beautiful imagery, most beautiful marriage of words and music ever written!

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Permalink Reply by Heather Crosby on June 4, 2009 at 2:28am

I like a lot of the stuff mentioned before, but I always get 'gentlemen" by mewithoutYou stuck in my head. The particular song isn't religious, but the band is mildly so. (signed to tooth and nail records, xian label.)

The guitars do it for me though. I love the sludgy metal sound so much. It is just sexy.

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Permalink Reply by Jude Johnson on June 4, 2009 at 10:16am

I still rock to "Jesus is Just Alright" (Doobie Brothers). -I enjoy many songs about fictional characters.

But seriously, I'd be missing out on a lot of good music if I boycotted ones that mention god, jesus, heaven, hell, etc. I don't think of it any differently than I would a song about Homer's Odyssey or the Lord of the Rings (though at least those are more believable).

Also: Amazing Grace makes me ill, as others have stated. It just ooooozes religion. (Anyone smell something icky?)

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Permalink Reply by Billy Deaton on June 5, 2009 at 9:19pm

By the same token, I really like some anti-religious music ("Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine") but a lot of it is also garbage (almost all death metal).

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Permalink Reply by Jezzy on June 6, 2009 at 1:36am

What about Imagine, by John Lennon? Hand That Feeds, by Nine Inch Nails? Soul Society, by Kamelot? I love them all. :)

No, you're right. There are too many bitter nontheists in the world, who apparently can only express their frustrations through violence, vandalism, and terrible music. It's almost ironic. Is religion really worth that?

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Permalink Reply by Billy Deaton on June 6, 2009 at 9:39pm

Oh definitely, I was just using Patti Smith as an example, but "Imagine" (and "God" by john lennon) are definitly two of my favorite songs ever, mostly for their music, but I guess whatI'm saying is, the fact that I agree with the message makes it all the sweeter.

But what I said in my earlier post was, basically the same, that I do like some religious music or songs about gods, and the message really doesn't bother me if the musics good enough.

Perhaps there's a point where the message would bother me. Like anything by prussian blue, no matter how 'good' the music was (which it's not, btw, it's awful) I'd never get behind it because the message is too offensive.

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Permalink Reply by unholyroller on June 5, 2009 at 10:17pm

I have heard "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes and I STILL hate it!!!! However...I love bagpipes playing Scots war songs or lullabys.

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Permalink Reply by Jezzy on June 5, 2009 at 10:43pm

Everyone gets their own world view, and we really have no place to object. Unless of course we feel like it.

So yeah, I listen to some songs with a take on religion or the word "God" or "prayer" or what-have-you. I like the one they play on the radio every other song that's like, "Tell me all your thoughts on God, 'cause I'd really like to meet her". Sacrilicious...

What I hate, though, are hymns that actually sound good. I'd much rather them not be hymns so I could enjoy them. Church sounds put forth a very specific message, it's different from simply having a song on the radio blather on about some vaguely spiritual message. Luckily, most hymns are awful.

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Permalink Reply by Meggan Dominytus on June 5, 2009 at 10:57pm

I love that old song "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. Sounds all trippy :P

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Permalink Reply by Roy on June 6, 2009 at 8:42am

"Jesus is Just Alright" version by the Doobie Brothers. Wicked good.

I am a huge Neil Finn/Crowded House fan, and there is a tremendous amount of religious/spiritual elements (listen to "Lullaby Requiem"... hauntingly beautiful).

A lot of blues songs are tormented shouts to a god, and you've gotta love the blues.

Because a vast majority of people on this planet are co-dependent on theism (be it mono or poly), these themes are going to come up in music. Heck, you can't tell me you can listen to Beethoven's "9th Symphony" and fail to hear his personal conversation with the god in which Ludwig believed.

Cheers! (And Marc Broussard rocks!)

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Permalink Reply by Michael Howard on June 6, 2009 at 10:05am

Great topic. It depends on the song. References to God in a song don't bother me as much as songs that are subliminal or become anthems to the religious "you light up my life" for instance. I cringe at songs like Spirit in the sky,....Sorry Meggan.
I do love me some Christmas music however. I guess the childhood associations are rich enough to overshadow the lyrics.

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Permalink Reply by Meggan Dominytus on June 6, 2009 at 10:34am

It's okay Michael. The song just amuses me. A jew singing about how awesome jesus is, and whoever mixed and recorded seemed to be high at the time.

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