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Do you listen to religious music?

I’m an atheist but grew up Christian/catholic. I attend a Christian college (long story) and I constantly have to listen to Christian music. However, some artist I actually like. I love some of needtobreath songs and I love Racheal Plattern (she sang fight song).
I’m just curious on where other nonbelievers stand.

  • 61 votes
  • 124 votes
chlorine413 6 Nov 15
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154 comments

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1

Why would I listen to religious music?

@AngryAF OK. Try this one "I Don't Want To Go To Heaven If I Can't Get In" by O.A.R.

8

I can listen to "Frosty the Snowman" without believing that he exists, too.

7

I like some of it. Music is music.

7

Yes, but not religiously. 🙂
We can't deny the presence of religion in our culture and there are some great pieces of art as a result. I tend to like it because of it's melody or majesty, but rarely strictly because of the religious content.

That part of it is politely ignored. I never see straight edge bands preaching on St corners.

6
5

Music is music. It doesn’t matter. You either like it or you don’t. I generally find that artists who declare themselves as christian artists are a bit bland and lyrically empty. Just my opinion though.

5

Verdi's Requiem is one of the greatest examples of musical art ever created - the Dies Irae, for example, is nothing short of spine tingling. The fact that it was composed out of religious fervour does not make it any less exceptional, as music.

Then take the works of Thomas Tallis (died 23rd November 1585). Tallis was one of the greatest writers of sung multi-part harmony who ever lived - but in his lifetime the church (early in his life catholic, later protestant church of England) was basically the only commisioner of music, so that's all Tallis wrote. Yet his motet in 40 parts 'Spem in Alium', his extraordinary 'Salvatore Mundi 1' and his 'Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter' are examples of the most wonderful, exceptional harmonic singing you will ever hear - never surpassed in the 450 years since he died.

Don't forget Palestrina

5

Yes, I still enjoy the message of love and peace.

5

As a singer, I sing all kinds of music....religious and secular. I don’t pay any attention to the words of the religious songs, and tonight was rehearsing Christmas music...carols and other religious works.....enjoyed it immensely! No problem for me whatsoever.

I always prefer singing in Latin, German or French when I don't need to think about the words but of course as a cathedral chorister I also had to lead prayers. The general confession was my can't do prayer. There is no health in us.

5

Johhny Cash, Elvis and the soundtrack of Oh’Brother where art thou.

4

Good music is good music.

4

I'm not going to stop listening to good music because it has religious overtones or undertones. I may not follow the beliefs personally but I respect the culture and am interested in some of the teachings of bits and parts of all religions.

4

I grew up in church some songs were ok but don't anymore. Alot bring quit for not believing (kinda what the church goes for) but if u like then fuck it jam it

4

Yes, sometimes the lyrics don't matter, just if the music is pleasant

4

Good art is good art, regardless of its subject matter. Sadly, most art (music, movies, books, etc.) that attempts to appeal only to a niche audience is shit and even though Christianity is a huge audience, it's still niche. There are some classic works like Renaissance paintings, operas, etc. that I think are brilliant. I still like Handel's Messiah, but I listen to it the same way I listen to an opera about Norse mythology - like it's a fictional work.

But there was never much contemporary Christian rock that I liked anyway. That said, movies were always more my poison and I have a really hard time watching Ben Hur or The Ten Commandments these days.

4

If it's a religious based band I don't mind as long as they aren't singing about religious crap. But the moment they start singing something religious, I would rather throw myself out a moving vehicle.

4

I like Handel's "Messiah."

4

Not modern, or gospel music.
But a lot of Classical music was religious, or about god, or inspired by their faith.
I really don't listen to the words much anyway, to me it's all about the music.

4

I enjoy listening to Christmas music every year in late November up to Christmas if that counts. I used to listen to an industrial Christian artist too.

3

Some of the best art and music on the planet is religious, or Christian to be precise, because those guys had the money to pay for class artists and composers.

For me Gregorian chant and plainsong are relaxing.

Can’t go with Christian contemporary because for me, although I am not familiar with too many artists it just seems mediocre pop that mentions Jesus now and again.

Love Gregorian Chants, So magical with low base and chant.

3

I have a playlist of sunni and indian mantras, I use to relax and calm down once in a while.
Also gregorian chant is awesome.
On top of that many classical musics are religious or religion inspired.

I find strange that Christianism did not develop and/or rejected mantras, maybe to distinguish from the religions around it. They are amazingly beautiful.

3

I like the music, but the words bother me. I like to sing Xian hymns with my own -- nonXian -- words. 🙂 For example, the following are my own words, sung to the tune of the hymn "When peace like a river attendeth my way...." (the words in parentheses are harmonic echos):

When piss like a river flows from my crotch,
When turds like an avalanche roll,
It fills up the toilet right up to the top,
And I fear that it might overflow!
It fills up (it clogs up) the toilet bowl (the toilet bowl)
It clogs up and fills up the toilet bowl.

3

Only classical or choral which can have such beauty and does touch one although because of the power of sound not God obviously. I find most modern Christian music both unlistenable and politically suspicious. Mostly right wing vaguely racist and morally from the stone age

3

Satanic music. ??

Hell yeah 😉?

3

I guess that would depend on what you classify as religious music. I grew up when being born again was cool, so a lot of the rock musicians sang songs with religious references: Spirit In The Sky by Norman Greenbaum, Bury My Body by the animals, though Al Kooper's version was much better, and of course the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar; hippies were a very spiritual bunch. I'm quite fond of Gregorian Chants and Russian Orthodox chorales. A lot of the classical music I'm fond of is religion based. And of course at Christmas time one has no choice but to hear religious songs. Nor am I opposed to listening to an occasional old-timey gospel song, but I don't make a practice of listening to religious music. If a song is really good, or at least very catchy, I will listen to it.

3

I don’t agree with A LOT of the lyrics in the secular music I love, doesn’t poison me against good music.

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