Does anyone write atheist based songs?

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Tolerance needs to be a religon..There is no{organised} religon that really subsribes to that ethic....It really is sad to think that we are still gathering into groups for protection from the evil"them"..Its this heard metality that crushes any spirituality..Its too bad there always has to be a them..

Don
 
hmm..
I do have a problem with tolerance.
If I disagree with someone I'm not going to just back off and agree that they are correct.
However, anything that people do that affects only them(homosexuality, etc..) I have no problem with. They can do whatever they want.
But if someone wants to practice things that affect others(abortion, rape, etc...) then I think we should step in.

:o -cough...
 
Tolorance cuts both ways...Im talkin' bout spirituality, not societile morality....ie.you can not commit a crime against{anyone} society just because your religion has no law against it...The things Im talkin' bout are like the things you mentioned..I yeild the chair to my most leanerd college...LOL

Don
 
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like they can't stray beyond certain musical boundaries without fear of satanic retribution
Click to expand...

I'm not pickin' on Cy. Just using his quote as an illustration.

I am a bible-based christian. That means I don't remove anything or add anything to it's pages to suit me. Am I a perfect christian? No. Do I have an excuse for this? No. Am I human? Oh yeah!

I don't try to stuff anything down anybody's throat. I don't judge, I observe.
And except for political and social arguments, I generaly keep my observations to myself.

There are a few contemporary christian songs that have catchy tunes, but while the folks producing that stuff are connected to me in spiritial commradery, I don't share a link with them artisticly.
Do I feel doomed to the lake of fire because I listen to Ozzy, Metallica and Dokken? Get real.
I think God is disappointed when I use profanity or when I get angry but I don't think He minds that I like rock. Now He probably doesn't care for Les Pauls screaming through Marshall stacks. Sammy Hagar probably gives him a headache! And the way I sing, He's probably glad I don't do christian tunes.

My point is that my beliefs don't endanger anybody here. You're not being infected with my insanity or depravity. That is..."I'm not gonna get any on you".
Bashing christians is like flaming John Lennon. His spirituality was based on peace. So is mine. He belived most government and religion was bullshit. So do I.

The only prejudices I have are for the uncompassionate and ignorant. And I think it's pretty ignorant to spend time ridiculing a group of people that wish you noting more than a good life and peace of mind.

Get over it.
 
Since I am an atheist, all songs I write are written from that perspective, so I guess they could be called "atheist songs", whether they mention religion or not...

El Lamo
 
Tolerance needs to be a religon..There is no{organised} religon that really subsribes to that ethic....It really is sad to think that we are still gathering into groups for protection from the evil"them"..Its this heard metality that crushes any spirituality..Its too bad there always has to be a them..

Henri Devill


Take a look at Unitarian Universalism, used to be a christian sect, but has strayed to a congregation of tolerance (especialy in the west) . A little flowery for my tastes, but a very good church. Also it started in Transylvania.

Angermeyer
 
As a matter of fact, I do have atheist-based songs

I'm working on a couple right now, with the thought of playing them at the Unitarian Church that i go to. I must state that they are not anti-religious, but are atheist-based, if that makes any sense.

You don't need to download the mp3, as I stole the tune, and adapted it as a country song.

Comments and Lyrics

But here's the mp3 anyway, if you're curious. It's only a rough mix!

I seldom do

You don't have to be angry at religion to comment about it. I find Jethro Tull a bit heavy on the subject, but I liked them a lot when I was younger.

'Dear God' by XTC is my favorite athiest song. If he's not singing to god in that song, then who is he singing to?
 
"Dear God" is a tough one to figure out... on one hand, the last line is "If there's one thing I don't believe in, it's you". Yet at the same time, Andy Partridge has addressed it to God--which to me implies that he acknowledges the existence of a God. I interpreted that last line (and the whole song) to be more a denial that God is a kind and loving deity, rather than not existing at all. Then again, "did you make mankind after we made you?" implies doubt. Damn, that is a great song, as are nearly all of XTC's songs. It's more agnostic than athiest to me, though...

This brings up an idea for a thread... what if we took a song like this and analyzed it technically (melody/rhyme scheme, etc)?

"Dear God" also reminds me of why I hate Sheila Davis' books ("remember...don't write anything offensive....")


(why does my first paragraph remind me of the New Testament?)
 
Yes, the agnostic/athiest distinction needs to be made

Most of the 'athiest' songs that I first thought of are more like 'attack the christian church' songs. When I think of the scads of those type songs, I have to wonder - if they're athiest, why are they so upset. Ian Anderson especially.
'God' by John Lennon is a better example of an actually athiest song. Then again, who is that song adressed to - besides his audience?

But there is a further point that comes to mind. Someone said something that I don't remember exactly, and so I paraphrase: "atheists may not believe in god, but they certainly believe in the devil'. I always am amused that people who claim not to believe in god still use religious expletives while swearing.

It is one thing to intellectually decide that you don't believe in god, but quite another what your unconcious (or sub-concious) will say when you are in a life threatening situation. I've spent a fair amount of time alone in the bush (Northern Alberta and the BC mountains), and when running into a bear, or hitting the side of a log bridge with a Suburban - it was these experiences that made me really question what I believed.

But 'Dear God' nicely bridges the gap between attacking the old testament god and belief. I always took it as a trying NOT to believe in god song. And the descending bass-line is really hard to play on the guitar!
 
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I definitely think more atheistic, or agnostic based songs need to be written.

I was raised in a Christian family and taught from a young age to believe in, and fear God, Jesus, Satan and the rest. I recall a time when I was about 8 years old when I began to question it all. I would ask my mother, gandmother, or even raise my hand in Sunday School (when we were learning about one or another of the biblical parables) and ask questions to the effect "But, how could....?" Well, my questions were most often politely brushed off, but sometimes coldly stomped on. Either way I never really had them answered.

For a few years I remember feeling quite a sense of alienation with respect to my religious doubts. I new things didn't add up, but I had no good way to articulate what I was thinking and feeling. I thought maybe I was the only one.

Then when I was 11 years old I had a seminal moment which I still remember to this day. Our school bus driver would play the local rock station on the drive home. A song came on the radio who's lyrics helped me towards a path of putting my thoughts in focus. It was Rush's Freewill. http://www.hnet.net/~nobodyshero/Chronicles/Freewill.html

This song had a huge impact on me and made me feel like I wasn't alone. And isn't that one of the most wonderful things that music can do?

Admittedly, Freewill is as much a criticism of religion as it is a guidepost to an alternative way of thinking. But, having been raised in religion it was just what I needed at the time. I would love to hear more songs of this kind. Especially ones who's voices are less reactionary and just simply speak positively and beautifully about discovering the mysteries of the universe.

I know atheistic, agnostic, existential (or what ever you want to label them) songs could potentially be as grand and moving as any religious song every written. If you don't believe me, check out this poem. It speaks for itself.

[size=small]life is more true than reason will deceive
(more secret or than madness did reveal)
deeper is life than loss: higher than have
--but beauty is more each than living's all

multiplied with infinity sans if
the mightiest meditations of mankind
canceled are by one merely opening leaf
(beyond whose nearness there is no beyond)

or does some littler bird than eyes can learn
look up to silence and completely sing?
futures are obsolete; pasts are unborn
(here less than nothing's more than everything)

death, as men call him, ends what they call men
--but beauty is more now than dying's when

e. e. cummings[/size]

barefoot
 
Well, I have only been to church twice in the last 13 years,
both to the same Baptist church within a one month period.
It was a very big church, probably holds two thousand, with
a great sound system and a big screen to read the words off
of. The band sounded like a slick contemporary Christian band.

But the songs sounded so.....uh....manufactured to me. But maybe that's because they were all new to me. I write some
contemporary Christian stuff. But I don't like "praise" songs
very much and I'd rather than the worship songs instead.

I guess I missed the songs I heard when I was growing up,
the off key singers with a piano player....the southern gospel
classics. What I heard didn't have that same feel but maybe
I'm just an old fart. Come to think of it, I attended a Catholic
church service once and all the songs sounded like "Day by Day"
from Godspell to me.

I DO think a lot of comptorary Christian writers let themselves
off pretty easy as far as the lyrics. They seem to be about as
light weight as dance songs. I think just because I'm writing
about god should not be a copout for some first draft
wonder. But that's just my take. And it could very well be
influenced by the fact that I belong to no church but DO
beleive in a higher power(as we say in Narcotics Anonymous).

Just my take.

PaulB
 
reply to ahteist songs

I used to think I was an atheist, because I didn't like church and didn't agree with those overbearing, importunate Christians. Then I freed myself through Philosophy and can say that I pretty much believe that there is a God...for those who believe there is, however, I DO NOT believe in Christianity. I DO NOT accept the tenets and the precepts and all the dogma. I believe that most people when they thought about it would pretty much come to the same conclusion.

If you were like me, then you had Christianity forced upon you and you never really had the ammunition to fight back. I took a Philosophy class in college and learned the value of reason and logic and how important the ability to think for myself is. Where would those pathetic Christians be without their inane fear of Death? If we never died, would we really have a use for religion? Karl Marx once said that, "religion is the opiate of the masses." I think it's more correctly, "Christianity is the opiate of the Christian masses."

After reading lots of Philosophy books, I came across one about The True Origins of The New Testament. Guess what? Jesus never existed! It's shocking to think that this actually might be true, but it is. There is a booklet you can buy from the Abelard Reuchliin Foundation for $5 which will prove irrefutably that Jesus never existed! Check out konformist.com.blasphemy/piso.htm to get the story. It costs nothing there. Turns out that when Jesus was supposed to have lived, the Romans really wanted to drive out the Jews from Rome and needed to find some way to do it. They commissioned Josephus (real name Arius Calpurnius Piso) to create a history that the Jews would reject. So when the history became accepted by the Roman people, the Jews were freely persecuted for not accepting the story.

I know this sounds like a conspiracy, but just think how Jewish people have been treated throughout history. The Anti-Semitism has to start somewhere! They have always been portrayed as the people who killed Jesus!

I know that NOWHERE in the Bible does God COMMAND us to accept Christianity in order to know He exists! The same goes for Creation. Just because someone does not accept creation, does not make him an atheist. It's just Christians once again asserting their Aristocentrism. There are even 2 passages in the Bible where it says that God does not have any favorites. Check out Romans 2:11 and Acts 10:34-35. Anyway, how could a perfect being favor one group of people over another? How absurd! That would certainly make Him Less-Than All-Good, which is diametrically opposed to the definition of God in the Bible!

Anyway, if this all sounds like I'm crazy, then check for yourself. Do a search for the name 'Piso' and 'Abelard Reuchlin'.

I didn't want to turn this into a Philosophical/Theological discussion, I just thought that I might be able to help some people who were most likely treated like I was by the Christians. There are lots of good philospohy books out there and even some really good Bible critiques that will really help you in gaining ammo to fight back the next time they try to convert you and make you feel bad for not believing what they do.

I hope Dragon won't mind me posting this.

Lastly, never forget that the main reason, over and above any others, that this country was started, was to get away from The Church of England. The situation then was a lot like the one in Spain now. If you want to become a citizen of Spain, then you MUST become a Catholic. So our forefathers wanted to get away from that and ensure that that situation would NEVER again happen. That's why we have the freedom of religion in our Constitution. Not only the freedom to choose our own religion, but more importantly, the freedom NOT to have one FORCED down our throats.


Hope this helps,
Brian
 
Why I don't believe in God, By Everclear

EC wrote this song...kinda just about his mother breaking down. Showed up on "So Much For the Afterglow" and on the Colorfinger album as "Culver Palms"

"Wished I believed like you do, yeah you
In the myth of a merciful God..
In the myth of a heaven and hell"

Actually, the song is about his mother's nervous breakdown. Those three lines are the only atheist lines mentioned.

and I'm not an atheist, BTW...just mentioning what may be the only song I've ever heard echoing atheist ideals.

Don't forget to carefully define your idea of athiest either...Atheist doesn't mean "Non-Christian" - Ye ol' Satan Worshippers aren't Atheists...they just worship a different god...

True Atheism tends to revolve completely around secular humanism....there are really very, very true few atheists out there...most people who say they are mean they aren't Christian, but a belief in any higher power or spiritual plane, whether New Age, Hindu, Christian, or a belief that God is in your guitar would technically not be an athiest.

Even the most anti-Christian opponent usually believes in some spiritual power...usually just some fuzzy God who won't judge them and be waiting at the light at the end of the tunnel and they don't have any preconceptions of him. that's Agnosticism - but not Atheism.
 
....

"Your God Is dead
and no one cares
if there is a hell
I'll see you there"
- NIN, "Heresy"

NIN does alot of "athiest" music....
I, myself, am not an athiest - I merely believe in enlightenment, and whatever path a person takes to become enlightened, and to self-actualize, they should follow.

Just my 2 cents.

Chris
 
Re: reply to ahteist songs

raddo said:
I came across one about The True Origins of The New Testament. Guess what? Jesus never existed! It's shocking to think that this actually might be true, but it is. There is a booklet you can buy from the Abelard Reuchliin Foundation for $5 which will prove irrefutably that Jesus never existed!
Click to expand...

I have always found it interesting that someone can reject the bible because it is "written by man", but on the other hand buy a $5.00 booklet and its the irrefutable truth. Hitler was an Atheist, Marx was an Atheist, and they slaughtered millions of people, are all Atheists murderers? The periods in the 4th and 5th centuries, a political movement took over the name of Christianity and used it to its end as a political power. If 99% of the people who refute the bible actually read it first, from front to back, using textural critisizm, archaeology and actually talked to experts in the field you would not come up with the same answers. Even within "christian sects" there is a huge amount of ignorance concerning the bible. IM sorry if you had some bad experiences with "christians" and its sad you feel the need to collect "ammo" to fight back, but by arming yourself for a fight, tells me you have some issues with anger, frustration and possibly hate. Don't be a hypocrite by encouraging the very behavior you critisize. As far a the nature of God, and your understanding of favoritism, just because someone loves you doesn't mean that doing something wrong should go unpunished. If someone kills all of your family, should the murderers go unpunished? Where is the logic in a legal system that is unable to distinguish between crime and law abiding? Should we abolish the law and let every man do what he pleases to whomever he pleases? Was Jeffery Dahlmer wrong by killing and eating his victims, should have he been punished, or not? I was an atheist for 28 years, my sister is an athesit still, she hates christians, I know where that hate comes from, I was there when the "incident" happened. I love my sister an I feel bad for the hatred she harbors inside, she has absolutely no tolerance for christians, or for anyone his has an alternative view point. Be happy you do a have freedom, don't complain about people trying to convert you, some countries you don't have an option, they have state sponsored religions where its illegal to believe what you want... Hey if you don't like Christians, and you want to remove any possible threat of hearing about us, you can kill us all, or move to China.

My main points were made earlier on in this thread. So lets not turn this thread into a christian, agnostic, atheist bashing forum. Go to TalkOrigins.com for that.


Peace,
Dennis
 
Science is my "religion".

I say religion in the sense that it is my system of belief based on faith. And yes, faith is needed for science. Scientific faith, however, is probably the most basic faith that has yet been invented. It goes some thing like this:

The universe is governed by ordered principles, and these principles are at least in part translatable into human understanding.

Other than that, all is open. The scientists job is to simply (ha!) discover the nature of the universe, rather that try to make the universe fit a preconceived model. To paraphrase the great philosopher David Hume:

'Let your gods be suited to the present appearances of nature. And don't presume to alter these appearances, by arbitrary supposition, in order to suit them to the attributes which you so fondly ascribe to your deities.'

Of course I have little doubt that science will also eventually fail. Science will fail because it is a tool of human understanding. Human understanding will fail because it is simply a special case, with specific boundary conditions, of the more fundamental nature(s) of the universe.

Eventually we will run into our own limitations and the world will present itself as a series of uncrackable mysteries and irreconcilable paradoxes (my version of the hereafter ;)). But hopefully we will be smart enough then to avoid the temptation of imposing on these mysteries our anthropomorphic notions of gods.

barefoot
 
Fast Fact:

-In American households more than half contain at a Porno Magazine....

-Only a quarter of American household Contain a bible.....



And they say that god is the biggest, most wonderful thing known to man...



(Im not sure If my numbers are exactly correct, but I did read something to this effect in a magazine , and no, not a porno.)):D
 
Allright here... I have almost no time, so I will type very quickly. Do not think I am starting a fight, but a couple things posted recently are, in my opinion, incorrect or fail to see a larger picture. PS I love you all :)

AtomicToyz--

A) Marx didn't kill millions--I don't believe he killed anyone, but I will doublecheck.

B) Hitler was at least nominally a Catholic, and I think one can certainly argue that the "Christian" society of Germany was a factor that allowed events like the Holocaust to happen.


Raddo--

C) Puritans came here during the 17th century in order to practice THEIR brand of religion freely. This religious freedom and tolerance was NOT extended to anyone outside themselves. In fact, those within the community who held different beliefs were ostracized and branded heretics. Where was that tolerance during the Pequot War and King Philip's War? "Our Forefathers" -- by this I assume you mean Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, etc-- were NOT the same people-- they came from a much different cultural background.
The idea that the US has always been a religiously tolerant society is a myth. Some might say that it STILL isn't a tolerant society.


Nate
 
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