love some Hymns

rugbyman

I came on here to post a sort of conundrum, then another question came into my head.

First of all I am an athiest.

Question 1, why is there an athiest forum, since what we have in comon is not to believe in something. I understand stamp collectors, football fans etc chatting about their likes etc.

Anyway todays poser , it would be interesting to hear your views.
As said ,I am an athiest, my family know I want a Humanist funeral, but I absolutely love some Hymns, the version of O Holy Night on Pat Kenny was awesome, How great thou art is brilliant. To anwer a bit myself , reminds me of being young, warm fires, hot soup, young brain absorbing all, and I had a bit of a weep about my late brother, who was a good sort.
The halleluiah chorus makes the hairs rise on my arms(so does Dire Straits)

Happy Christmas all

Rugbyman

befor i close,Iknow the answer,itsjust words

seamus

Music is more than words. In fact for me, music is less about the meaning of the words and more about the energy in the music. Which seems a little odd considering that musically I'm a vocalist, but I care less about the meaning of a song and its content and more about the actual music.

It evokes old memories and new feelings, good and bad, and much like emotion this isn't something that you can control, ignore or pretend doesn't happen. If you like religious music, that's not tacitly accepting the content of the song any more than being a fan of Rage Against The Machine makes you an anarchist. Music can (and IMO, must) be enjoyed purely for its own sake, not for its lyrical content.

And the existence of your second pondering is really the answer to your first question. This forum exists because people ask questions like the one that you did.

Peregrinus

It can be enjoyed for its lyrical content too.

Even if you don't actually agree with the lyrical content, or with all of it, you can still admire it, you can be moved by it, you can see it as noble or whatever. That's OK; it doesn't mean you're any less of an atheist.

pauldla

There is a beautiful version of 'I'll Fly Away' on the soundtrack of 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou', and I like a lot of Johnny Cash, including his old-time-religion stuff (well, not all of it), even though I'm pretty sure that we won't all be together up yonder by-and-by. Sometimes the lyrics don't matter: I think Paolo Conti is great, as are Les Negresses Vertes, but I have no idea what they are singing about.

stanley 2

to sing is to pray twice
happy christmas

MagicMarker

stanley 2 wrote: »

to sing is to pray twice
happy christmas

Cool, let's get praying so.

GCU Flexible Demeanour

It could be worse than liking hymns. The last time I watched Apocalypse Now, I found myself deeply impressed by the Colonel Kurtz' cogent reasoning.

Reading the forum will answer your first question, it's been answered plenty before

As for the music, beautiful music is beautiful music whatever the words are
I sing as well, but I love the music for its own sake

The Black Oil

pauldla wrote: »

There is a beautiful version of 'I'll Fly Away' on the soundtrack of 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou', and I like a lot of Johnny Cash, including his old-time-religion stuff (well, not all of it), even though I'm pretty sure that we won't all be together up yonder by-and-by. Sometimes the lyrics don't matter: I think Paolo Conti is great, as are Les Negresses Vertes, but I have no idea what they are singing about.

On the Oh Brother note, I'm fond of Down to the River to Pray, but you're in damn good hands with Alison Krauss.