Music for Atheists?

[Charlemagne_II]

babylon

**Atheists need a lot of help not believing in God and that’s all atheist-events are about. **

Hmm. Listening to Lennon’s “Imagine” all night long must be very comforting? I wonder how we find out if there is anything else “atheistic” on the song list?

I’ve never noticed that atheists needed help not believing in God, but come to think of it, you must be right. The prognosis does not hold out the prospect of Light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

The League of Militant Atheists, (or The Union of Belligerent Atheists; Russian: Союз воинствующих безбожников); other names include Общество безбожников (Society of the Godless) and Союз безбожников (The Union of the Godless), was the official organization promoting atheism in the former Soviet Union. I used to have a copy of their songbook, which had all sorts of titles like “God is a Myth” that presumably they sang at their meetings. Perhaps they could do something like that.

 

[Charlemagne_II]

Arizona

**I used to have a copy of their songbook, which had all sorts of titles like “God is a Myth” that presumably they sang at their meetings. Perhaps they could do something like that. **

Interesting. I’ve never noticed that Christian concert music would ever be put to that sort of use.

Wonder if any of those songs had really catchy tunes!

 

[sharptiger999]

What kind of music would be played at a concert for atheists as opposed to the obvious kind of music that would be played at a concert for Christians?

That’s like asking what kind of music would people like that don’t like to eat apples.

An atheist does not have a cause. The word simply describes someone’s position on one subject - God. An atheist is simply a person who lacks belief in God(s).

Rather, Christians do have a cause, and music in the name of their cause would be to praise or honor their God.

The atheists who happen to have a cause in secularism can then be classified further as anti-theists… that is, not only do they share disbelief in God(s), but they are also actively opposed to organized religion.

Have you ever randomly asked someone why they don’t play soccer? Well, it’s probably irrelevant and they never bothered to randomly mention that. Many people who do not believe in God are simply atheists in this regard, and have no reason to voice it, unless they are asked about the subject. The anti-theists you see on the news in legal battles do not represent a perhaps larger, quieter crowd.

 

[James1215]

An all-atheist concert-convention sounds amazing, but I’ve never heard of anything like it. If it’s something you’ve seen anywhere, some info would be interesting. If it’s nothing but an idea, then you tell me, Charlemagne II - is it combative against Catholicism or not?

Comedy, not music, seems to be the medium for the expression of atheist solidarity as far as I’m aware.

 

[James1215]

Hmmmm…I just realized, this thread may not be in alignment with the thread pinned at the top of the forum that bans threads on atheism. I’m not sure. Moving onto other threads…

Woops, oh yeah. Maybe it is, we’ll see.

As Derrida might say (aside from being dead), all the threads on this forum implicitly include atheism in their subject matter anyway, by the fact that atheism is their unspoken Other. Evolution is also central to Genesis and talked about by top Catholic brass, so it doesn’t seem sustainable for both topics to be excluded.

 

[Charlemagne_II]

Thinking

Hmmmm…I just realized, this thread may not be in alignment with the thread pinned at the top of the forum that bans threads on atheism. I’m not sure.

We are not debating atheism, and certainly not atheism as a philosophical foundation for the theory of evolution.

We are simply inquiring into what would be the nature of a music concert for atheists.

So far I have seen no answer that is clear and decisive.

A concert of Christian music would certainly include music dedicated to Christ.

What would be the subject of music that would draw atheists but not Christians?

Music that mocks religion?

 

[sharptiger999]

We are simply inquiring into what would be the nature of a music concert for atheists.

So far I have seen no answer that is clear and decisive.

A concert of Christian music would certainly include music dedicated to Christ.

What would be the subject of music that would draw atheists but not Christians?

Music that mocks religion?

Apparently, you didn’t read my response earlier? No one mentioned it yet. I think you should address those points. I agree that whomever is hosting the event seems to either be miss-informed of definitions, or perhaps is just hosting a forum where atheists can come together and meet each other, whereas the music still has no relation to their absence of cause.

 

[Filippo_Bruno]

Christian music can draw atheists, so I see no reason that music at an atheist concert shouldn’t draw Christians.

 

[babylonsfalling]

Do you believe atheists sing hymns to Nogod?

No and I haven’t said anything that implies that kind of belief.
The more relevant question might be why are you the only one here who doesn’t seem to realize that statement was meant as a sarcastic joke?
What atheists do at events like these is try to gain some kind of negative oriented faith to help them not believe in this God they can’t stop going on about…and of course they’re hoping all the time that nobody notices bow obviously conflicted they are in this weird little quest of theirs…

 

[Charlemagne_II]

sharptiger

**or perhaps is just hosting a forum where atheists can come together and meet each other, whereas the music still has no relation to their absence of cause. **

I guess we won’t know until the concert is held and we find out what the music was about and why it seems it is a concert for atheists rather than everyone.

I expect there will be some Christians attending just out of curiosity if for no other reason.

 

[TheWatcher]

Pulled directly from the Rock Beyond Belief website (as mentioned in the article- the concert at Fort Bragg). rockbeyondbelief.com/about/

Rock Beyond Belief is an ambitious project that will be putting on a free festival consisting of secular speakers and musicians, both big name and small. (…)

We are also not interested in putting on an anti-christian, anti-religious, or anti-anything event. Rock Beyond Belief is A Day of Fun and Entertainment for the Rest of Us.

In the spirit of Richard Dawkins’ Out Campaign, we are embracing the fact that just by coming out and saying “we are non-theists, and also we are your firefighters, your military members, and your neighbors” that we help to shed the negative connotations and debunk the myths associated with being a non-believer.

They’re also encouraging people to join MAS*H

Join a MAS*H meetup group – If you live anywhere near a military base, please join / help start up a MASH meetup group. (…)Our goal is raising tolerance and awareness for non-religious Soldiers, and the visibility we are going to get from that is vital.

To look at it from another perspective, Catholics also face the same discrimination from the same people that atheists do.
catholic.com/projects/pillar_military.asp

You risk your life on a daily basis. You’re fighting an increasingly unpopular war. Death and despair are all around you—and there’s little you can do about it.

This is a time when you need your Catholic faith and the soul-sustaining grace of the sacraments the most.

Yet, at the same time that you’re in harm’s way, you’re also “under fire” from zealous anti-Catholics (…)

Whether on a ship, on base, or in a foxhole, these troops are a captive audience for the Fundamentalists, who are encouraged by their own chaplains to evangelize Catholics and recruit them for Protestant Bible studies. Protestant chaplains have even been known to hand out Jack Chick publications—the worst anti-Catholic propaganda of all.

Many Catholics face discrimination in the military. There are organizations that bring awareness to the issue and helps support the soldiers. Sending out Pillar and other materials is just one example.

Atheists also face discrimination in the military. They are forming organizations to help bring tolerance. This concert is just one example.

 

[sharptiger999]

I guess we won’t know until the concert is held and we find out what the music was about and why it seems it is a concert for atheists rather than everyone.

I expect there will be some Christians attending just out of curiosity if for no other reason.

The poster above me took the time to paste some of the info - excellent. See Charlemagne, it’s just random music to appeal to everyone here and there - there isn’t a relation such as “evil screamo” music to the atheists gathering lol. Please wakeup. It’s a way for these people to stop hiding and realize how many of them there really are in a dominated fundamentalist society. It’s a way for the ignorant to realize that these are just normal people and not “devil worshipers.”

 

[Charlemagne_II]

sharptiger

**
The poster above me took the time to paste some of the info - excellent. See Charlemagne, it’s just random music to appeal to everyone here and there - there isn’t a relation such as “evil screamo” music to the atheists gathering lol. Please wakeup. It’s a way for these people to stop hiding and realize how many of them there really are in a dominated fundamentalist society. It’s a way for the ignorant to realize that these are just normal people and not “devil worshipers.” **

I don’t believe it. Richard Dawkins will be a speaker? He is one of the most hysterically anti-religious people in the scientific community. Here are some sample quotes from him.

**There may be fairies at the bottom of the garden. There is no evidence for it, but you can’t prove that there aren’t any, so shouldn’t we be agnostic with respect to fairies?

“I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.”

We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.

What has ‘theology’ ever said that is of the smallest use to anybody? When has ‘theology’ ever said anything that is demonstrably true and is not obvious? What makes you think that ‘theology’ is a subject at all?

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
**
"When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion."

 

[babylonsfalling]

The poster above me took the time to paste some of the info - excellent. See Charlemagne, it’s just random music to appeal to everyone here and there - there isn’t a relation such as “evil screamo” music to the atheists gathering lol. Please wakeup. ** It’s a way for these people to stop hiding*****<—atheists aren’t hiding*** and realize how many of them there really are***<–people know what percentage of society calls itself atheist*** in a dominated fundamentalist society. It’s a way for the ignorant to realize that** these are just normal people and not "devil worshipers**.<—atheists are not normal but I’ve yet to hear anyone call an atheist a devil worshipper"

Atheists have nothing to hide from, especially in this society. In some societies they would likely be jailed or killed for being atheist. Or in a society run by atheists they would likely be killed for disagreeing about the govt with anything. In truth, it’s been atheist run societies that citizens have always been trying to escape from and guess where most of them want to come to after escaping?

Were there a lot of atheists trying to escape America for the Soviet Union? History speaks for itself when this Christians society is compared to societies run by atheists.

But in a society dominated by Christian voters, atheists (though as ungrateful as a spoiled adolescents) are among the luckiest people in the world. Them implication that they DO have something to hide from is just part of a public pity party which some atheists go on in an attempt to set themselves up as victims of society and hopefully appear pitiable in other peoples eyes.

 

[sharptiger999]

I don’t believe it. Richard Dawkins will be a speaker? He is one of the most hysterically anti-religious people in the scientific community. Here are some sample quotes from him…

The quotes sound about right. Dawkins is one of the main people who reasoned many people out of their faith.

I mean, what quotes do you think are unjustified?

 

[sharptiger999]

There are many closet atheists afraid of how their friends and family will react. Referring to your % comment, seeing is believing, and many finally want the chance to meet others.

In truth, it’s been atheist run societies that citizens have always been trying to escape from and guess where most of them want to come to after escaping?

Have you heard of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Japan, and Finland?

Were there a lot of atheists trying to escape America for the Soviet Union?

People have wanted and always want to escape tyranny. Atheism has no cause. It’s like saying Hitler happened to have a mustache, therefore all rulers with mustaches must be bad.

History speaks for itself when this Christians society is compared to societies run by atheists.

I argue it’s freedom, not what religion you happen to be, just as I don’t argue it’s what color hair you happen to have.

But in a society dominated by Christian voters, atheists (though as ungrateful as a spoiled adolescents) are among the luckiest people in the world.

At a time, it was the Christian voters who used their bible to defend keeping slavery. I think it instead has to do with the general rule of freedom and for having a voice in what we want.

 

[GloriousOrder]

The music of atheists in an atheistic age proves itself. You are shown to be what you truly are when your mother turns her back. When the mother-culture of Christianity finally began to disintegrate, atheists were free to speak in their own language. Tonality and its constraints were no longer accepted, because the atheist ideal was that all art is merely expression, so anything can be art; thus, they embraced atonality and abstract expressionism. Only an atheist can love these things, and Christians who claim to enjoy those are not Christians in their hearts. We are a religion of order, morality, heroism, and goodness - ideals that are pretty hard to detect in openly-atheistic composers:

Elliot Carter’s Symphony for 3 Orchestras:

youtube.com/watch?v=Yd8kDYEkiCA&feature=related

Xenakis’ Nomos Alpha for solo cello…

youtube.com/watch?v=uTpMLI02Gbw&feature=related

Tell me how a Christian with real convictions could actually compose or enjoy this bilge. I believe Brahms only conformed to the standards of his day, tonally, because everyone around him expected it. Carter, Xenakis, and a million other atheist composers of the 20th century, have no Christian expectations of order, heroism, and sensibility in music. These guys had no authority to bow to, so they did whatever they wanted. Atheist music can only be satirical, sarcastic, or ugly. There can be no heroism in it, because there is nothing to affirm but emptiness and cold mechanical forces.

Philosophy ruins or exalts music - you can tell a man’s philosophy by what he composes.

 

[sharptiger999]

We are a religion of order, morality, heroism, and goodness - ideals that are pretty hard to detect in openly-atheistic composers:

Aside from composers, which is very random, what do you think of Japan’s morality, heroism, and goodness?

Atheist music can only be satirical, sarcastic, or ugly. There can be no heroism in it, because there is nothing to affirm but emptiness and cold mechanical forces.

I’m not sure if you are being satirical or serious. I think you might be confusing atheism with anti-theism or something. An atheist is just someone who does not believe in your claim of God. Why would that automatically mean they enjoy sarcastic or ugly music? It’s obvious you are ignorant, but I wonder why even other Catholics with an open mind are afraid to call you out.

 

[Jocko_VT]

This thread, in its content rather than in the OP, strikes me as another attempt in the Catholic Answers Forums to be antagonistic and derogatory toward atheists.