The top 5 atheist anthems: The Flaming Lips, Björk, Portugal. The Man

[cbayer]

http://chrisstedman.religionnews.com/2014/07/11/top-5-atheist-anthems-flaming-lips-bjork-portugal-man/

Chris Stedman | Jul 11, 2014 | 4 Comments


Björk performing at the Hurricane Festival in 2003. Photo by Zach Klein, via Wikimedia Commons.

Though Steve Martin said that “atheists don’t have no songs,” there are plenty of great songs with nontheistic themes. Below is the final installment of my list of the 20 best atheist or nonreligious anthems.

In order for a song to qualify for this list, it had to be either explicitly atheistic, express a skeptical or Humanistic viewpoint, or come from an artist who has identified in some way as nonreligious.

The top 5 are below. The other installments: 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6

1. Portugal. The Man, “Modern Jesus”

“Don’t pray for us / We don’t need no modern Jesus / To roll with us / The only rule we need is never giving up / The only faith we have is faith in us.”

Portugal. The Man’s seven excellent studio albums contain countless songs that touch on religion (one of their albums is even titled The Satanic Satanist). In an interview with The State Press, lead singer John Gourley said he is not religious, and criticized the conservative religion he grew up around, posing the question, “Is my buddy over here who doesn’t believe in your god, yet is a good person, really going to go to your hell?” When asked by WNYE’s The Alternate Side if he grew up religious, he replied, “No. Grew up around it. I’m fine. Whatever anyone wants to do, I don’t care.” In an interview for Redefine Magazine, bassist and back-up vocalist Zach Carothers said, “I’m personally not religious; I don’t have any religious beliefs, but… I love learning about it. I love knowing people’s reasons for believing or not believing.” While many of their songs explore religious and atheistic themes, such as “Sleep Forever,” “Church Mouth,” and “Created,” the brilliant, propulsive “Modern Jesus” takes the top spot as my favorite nontheistic anthem.

much more at link, including video links

[longship]

1. Brahms, Ein Deutsches Requiem.

A secular requiem, composed by a non-believer.

&feature=kp

Sometimes there is a confluence between belief, and non-belief. Often it resides within the arts. Often it inspires like Hubble Space telescope images do, just in another medium. Music is incredible.

[LeftishBrit]

2. What about John Lennon's 'Imagine'?

Some years ago, I came across one of those 'Virtual Hell' sites and it was claimed that 'Imagine' was the theme song of Hell (wonder what they had before the 70s!)

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. From the first part:

As with most “best of” lists the ranking is entirely subjective, and I’ve left out some of the obvious candidates—the songs that have become standard atheist cuts. (My apologies to Bad Religion, Shelley Segal, and every atheist obsessed with John Lennon’s “Imagine.”)

Of the 20 acts listed, I had only heard of Björk, The Flaming Lips and Garbage - and I wouldn't be able to recognise a single song by either of the latter 2. I think you need to be of Stedman's generation to have any idea who these people are.

[Lordquinton]

4. These lists always miss some of my favorites

[Act_of_Reparation]

5. Don't forget this one:

[AlbertCat]

6. What makes them the "top"?

[LeftishBrit]

7. To go back further in time...

Joe Hill's 'The Preacher and the Slave' may not be exactly atheist, but is certainly one of the strongest indictments of the way that religion has sometimes been used to protect those in power and to keep poor people in their place:

And on a more light-hearted note, there is:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jamiecullum/itaintnecessarilyso.html

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Iron & Wine all the way down at #15? This list is bullshit.

Angel Haze's contribution was pretty great too. Unclear how the hell these are ranked.

Garbage's 'Bleed Like Me' album has multiple secular references and scored higher on the charts than the one that made this list.

Frank Turner didn't make the list? England Keep My Bones has no less than 3 explicitly atheist songs.