| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Dale" |
| Date: |
19 Apr 2005 12:44:36 AM |
| Object: |
Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
On Sunday I was channel surfing and stopped on the Daystar channel to listen
to the choir of the Full Gospel Holy Temple here in Dallas
(http://www.fght.org/).
There is nothing like the choral music in a Black church, with its heavenly
harmonies and hypnotic beat. The brothers and sisters are getting down,
praising the Lord, and all that. What would happen to that culture if they
all suddenly came to their senses and became atheists? Sure it's possible
for atheists to feel awe and wonder at the universe, but is it possible to
experience the giddy, unalloyed joy of praising God simply because you're
alive and filled with the spirit, and more importantly, because you feel
redeemed and forgiven for your sins?
Having said that, there's no way I could believe in the "gospel truth", but
I'm glad somebody does, if only for the music.
--
There are two kinds of people in the world, those who put people into
categories, and those who don't.
.
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| User: "Iain" |
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| Title: Re: Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
19 Apr 2005 03:24:44 AM |
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Dale wrote:
On Sunday I was channel surfing and stopped on the Daystar channel to
listen
to the choir of the Full Gospel Holy Temple here in Dallas
(http://www.fght.org/).
There is nothing like the choral music in a Black church, with its
heavenly
harmonies and hypnotic beat. The brothers and sisters are getting
down,
praising the Lord, and all that. What would happen to that culture if
they
all suddenly came to their senses and became atheists? Sure it's
possible
for atheists to feel awe and wonder at the universe, but is it
possible to
experience the giddy, unalloyed joy of praising God simply because
you're
alive and filled with the spirit, and more importantly, because you
feel
redeemed and forgiven for your sins?
Having said that, there's no way I could believe in the "gospel
truth", but
I'm glad somebody does, if only for the music.
I might be wrong, but I assumed that Gospel evolved from the often
secular close harmony singing of enslaved negros, and therefore doesn't
depend on religion.
~Iain
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| User: "Frank J Warner" |
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| Title: Re: Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
19 Apr 2005 08:16:44 AM |
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In article <1113899084.472460.320460@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
Iain <iain_inkster@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dale wrote:
On Sunday I was channel surfing and stopped on the Daystar channel to
listen
to the choir of the Full Gospel Holy Temple here in Dallas
(http://www.fght.org/).
There is nothing like the choral music in a Black church, with its
heavenly
harmonies and hypnotic beat. The brothers and sisters are getting
down,
praising the Lord, and all that. What would happen to that culture if
they
all suddenly came to their senses and became atheists? Sure it's
possible
for atheists to feel awe and wonder at the universe, but is it
possible to
experience the giddy, unalloyed joy of praising God simply because
you're
alive and filled with the spirit, and more importantly, because you
feel
redeemed and forgiven for your sins?
Having said that, there's no way I could believe in the "gospel
truth", but
I'm glad somebody does, if only for the music.
I might be wrong, but I assumed that Gospel evolved from the often
secular close harmony singing of enslaved negros, and therefore doesn't
depend on religion.
~Iain
http://www.kusp.org/playlists/crosscurrents/history.html
"Tribal African music of four hundred years ago differed from
European and white American music in one major regard: secular music
did not exist in African traditions. Besides sacred music, Europeans
sang about love, war, and drinking, as well as the recent historical
events of nearby villages, or far off countries. While many of these
songs mentioned God in some manner, many still remained secular and
popular among the village and country folk.
"All African music was naturally sacred and the concept of
singing secular music was alien to them. Their music can be seen to
satisfy four main functions in the fabric daily life, they are:
religious, agricultural and sexual fertility, hunting, and war. In
this regard African music has more in common with Native American
music than European music since song was used as a means of being in
harmony with nature and the cosmos.
.. . . .
"The enslavement of blacks in the American Colonies began
during the 1600's. Slavery flourished in the South, where large
plantations grew cotton, tobacco, and other crops. The plantations
required many laborers. Work songs and "field hollers" were used to
ease the drudgery of hard labor in the fields, later they were sung
while laying railroad track, or while working in places such as the
many turpentine camps in the mid 1800s."
-Frank
--
Here's some of my work:
http://www.franksknives.com
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| User: "Brian E. Clark" |
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| Title: Re: Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
19 Apr 2005 12:08:42 PM |
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In article <8V09e.396$l45.269@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com>, Dale
said...
What would happen to that culture if they
all suddenly came to their senses and became atheists?
If you're asking what could happen if gospel music were
secularized, the experiment has already been done, with
marvelous results. We got Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, Wilson
Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Jackie Wilson...not to
mention The Clash's "The Sound Of The Sinners." :)
--
-----------
Brian E. Clark
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| User: "Mike Painter" |
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| Title: Re: Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
19 Apr 2005 07:36:01 PM |
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Brian E. Clark wrote:
In article <8V09e.396$l45.269@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com>, Dale
said...
What would happen to that culture if they
all suddenly came to their senses and became atheists?
If you're asking what could happen if gospel music were
secularized, the experiment has already been done, with
marvelous results. We got Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, Wilson
Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Jackie Wilson...not to
mention The Clash's "The Sound Of The Sinners." :)
Not to mention union songs and other protest songs.
Several years ago at a Gospel hour during the Kate Wolf festival in
Laytonville California (where all the hippies moved.) I was getting
uncomfortable because the crowd was *very* good at singing these old time
songs. I thought I was in with a bunch of saved christians.
Then Utah Phillips sang a pro union anti-church song. They knew that one too
and sang it as well as they did the others.
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| User: "Ed. Stoebenau" |
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| Title: Re: Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
24 Apr 2005 05:50:40 PM |
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On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 05:44:36 GMT, "Dale"
<dmgreer@nspm.airmail.net> wrote:
On Sunday I was channel surfing and stopped on the Daystar channel to listen
to the choir of the Full Gospel Holy Temple here in Dallas
(http://www.fght.org/).
There is nothing like the choral music in a Black church, with its heavenly
harmonies and hypnotic beat. The brothers and sisters are getting down,
praising the Lord, and all that. What would happen to that culture if they
all suddenly came to their senses and became atheists? Sure it's possible
for atheists to feel awe and wonder at the universe, but is it possible to
experience the giddy, unalloyed joy of praising God simply because you're
alive and filled with the spirit, and more importantly, because you feel
redeemed and forgiven for your sins?
Related to this, I find the lyrics of the old gospel song
"Memphis Flu," by Elder Curry and his Congregation (ca 1930ish)
to be downright subversive, even though originally they were not
so, what with the "yes He killed the rich and poor, and he's
gonna kill much more" lyrics repeated a few times thruout the
song.
--
Ed. Stoebenau
a #143
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| User: "Mike Painter" |
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| Title: Re: Atheist Black Gospel Music? |
24 Apr 2005 07:33:52 PM |
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Ed. Stoebenau wrote:
There is nothing like the choral music in a Black church, with its
heavenly harmonies and hypnotic beat. The brothers and sisters are
getting down, praising the Lord, and all that. What would happen to
that culture if they all suddenly came to their senses and became
atheists? Sure it's possible for atheists to feel awe and wonder at
the universe, but is it possible to experience the giddy, unalloyed
joy of praising God simply because you're alive and filled with the
spirit, and more importantly, because you feel redeemed and forgiven
for your sins?
They would continue to sing and enjoy the music.
Much of that music is from worshipping older gods and a lot of equally good
pro-union anti church songs came from it.
I'd suggest the gospel hour Sunday morning at the Kate Wolf Music festival
in Laytonville, CA for a demonstration of fantastic harmony complete with
hand waving if you doubt it.
Gospel hours are a regular feature in a lot of folk festivals but a few
years ago in Boonville they brought in a group that actually started
preaching. Most people left and when they were done a few people gave a
smattering of applause.
A few minutes later there was a crowd around one of the workshops and old
time gospel was being sung. He got a great cheer.
It's the music.
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