Music/Other Entertainment:

What can I say, I'm just not that open minded in this respect.
I admit that I will shy away from most music if I detect blatantly religious themes (or especially if they fall into the "Christian Music" category), on the other hand I don't gravitate towards artists simply because they offer skeptical/agnostic/atheistic viewpoints. I AM always delighted when music I enjoy also speaks to my worldview. The Dodos "God?" comes to mind.
Though now that I scan through my musical collection saved to my 1TB hard drive, The Mountain Goats and M. Ward both have beautiful songs that contain Christian messages.
The aforementioned gospel and jazz categories are also exceptions in my collection. I truly enjoy a giant glass of something alcoholic and Nina Simone or Coltrane played loud enough to bother my wife. I will stand in a darkened living room and sway or bop to the music while our dogs jump around like crazy (they dig it, too and are so conditioned as to get up and join me as soon as any music reaches a certain volume level).

MisterChristopher wrote:Video game music/songs anyone? "Still Alive" is simply and has a dark undertone. Gotta love Portal

Never played Portal but I love that song.

Atheistzombie's suggestion of The Dodos was right on. I looked up "God?" AND IT BLEW MY MIND.

No one to hold, no place to lie
I know we're all alone and still
You come to brush this gray aside
I know, I know, it's fate I feel
You answer to our hungry eyes
I hope, I hope this must be real
We need you now, we need to heal
Oh no, oh no, oh God, where'd you go?

You give us love, we have to hide
I know, I know, it's shades of gray
You give us hope and give us strife
I know, I know, this price we pay
You tell me no, I ask you why
I know, I know, your patient ways
You wait until we see the light
Oh no, oh no, oh God, where'd you go?

Oh, God

And tell us how to feel inside
No lies, no lies, no lies
And let me look upon that sign
With eyes, with eyes, with eyes
And tell me how you wear that crown
Of right, of right, of right
You lift us up then let us down
We die, we die, we die

You answer to the wrong and wide
I know, I know, their faith you fill
You give us strength and make us fight
I know, I know, we're supposed to kill
You pit us up on different sides
I know, I know, that's just your will
I wonder if you'll wait until
Oh no, oh no, this place will explode

You live above this great big sky
I hear it's nice, it's always spring
I've come to ask you for advice
I know you're busy for a king
You tell me once, I ask you twice
How long, how long, before they sing?
We did the things you said, alright
Oh no, oh no, oh God, where'd you go?

Oh, God

And tell us how to feel inside
No lies, no lies, no lies
And let us look upon that sign
With eyes, with eyes, with eyes
And tell me how you wear that crown
Of right, of right, of right
You lift us up then let us down
We die, we die, we die
We die, we die, we die

exxian wrote:
One band I do LOVE that leans that way is Nickel Creek... but they keep most of their songs secular. Ironically my favorite of their list is "Doubting Thomas" because it so beautifully illustrates that conflicted time of doubt before someone leaves their faith. Really heartbreaking to listen to.

I like some of Nickel Creek's music - looked them up after seeing clips on the YouTube of them performing with Fiona Apple. Fiona + Nickel Creek is a good mix. A prime example:

Ms. Apple's got some pipes on her, and she's great in her live performances.

Here's a couple of favorites of mine:

She's quite good at the oldies:



and a spine-chilling cover of an Elvis Costello song (with Elvis himself on the guitar):

That was freakin awesome! I downloaded the song to my Ipod.

Tears and fuzzy feelings.

Great vid and song. But I'm still digging "A Glorious Universe". It sounds better every time I listen to it. It gives me chills.

There is just SO MUCH wrong with this interview.




As an atheist I could never imagine electing or voting for an atheist president. I mean, religion keeps a person who is endowed with so much power honest. This is a person who is answering to a higher power every night... that's important to me. I mean I represent 2% of the world, why would I want someone who thinks 90% of the world is crazy, running the country?



"I really aspire to be a person of faith someday..."

Um... ok.

"I'm a fan of George Bush. I think he had a conviction, personal principles that required him to answer to someone else when he went to bed at night. Not to the State and not to Himself. I don't see the same kind of reverence in some of our other recent presidents..."

What?

"Oh no I don't think (Obama) is making conscious decisions to be a bad president, absolutely not. I think he's a true believer in some of his policies. And that's fine but I also think he doesn't have a lot of his own convictions. I think they've been informed by acadamia and the chicago community organizing circut that I don't think he has a sort of visceral feeling on a great many issues."




******


Basically she's an atheist but she thinks all atheists think theists are crazy and thus would be incapable of governing the state?

Bush was a better president than Obama (unlikely) because he felt accountable to and derived all his decisions from the voice in his head, as opposed to "acadamia", the State and his own thinking?

Having not seen the interview (stupid work firewall), I can only go by the quotes you've been so kind to put up.

She might be an atheist in the strictest sense of the word (ie, she lacks belief in a deity), but that's about it. And even then, she sounds confused as to what she really believes in general. Maybe she's just angry at her imaginary friend for not answering her prayers, and says she's an atheist in the same sense a child says he/she's running away from home when angry at their parents. Or she's a fundamentalist plant. "Look, look! I'm a big, mean atheist and *I* think theists are better people!"

In general, anyone who is convinced by this needs a fucking lobotomy. Now.

I doubt that she really is an atheist...especially after saying that she hopes to be a person of faith someday...I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes one of those born agains in the future...

She's a beautiful example of why politics is a hump of shite.

She's blinded to reason on many things because she has to toe the party line. She calls this 'not being open to influence'. I call it blindness.

The 'aspire' to faith remark was nothing but a lie designed to excite the Christian Right.

Shame for her. Maybe one day she'll see that sticking to one poltical party is utterly stupid.

I thought I'd share with you this fantastic song by Randy Newman.

Science fails to recognize the single most
Potent element of human existence
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith
Science has failed our world
Science has failed our mother earth
Spirit-moves-through-all-things

I think you might be taking SOAD lyrics too literally. A lot of their lyrics can be very intentionally confusing/ambiguous. It is sometimes hard to tell if what they are saying is from the first person or third person.

clog the bases wrote:
I think you might be taking SOAD lyrics too literally. A lot of their lyrics can be very intentionally confusing/ambiguous. It is sometimes hard to tell if what they are saying is from the first person or third person.

I disagree. SOAD DOES have some very ambiguous lyrics, it's true, but they are also very outspoken in some songs, making clear points. "Science" is a clear condemnation of its title and an assertion that "the single most important element of human existence is faith." (An assertion they don't back up with evidence, of course. )

I listen to underground hip-hop music almost exclusively; artists like Immortal Technique, Lowkey, Gang Starr, Rakim, etc.

One of my favorite rappers, DMX, is Christian and I like his music because I can relate to it in other ways. I would link to an example but I am a new member and apparently not allowed to do that. Look up "Lord Give Me a Sign" on YouTube if interested.