The claim that religiously-inspired music is inherently more beautiful than atheistically-inspired music initially seems plausible but on reflection it seems clear there is a severe selection bias at work. The majority of religiously-inspired songs that have been written actually suck, as do the vast majority of songs of any sort. A few early churches cultivated an environment in which singing and songwriting were well rewarded, something one could make a career out of. Many talented people spent lifetimes writing song after song—most of them terrible—for the church and hundreds of years later a few of the songs that survive from that era are lovely. Do you really think Handel couldn’t have written a decent song about atheism if he’d been paid to do so? Or at least, one that we’d regard as good if people had been singing it for centuries?
But you’re looking at the output of professionals at the height of their craft, winnowed by time. It’s like comparing Casablanca with some recent student art film projects and claiming black & white movies are inherently better.
The claim that religiously-inspired music is inherently more beautiful than atheistically-inspired music initially seems plausible but on reflection it seems clear there is a severe selection bias at work. The majority of religiously-inspired songs that have been written actually suck, as do the vast majority of songs of any sort. A few early churches cultivated an environment in which singing and songwriting were well rewarded, something one could make a career out of. Many talented people spent lifetimes writing song after song—most of them terrible—for the church and hundreds of years later a few of the songs that survive from that era are lovely. Do you really think Handel couldn’t have written a decent song about atheism if he’d been paid to do so? Or at least, one that we’d regard as good if people had been singing it for centuries?
But you’re looking at the output of professionals at the height of their craft, winnowed by time. It’s like comparing Casablanca with some recent student art film projects and claiming black & white movies are inherently better.
(FWIW, here’s the closest thing that I’ve written… Hymn of the Flying Spaghetti Monster )