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Interesting thing about music, religion, and atheism.

slugg

slugg

Diamond Member
I'm a percussionist and drummer. I'm also atheist. There are a couple churches in the area looking for a drummer and it got me thinking...

How bad would it be for an atheist drummer to be in a worship band? I mean, aren't the Christians supposed to be all-welcoming or whatever?

It'll never happen. It's just a bad idea. But it's food for thought.
 
Music has no religion, its like saying you will never play for a certain genre or wouldn't play at a certain club coz you don't like the ethnicity of the people it caters to. I think you are a douche
 
Depending on the denomination, I think most would welcome you with open arms. Just being in services and hearing the songs might be enough to change your tune (SEE WHAT I DID?). Granted, the hardcore evangelicals would never take you, but apart from that, most congregations are fairly welcoming of people who don't share their beliefs as long as you don't proselytize within the church.
 
Are you willing to keep your head down and nod or will you start each set proudly proclaiming your atheism?

As long as you don't ruin the experience for the other Christians I don't really see anything wrong with it. A gig is a gig. At the same time with a church you're expected to be a role model to people in the congregation. Don't start arguments about evolution and keep your head down.
 
DesiPower said:
Music has no religion, its like saying you will never play for a certain genre or wouldn't play at a certain club coz you don't like the ethnicity of the people it caters to. I think you are a douche
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And I think u r a idiot. I won't ever do it not because I look down on them, but because they will look down on me and never accept me. In my experience, Christians of most denominations are not accepting of atheists; they always either try to convert you or ignore you altogether. I'll never join a worship band simply because of this social stigma; its a pressure I'd rather avoid.

IronWing said:
How badly do you want to play crappy music?
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You'd be surprised just how amazing some of the gospel bands are out there. Really incredible musicians. Once in a while, the entire group is full of incredible musicians and nothing else. I would love to be in a band like this, but I don't think Jesus is my homeboy.
 
kia75 said:
Are you willing to keep your head down and nod or will you start each set proudly proclaiming your atheism?

As long as you don't ruin the experience for the other Christians I don't really see anything wrong with it. A gig is a gig. At the same time with a church you're expected to be a role model to people in the congregation. Don't start arguments about evolution and keep your head down.
Click to expand...

It's not that easy. Suppose someone's agonizing over something; the expected Christian response would be to say "you're in my prayers," whereas I'd say something more like "you're in my thoughts." Or other little things that can come up in dialog. Eventually, people would realize I'm not Christian and, like I said before, people would not like that. They'd rather have a Christian drummer; they don't like outsiders.

I don't blame them. From their perspective, it makes sense. Irony.
 
Christians are more accepting than you might think. I'd try it if you were interested. You never know what may happen. Most people in the real world aren't as big of jerks as they are in the digital world. And sure, they might ask you of your religion, and once you say Atheist they might just stop talking to you about religion. They'll likely just stick to music.

If they don't accept you, it's probably because any band is a commitment from the players. They might fear that you won't be interested in religious songs for long, and might fear that once you get going, that you'll move on. So they might just want to stick with those of faith. The same reason why McDonalds usually don't hire people who had high paying career jobs. Because they know those people will leave immediately, and would rather stick with previous min wage employees.

BTW Churchs would never exist if they didn't like outsiders. They have to get their numbers by accepting outsiders. There are a ton of people who I make this comment to in my real life. I once told a GF of mine to come to church with me: She was like: "I'm not Catholic. Can I even go to a catholic chuch if I'm not catholic?" Seriously. Think about it. They want everybody to come. Not shoo them away.
 
slugg said:
It's not that easy. Suppose someone's agonizing over something; the expected Christian response would be to say "you're in my prayers," whereas I'd say something more like "you're in my thoughts." Or other little things that can come up in dialog. Eventually, people would realize I'm not Christian and, like I said before, people would not like that. They'd rather have a Christian drummer; they don't like outsiders.

I don't blame them. From their perspective, it makes sense. Irony.
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im not the most christian or religious person in the world, and im more likely to say the same "youre in my thoughts" instead of prayers as well. most of my family is very religious and they dont hold it against me. they also dont start the convert stuff, they know id rather not get into religious debates, even if their goal is to save my soul. i have lots of friends that dont hold it against me either, i give them the same respect in regards to their beliefs. for every religionut out there, there is also a decent christian that doesnt care if youre a nonbeliever.
 
slugg said:
It's not that easy. Suppose someone's agonizing over something; the expected Christian response would be to say "you're in my prayers," whereas I'd say something more like "you're in my thoughts." Or other little things that can come up in dialog. Eventually, people would realize I'm not Christian and, like I said before, people would not like that. They'd rather have a Christian drummer; they don't like outsiders.

I don't blame them. From their perspective, it makes sense. Irony.
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You're actually wrong from what I've experienced. Christians in most churches (non Southern Baptist, avoid them like the plague) I've seen/been to are always encouraged to befriend non-believers. I remember a pastor saying, if you're not friends with at least 5 non-believers then you need to get out and socialize more. It's actually almost treated like a badge of honor to know non-believers because you are then given the opportunity to tell others about the Bible and lead by example in actions to non-believers. I think a good majority of Christians would welcome you to their band as long as you didn't act like a douchenozzle and respected the fact that they have their beliefs, however silly you may find them. Just be aware that many people will try and show you kindness + be friendly more than other members once they know you are in the non-believer camp. Over time I bet you would make a lot of friends as well.
 
Church music isn't always crappy. Refining your skill playing new music is always good. Additionally, you'll learn to play with new people, maybe learn new hand signals, and refine your ability to play well with others which, ultimately, is the true test of any musician.

Whether or not you agree with their philosophy, if they'll have you and you don't have to be bothered by their lies and bigotry, then go for it! Regular practice, regular performances, it's all good for your skills.
 
You really seem to want to stick to your prejudices.

Even to the point of arguing with actual Christians about what a hypothetical response will be.
 
OH. MY. GOD. It would, like, be the worst thing in, like, the W0rld. A non-believer sitting quietly and playing drums in a church!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? FOR SHAME. FOR SHAME I SAY!

Seriously - did you really need help answering this question, or were you just bored?
 
You should try it. You might not even be the only atheist in the church either. I had a friend in college whose father was a Christian minister (Baptist?) . . . and an atheist.
 
Mursilis said:
You should try it. You might not even be the only atheist in the church either. I had a friend in college whose father was a Christian minister (Baptist?) . . . and an atheist.
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IDK bruh, they might recognize that he's an atheist at the door. You don't want OP to get drowned in holy water, now do you?
 
I guess it depends on how good the band is. 90% of the Christian bands seem to be pretty obvious imitations of better secular bands that exist solely so that christian teens can listen to the same kind of music as their peers without feeling as guilty. There are some good ones out there though. I like some of the August Burns Red stuff for instance.
 
I don't see the point of this thread, is the OP just thinking out loud?

Most worship bands are just bad, and most of their music is uninspired, and a ton of people will give you crap about not sharing their philosophy. But, if you want to sift through all that to find good musicians playing good music who don't care about your philosophy, go for it. I wouldn't bother unless I had no choice, but that's really a personal call.
 
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