Music and Religion

January 5, 2011
Music and Religion


Religion and Music have often been tied together. Music is often a way for religions to communicate to their god(s). People singing together is a very powerful way for the them to feel connected as one to each other, and their religion. It’s very moving.


Sometimes songs are written from divine inspiration. In Christian music songs are often devoted to God. A couple weeks ago I decided to go to St.Paul’s Church in Spartanburg for Catholic Mass with a good friend of mine. It was Christmas Day and they decided to do a traditional Roman Catholic mass from a century ago. They chanted and sung all in Latin! I was very impressed. The Latin words they chanted seemed so surreal to me. I didn’t know what they were saying, but the way the sung the words made me feel like they were really divine people having a conversation with God. It wouldn’t have been the same if they just recited the words without chanting. It would have been way less of an impact on everyone without the chanting. Talking seems to only go so far during service for me, but when music is included it takes everyday words and makes them divine.


I believe music can often take people to another realm. I believe music can be thought of as a passageway to the spiritual world. Much like drum(s) that Native Americans play in order to communicate to the spirit king in Native American Culture.

 I found it interesting that the Hindu God, Krishna, played the Bansuri (A bamboo flute). The Bansuri is often played in the Hindu religion in order to communicate to the Gods. The intensity of communication depends on the skill level of the Bansurist. The Bansuri has such a deep, solid, meditative sound. The sound it makes takes me to a different level of being. The sound is very relaxing. Relaxation is important in order to clear the mind and see things as they are and not the way you think they are. Honestly, I don’t think anyone human can really have a clear understanding of everything. So, they can never quite reach “perfection”. But, the point is that you FEEL like you understand more. It’s a  never-ending journey. This is an important aspect of Hinduism. I believe that Krishna played the Bansuri  because it allowed his followers to relax. This relaxation enables his followers to take a journey to enlightenment with a clear mind, and to ultimately see the truth of the world to the best that they possibly can.