sigur ros and God

i have described the music of this band as spiritual on several occasions. i believe that there are certain things that transcend religion, because God wrote them on our very hearts. i think religions tap into this, but it is also possible to tap it without organized faith at all. i believe that service falls into this category, as do love and community.

there is a movement in western culture to be spiritual rather than religious. we believe that all paths to God are equal. following this reasoning, there is no need, then, for any organized religion at all. if all organized paths lead to God, then so should all unorganized, or personal paths. we then, with this mindset, cite our spiritual experience as example for the truth in our belief. "i loved unconditionally and helped someone in need, it was such an emotional experience."

i believe they are simply tapping into something God has written on our hearts, a desire or pursuit woven into the very fabric of humanity. it makes them feel close to God because it was designed to.

for me, as a christian, music never really fit into this category. worship did. but i believe that the above are also forms of worship and that we, as humans, are all designed to worship something. but the vessel for some acts of worship, specifically music, never held that power to transcend until i heard sigur ros for the first time.

now, after years of listening, i believe that some music can transcend religion and offer truly spiritual experience. if we follow this to its logical end, then one could conclude that music was also written onto the human heart. i believe that there will be singing and praise in heaven, and that somehow, music was given to us to remind us of the greatness of God.

i just hope our praise in heaven sounds something like this: