Music and religious experiences
Alf Gabrielsson
Oxford University Press eBooks September 29, 2011 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695225.003.0022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Narrators recounting strong experiences with music in connection with religious experiences, with varying attitudes toward Christianity (believers, undecided, atheists, and those not stating a position) |
| Key findings | The chapter organizes personal accounts of strong musical experiences into three thematic groups: music giving rise to visions of heaven, the afterlife, paradise, or eternity; music associated with spiritual peace, holiness, and Christian fellowship; and music as religious communication. The narrators' stances toward Christianity vary, including explicit believers, the undecided, atheists, and those who say nothing about it. |
Abstract
Religion and music have always been closely associated. Regardless of which religion, music is an important part of rites and cult activities, sometimes even dance. This chapter presents accounts of strong experiences with music in connection with religious experiences. The narrators' attitudes to Christianity vary. Some of them are explicit religious believers, others haven't taken a stance; some describe themselves as atheists and others don't mention anything at all about this. The accounts have been divided into different groups according to content or theme. A first group of accounts is about how music gave rise to visions of heaven, life to come, paradise, or eternity. The accounts in the second group provide examples of how music is associated with experiences of spiritual peace, holiness, and Christian fellowship. The theme in the third group could be said to be religious communication.