Why Are Indie Rockers Afraid of Religion?
Chris Dahlen writing for Pitchfork Media analyzes the discomfort most underground/indie bands have when discussing religion and faith in their works.
“Almost no strain of music is as secular as indie rock: It’s quaint when old men on 78s sing spirituals, and a rugged legend like Johnny Cash can pray however he wants, but if you’re a scrawny songwriter with a 4-track, siding with Jesus makes you a leper.”
While the column focuses mostly on the popular discomfort with Christianity, the message of the column could be applied to any faith interacting with the extremely secular world of popular and underground music.
“You can disagree with the church of your choice, but to dismiss religion altogether– and to write off the best ideas, the best people and of course, the best indie rockers– that come out of it, seems pointless. Why shoot the messenger just because you’re scared he has a message?”
The current secular trend in music seems to be fairly recent, the sixties and seventies saw plenty of faith-infused rock and folk. It could be that the rise in power of the “religious right” in the 80s, the co-opting of religion for political wedge issues, and advocacy groups like the the PMRC, helped create a secular vs religious countercultural idea.
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