Who are your favorite non-atheist composers ?

[71 dB]

Well, J.S.Bach was a theist. Karlhenning said to me once that Elgar was a believer too. Maybe. Maybe he was an agnostic and only behaved as a believer to make living easier in a religions and concervative environment. After all Elgar was pretty interested of science.

In the end I supposed almost all of my favorite composers were non-atheists. Most people in the world are believers and atheists are often biologists. 

Shostakovich was not an agnostic! He didn't believe in God or a God. He believed that death was the final stage of our existence, therefore, making him an atheist.

Good for him!

[Karl Henning]

Well, J.S.Bach was a theist. Karlhenning said to me once that Elgar was a believer too. Maybe. Maybe he was an agnostic and only behaved as a believer to make living easier in a religions and concervative environment. After all Elgar was pretty interested of science.

Obvious to many of us, but many believers take an interest in science; and many of the great scientists have been believers.

Why do you "need" Elgar to be agnostic?

[Cato]

Obvious to many of us, but many believers take an interest in science; and many of the great scientists have been believers.

Amen!   0:)   Our modern-day atheists seem as bent on proselytizing as the most born-again believers!  One reaches the same wall, whether one accepts the theory of the atheists that the universe/multiverse is eternal and without beginning (or that it "happened" from a vacuum fluctuation), or that God is eternal and without beginning.

Why is that the basis of existence?

Time for Scriabin!   0:)

[Florestan]

God is eternal and without beginning.

That's just plain Roman Catholic orthodoxy.   

[Cato]

That's just plain Roman Catholic orthodoxy.   

Ah yes, Sister Claude taught us well!

[Brian]

The only atheist composer of whom I was aware was Janacek! I am an atheist myself but the Glagolitic Mass is the one and only work of music about which I have ever felt I gained insight, knowing that its author was not a religious believer.

Time for Scriabin!   0:)

Oooh, are we playing "Who are your favorite composers who thought they were Jesus?" now? 

[Lisztianwagner]

Some of mine:

Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Bruckner, Bach and Händel.

[Dungeon Master]

Atheist means a non-believer. As a term it is probably unnecessary. We do not have words for people who do not play golf, do not play chess or do not believe in gravity (apart from intellectually challenged). Yet there seems to be a need to have a term for somebody who doesn't believe in supernatural beings.

Surely the original question should be rephrased minus the double negative, as simply composers who believe in a god.

Secondly, why is that distinction even necessary? Is there a point being made to separate those composers who believe and those who do not? Is the music of each somehow inherently different? Now that might be an interesting discussion.

[ibanezmonster]

Ubloobideega is my favorite non-atheist composer. He believes in one god: himself.
...however, is plagued by the not-being-able-to-destroy-the-universe thing. 

[david johnson]

I will say that my current favorite of fellow believers is Bruckner.  My favoritism comes and goes.

[71 dB]

Obvious to many of us, but many believers take an interest in science; and many of the great scientists have been believers.

Yes, especially in the past.

Why do you "need" Elgar to be agnostic?

Well, I don't. All I am saying that it isn't easy to deduct one's opinion about God. Designing a church doesn't make an architect a believer... ...also many agnostics are careful about telling about their doubts because that may cause them social difficulties, unfortunately.