I was at a wedding during the summer where I happened to sit next to a couple of friends of mine who are atheists. It was a Mennonite wedding, but despite my own atheism I sang along with the hymns. I didn’t sing along in the quiet, mumbly way that one might if they didn’t know the song and didn’t believe in the message. Instead, I did my best to lead the people around me in song, really getting into the hymns.

My friends respectfully stood but didn’t sing along, saying later that it didn’t make sense for them to sing something that they didn’t believe. I think they really missed out on something by not singing along.

I’m not just saying that because I love to sing and music is infused into almost every part of my life, or that going to a wedding is all about supporting the bride and groom in any way you can, or that singing with a group of people is scientifically proven to make you feel better.

Music is simply math. And math doesn’t worry about faith and belief, it works no matter what. Pitches are frequencies caused by vibrations. Rhythm is math too! A certain beat at a certain speed and you’re good to go. Sure, the lyrics can carry a message, but when 2/3 elements are math, I don’t think that the words can upstage the melody and rhythm. A song with no lyrics can make still make you shiver.

Many of the most beautiful songs ever written are “spirituals”. In choir we have sang Latin and German worship pieces that, when performed well, even caused us to cry during practice.

Music and singing doesn’t belong to a faith or religion, or a person or group of people, for that matter. It transcends language and culture. There are amazing songs with lyrics I will never understand, but I will listen and sing along to all the same. People who speak different languages can still make music and dance together. No words need to be exchanged.

My Generation, by the Christian band Starfield, has one of the sickest basslines ever. Relient K has an amazing ten minute opus called Deathbed on their album Five Score and Seven Years ago. Underoath was an awesome hardcore band with great screams and riffs. I don’t count out music just because it’s “Christian” or made by people of some other faith. Some of the songs can be pretty awful, but that comes down to poor songwriting, not meaning.

It doesn’t matter what the lyrics are. Even if the intention of the writer was to convert someone through the lyrics, if the music is good, it’s your choice to accept the premise of the song. Even if you disagree, you can still appreciate the musicality required to put together great rhythms, melodies and harmonies.

So next time you’re at a wedding, or a concert, or even the club, stop caring about how you’ll look singing the lyrics to a song you might not believe in, and just sing for the joy of singing.

Your musical tastes can still be your own, but try look past the lyrics or the name of the artist, and realize that there is more to music than the meaning of the words coming out of someone’s mouth.

Now go and sing ;)