It is said that all faiths have the same purpose—that through various teachings, they lead us toward facing and resolving our issues. In the big picture, the differences from one faith to another are relatively minor, and where we end up is infinitely more important than how we arrived there.
I will admit that I was one of those people who never really “bought into” this concept. However, after living through some of the experiences I have had over the last few years, my mind and views have been changed forever.
Over the last year and a half, I have been on a journey with a group of wonderful people. To give you a brief background, I formed, manage, and perform in a band called Significant Others, which performs original spiritual and inspirational music—mostly at Sunday church services throughout the Houston area and surrounding communities.
I also write and produce a large portion of the material and have been told by a few listeners that it is “spiritually neutral” in genre. One person even said, tongue in cheek, that the music “offends no one.” Those comments really hit a chord (excuse the pun), because the theme of most of our music is peace, love, self-determination, reflection, and spiritual growth.
As it turned out, these concepts were the common denominator in all the faith-based institutions where we performed. Our music fit comfortably into a wide range of religious settings. As a result, we have performed in Science of Mind churches, Unity churches, Spiritualist churches, New Age churches, and UU churches—many of which fall under the broad umbrella of “Liberal Religion.”
Through a little luck, a lot of hard work, extremely talented bandmates, and the ability to provide music that people connect with, we now appear regularly in rotation at Sunday services throughout the year, as well as at church functions such as festivals and youth-related activities.
When we first began this adventure, I wondered how our music would fit into churches with similar yet distinctly different faiths. The answer turned out to be one of the most rewarding educational experiences I have had in a long time.
Churches vary dramatically in their approaches. Some are highly structured, with strong emphasis on a particular teaching and little reference to other faiths. Others are loosely organized and fluid, responding to the needs of their members. Some function as quasi-recreational centers, combining teachings with classes, activities, and fellowship. Still others are all-faith spiritual centers, offering diverse speakers and healing practices in an open, welcoming environment.
Faced with different faiths and organizational models, my initial instinct was to look for differences and possibly adjust our songs to match each belief system. For a songwriter, that is a terrifying prospect—changing lyrics can distort the original meaning of a song.
To my relief, our repertoire required no changes. It already aligned with every group’s teachings because they were all centered on love, peace, self-reflection, and spiritual growth. It was a match made in heaven—however your faith defines heaven. We also discovered just how similar the core of all these faiths truly was.
As we traveled from church to church, we found that our music resonated deeply. Our style ranges from soft and tranquil to high-energy, hand-clapping, stand-in-your-seat rock and roll. Some songs even contain both dynamics within the same piece.
At one of our early church appearances, we took the “safe route” and opened with a gentle song sung by our female vocalist with a soothing voice. It went over very well and felt very “churchy”—if that’s a word.
After the meditation, sermon, and offering, we returned with an upbeat, spiritually inspired rock-and-roll number. The first few seconds were tense as people stared, unsure how to react. I half-expected someone to shout, “Stop that loud rock music—this is a church!” Fortunately, that never happened.
Instead, one brave soul stood up and began clapping and grooving to the music. Others followed, and before long, much of the congregation was on its feet, clapping and singing along. I will never forget hearing the crowd join us at the end of Love’s Gonna Rock the World. That moment confirmed that what we were offering truly worked.
We are now often described as a “Liberal Religion spiritual band,” for lack of a better term. We take the best from many worlds, blend them together, add a few ingredients, and make it work.
One lesson we learned early on is that everyone connects spiritually in their own way. Some prefer quiet, reflective music; others want music that lifts their energy and moves their feet. We mix it up at every appearance, usually ending with an upbeat song so the congregation leaves feeling energized and uplifted.
The second—and most important—lesson we learned is that many different faiths are about 98% similar in their approach. While there are minor variations, Liberal Religion churches all encourage self-examination, growth, love, peace, and respect for other beliefs.
Our music has proven to be “generically spiritual,” fitting comfortably into almost any liberal faith-based setting. Some Christian-based churches enjoy our music but prefer more specific wording aligned with their beliefs. We hope to bridge that philosophical gap in time—it is a work in progress.
At this stage of my life, it has been incredibly rewarding to perform for diverse organizations and experience the unique ways each delivers its message of love and peace. Many people stay within one church community, but we are fortunate to gain a broader perspective by serving many.
To close, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to bring joy through music to this spiritual universe.