Pompeii mosaic
Trio of musicians in a mosaic from Pompeii, now at the Museum of Naples. Wikimedia Commons

Evanescence and Permanence: Music, Religion and Immortality

Many people fear the inevitability of death and invest in what Ernest Becker called ‘immortality systems’. Carole M. Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney, explores the close connection between religion, music and cultural rituals, and asks what that means in the West today where organised religion is in decline, music has fragmented into numerous genres, and rock bands can inspire as much devotion as sacred beliefs.

Immortality Systems

In 1974 the...