It could, it actually depends on what religion and what kind of music, generally i care more about the music and the atmosphere that it creates than the lyrics but bad lyrics can ruin a good song.

Religion and music both deal with "life". Music is a form of expression, religion a foundation, combining the two those makes perfect sense to me.

I watched a documentary called "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music" or something like that and I must say that some times music and religion should go different ways. Exceptions are Trouble and especially Veni Domine (from doom at least)

A quick question for all of you guys - one thing is the mix of music and religion, but what is non-religion like (according to you)?
I'm in particular thinking Nietzsche with his remark that while God is dead, we are still faced with his shadow.

from what I understand music originally in tribal settings was only used for ritual and never as a form of entertainment.

Pro religious and anti-religious views all have their place in music. It's really a question of the quality of how your views are written and expressed. The listener ultimately decides whether or not it works for them.

To the title of the thread: never heard of Gregorian singing? Hildegard von Bingen?

What about Gospel?

Without religion I highly doubt music would have developed the way it did throughout history, so for me the question is fundamentally preposterous.

Or a lot of classical in general for that matter. Bach? Beethoven? Bruckner?

Obviously both are closely related. Arts (so music also) show certain feelings. Religion also depends on these feelings. Different ships, but sailing the same sea.

Totally! Don't they both want to adress inner, secret, personal emotions?

Yes, but maybe religion wants these feelings to be made "official", shared with others, while arts are much more "self-centered" and do not really need this "sharing".

Yes maybe, if you consider the ascendency of Church, its need to control and lead the life of the believers rather than the holy message itself and the ways one can find to appropriate it. In the first stages of Christianity, hermits, and there were many of them, have tried to find a more direct contact to God, and later the print of bibles in vernacular languages made it possible for individuals to cultivate a personal link to religion. I'd say, already from the 13th, 14th century, the gradually emerging sense of individuality, at least in the elite, made contemplation in solitude a more favoured way to reach God.

I see this rather personal religious contemplation as „spiritual“, in contrast to those merely public „religion“ things. It is the third ship sailing on that sea - religious experiences that do not need any common gatherings.

It's certain that this spiritual search is reserved to cultivated people with a strong inner aspiration. The common man, he'll go to the church and recite without looking below the surface of things, blindly sticking to a well-ordered routine. This is the bleating flock. But well, only taking Christianity into consideration, the religion with all its dogmas and restrictions, has more to offer to a curious, sensitive mind than the simple and very poor Sunday school... So it's more a matter of what you want to do with it rather than its teaching per se.

Religion seemed to be very „multi-functional“. Not nice for all who consider it to be more than just „functional“. I am not religious but I would be hurt by this abuse. Opium for the people...

Queen, mother of mercy:
our life, sweetness, and hope, hail.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To you we sigh, mourning and weeping
in this valley of tears.
Turn then, our advocate,
those merciful eyes
toward us.
And Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb,
after our exile, show us.
O clement, O loving, O sweet
Virgin Mary.