Norman Lebrecht wrote, on his "Slipped Disc" blog,

"As proof that the Devil has the best tunes, it is an established fact that atheists write the best religious music. Verdi, Elgar, Saint-Saens, Janacek, Ravel, Vaughan Williams, Britten… the list of unbelievers who wrote great sacred works extends to the limits of the known universe. And while we know little of Rossini’s state of faith, it is safe to assume that a man of his dedicated hedonism was not one of the godlier composers."

Well that was a bit of Norman's mischief for sure, but lots of grains of truth in there! Vaughan Williams wrote a wonderful little Mass in G minor, and he said of it, "There is no reason why an atheist could not write a good Mass."

I've always been a fierce defender of great cathedrals, religious art and sculpture and religious music. I recorded superb versions from the Proms of Mozart's Requiem (three different ones) and his Great C minor Mass and I never tire of playing them loud and proud through my headphones once Mrs Steve has hit the sack. Why, I can even sing (I use that word advisedly) along in Latin with the Sequenza from that Requiem (I've heard it so many times). But none of this because religion resonates with me - most assuredly it doesn't, and I'm an avowed atheist - but because it's all as much a part of my heritage as it is a part of the heritage of the most dedicated believer.