Oh, no question Frank Zappa puts Mozart, Brahms,, Tallis, Byrd, etc. to shame. Whatever you say.

I never said he put them to shame, Ron - rather that he carried on in the same tradition and stands as an equal to each of them. Your overtly reactive stance is such that it either deliberately avoids the points raised (as you have with earlier posts from myself & MtheGM) or else you're missing the point entirely. I could name countless Atheist composers & musicians - and many others who've devoted their lives to performing the music of the composers you mention, not because of some transcendent spiritually you feel is somehow inherent in the music, but because of its human beauty which remains even when removed from its religious context.

To the Atheist such things aren't an issue; all is seen in human terms (even Religion) of both the positive and the negative which rests at the heart of the grand paradox that is the Human Condition. Whilst the Atheist is all too aware of the lessons of history, like the Anarchist, their abiding faith is that one day we'll be able to live succesfully without Religion or Government. You seem to be suggesting we need the oppression, the lies, the myths & the hoo-hah to function; maybe we need the jack-boots too, eh? Here in the UK we have a largely secular atheist society that works just splendidly. The same might be said for other parts of the world. Religion lingers as Folklore & Seasonal Festival - even Atheists might partake on such grounds (no one loves Xmas more than I & I even might go to Mass at Easter) but for the most part the pervading faith is in the goodness of the people around us whilst being aware that none of us is perfect. Note the word Faith there - Good Faith in Humanity, which is not a religious belief, but a Humanist Certainty, one founded entirely on Empirical Gnosis.