I believe strongly that singing gospel music is good for us, whether we "believe" in what the words are saying or not. Many of the songs are marvelously joyous and hopeful, and that feeling gets transferred to us in the singing.

Furthermore, gospel music is, for the most part, very simple, straightforward music, and it's easy to sing. Great for learning how to sing harmony, because it's predictable. Great for learning to sing right out loud in a group.

I am not a "believer" now, but I spent most of my childhood as a member of the Junior Choir at my church (of course it was an Episcopal church, so it wasn't exactly "gospel" we were singing...), and I remember learning several "spirituals" (such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot") as a child. And gospel music has always been an important part of folk music. It seems entirely natural to me to sing gospel songs.

Cheers, Nancy