And the civil rights movement in this country would have begun long before 1957 when Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This makes sense to me, but it also presumes that all the actions of the liturgy make sense. To hear some liturgical musicians speak one would think the high point of the liturgy is the responsorial psalm. There is almost none. I suggest that music which accompanies poor or unclear action only adds to the confusion.
People are naturally sacramental perceivers.
To deny this potential is not only naive but irresponsible. If the actions of the liturgy are at times vague, or the sermons sometimes meandering, people can still leave church with melodies and words of encouragement and challenge echoing in their hearts. It is not enough to leave people with pious platitudes and self-serving scripture quotes taken out of context. Liturgy is an action in which people express who they are, and who they wish to become. My modest proposal for composers of liturgical music is that we first of all recognize how influential our music can be for the faith-development of people.