Neil Peart Was Freethinking Drummer/Lyricist for Rush
'But his drumming virtuosity is not central to my point. Peart was known for his lyrical themes of sci-fantasy, philosophy, and Ayn Rand libertarianism. (I even wrote an end-of-the-semester paper in my college literature class comparing the lyrics and storyline from the dystopian-themed Rush album "2112" to the story of Adam and Eve.) But what I really appreciated were Peart's songs that touched on freethinking. Foremost, it was the song "Free Will," off the band's 1980 album "Permanent Waves," that really hooked me. At that time, I was a sophomore in high school and was pretty certain that I was an atheist. Hearing that song helped cement my disbelief. It made me realize that I wasn't so "out there" to be skeptical of religion and the idea of God. To have a great drummer and lyricist like Neil Peart share my (non)belief, well, that immediately endeared him to me even more.
....
People assumed Peart was an atheist by his words and actions, although he never called himself that. He once said in an interview that he was "a linear agnostic," whatever that means.
"Tom Sawyer" (1981)
No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent
But change is'
(PJ Slinger, Neil Pert Was Freethinking Drummer, Freethought Today, Mar 2020)