From the mouths of the famous and infamous

BONO QUOTES CLICK HERE

ALICE COOPER ON FAITH
"Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's rebellion."
--Alice Cooper in The London Sunday Times

LINFORD DETWEILER ON FAITH
“Spiritually, I’ve been a little bit all over the map. I’ve certainly abandoned my childhood faith, and then have struggled to come back to a place that makes sense to me. As difficult as it can be to reconcile with everything I know, I personally can’t rule out the idea of a benevolent, supreme creator: an artist, a conflicted, creative force. Every time I see the night sky, flung full of stars, something awakens in me.”
--Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine in the New York Press

AMY LEE ON FAITH
Spin: When you say, 'This life is not so monumental,' does that mean you believe in the afterlife?
Amy Lee: Absolutely. From a very young age I've believe in heaven and the idea that there is a reason why were here. It's not an accident.
Spin: Do you go to church?
Amy Lee: I haven't been in a long, long time.
Spin: Would you still define yourself as a Christian?
Amy Lee: Actually, I would.

BRANDON FLOWERS ON CHURCH
“But it all goes back to how I was raised, I guess. I hadn’t gone to church in a long time until I got married, and I’ve recently been going again with my wife. And I feel like I’ve missed out – I really missed it.” Brandon Flowers of the Killers in Paste

SPENCER CHAMBERLAIN ON STRUGGLE
"A lot of [Define The Great Line] is about my struggle as a human, with drug problems and emotional problems and fighting yourself and figuring out, really, how you're going to change....But many people will be bummed out because I've been struggling with drug problems on-and-off since I can remember, even recently--really recently--I don't believe in lying to people. Being honest, at least I know I could help somebody. As dark and twisted as the songs are, they have that element of hope in their heart, that there was a God, and the only way for me to get out was to hold onto his hand. A lot of people may feel that they've done too much or it's too late, but that's never the case."
--Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath in AP

WEISS ON THE CHANGE IN HIS LIFE
"About five years ago, my intentions were to make out with as many girls and get into as many magazines and or TV stations as possible. I had very selfish ambitions. But in October of 2003, I started living with a small group of people who were intentionally living communally, just sharing their lives. It occurred to me that all this business of Christianity, well, it was just business. What Jesus taught and what He lived were new ways of thinking, living and loving others that transcended the religious forms I had come to trust in. It just became so simple and so clear that my only duty was to worry about and care for others without expecting anything in return. Coming from a point where I used to think about killing myself all the time because I thought, really, that there was no purpose to this life and every day was a chore. I was really knocked off my horse."
--Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou in AP

"I find that playing so many characters in so many films is a way to be in the moment. That was, to me, growing up Catholic, the appeal of the clergy — they address the moment. So, short of being a priest, I am an actor."
--Catherine Keener in the NY Times

"When I started this book, my wife was concerned that I would become a Christian. That didn't happen. But I have become a fan, not just of the music, but of Christians, and of Jesus himself."

"To me, the message of the Gospel is love one another, look out for the less fortunate, and try to walk gently on the earth. And I love that. I think evangelical Christians tie themselves in ontological knots trying to make the whole Bible jibe, which is simply impossible with a collection of historical texts written over more than a thousand years. To anyone struggling with Christianity, my advice is try to keep your eye on the big picture, not a verse here and there. Love God, if you are so inclined, and one another. Sort out the rest using those principles as a lens."
--Andrew Beaujon, author of Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the phenomenon of Christian rock

On a junket for the film RV, Thunderstruck had the opportunity to speak with actress Kristen Chenoweth. Since she was recently profiled in the New York Times, we thought we would post a little of the conversation she had with reporters.
How do you make faith a part of your life in this industry?
Chenoweth: It's very very hard, because the minute you say I'm a Christian or have faith, everyone gets scared. I'm not like Tom Cruise scientology faith--like kind of wacky. I don't mind saying that, but I do have faith and I do pray and it was part of my childhood and I'm really glad I have it, because it's what's kind of sustained me. But do I meet people at Starbucks and say they're going to hell? No.

Is there pressure from the Christian community to accept roles?
Chenoweth: Yes! Every decision I make I always weigh it very carefully. And I--playing Annette Bening's lesbian lover in Running With Scissors was an important decision for me to make, and I knew that doing an FHM cover would bring certain backlash from the Christian
community. But I don't live my life in judgment and I don't think anyone should. My best friend is gay, that's not what I'm about at all, I don't try to walk any sort of line, I guess I'm somewhat of a dichotomy, because I do like to perform and act and sing, but I'm a person of faith, that's a major aspect of who I am, but I'm also in this industry, and there are certain business decisions I make. Would I do Playboy? Probably not. But do I judge people who do? No.

"Q: Money. Irishness. God. Which one couldn't you live without?
Bono: Wow.  Well it's an easy question to ask but... here's a thing.  When I was 16, my head was exploding. I just felt my life was going nowhere. I didn't fit in. I couldn't get a job. I didn't know how I could do my exams and I wasn't even sure I could concentrate at college. In those days, I remember, a prayer came up inside me.  I said "I don't know what I'm going to do with my life but if there's a God out there, and I believe there is, and You want me to do something, then I'm ready. I don't have any plans for myself and I'm available for work."  Pretty much within a few months of that epiphany I had joined U2 and started going out with Ali. A pretty good two months! Now had my destiny been -- if the God in heaven had said I want you to become a fireman and run up very dangerous buildings and save people's pets, I'd like to hope I'd have gone at it with the same gusto. So -- I couldn't let go of my faith.  But what's more interesting is that I don't think God will let go of me. I love it when people on bar stools rub their chins and say do you believe in God?  That's so presumptuous. A much more important question is does God believe in us?
Q: That sounds like you believe you were chosen.
Bono: No, no, no, I don't believe that. I do think God gets a laugh out of using some very poor materials. I volunteered is what I'm telling you."
--Bono in Q Magazine

"I'm constantly trying to figure out what my place in the world is. That search was obviously instigated by the birth of my daughter. In my film, I talk about how I woke up one day and thought, 'my God, I'm about to have a baby; how am I going to teach my child what the meaning of life is when I don't know myself?' If she asks why she's here and who is God or why are people suffering, I want to have answers. And I want to ask those questions, too."
--Madonna

"The thing is this: all of the money, all of the success-none of it is going to keep me alive longer than I'm meant to be. But the ICU is finished with 50 Cent. They're through seeing me under any circumstances. The way I see it, even a nigga like me ain't no accident. Like I said before, I believe in God. I didn't survive being shot nine times for nothing. I didn't claw my way out of the 'hood just 'cause it was something to do. I know I've got a purpose-a reason for being on this planet."
--50 Cent

"She's a Christian, but she's a pottymouth."
--Dominic Monaghan on "Lost" co-star Evangeline Lilly

"Over and over again, I've been called a walking oxymoron. I do things that you wouldn't associate with a good little Christian girl."
--Evangeline Lilly, star of "Lost"

"Aspects of the entertainment industry not really related to music began to sidetrack me. For a while, I was headed down not such a good path. But God brought me out of that. He totally saved me."
--Jonny Lang in the Lexington Herald-Leader

"At a time when religion seems so often to get in the way of God's work -- with its shopping mall sales pitch and its bumpersticker reductionism -- I give thanks just for the sanity of Billy Graham, for that clear, empathetic voice of his in that Southern accent. Part poet, part preacher -- a singer of the human spirit. Yeah, I give thanks for Billy Graham. Thanks Billy Graham."
--Bono on Pat Boone's new video tribute to Billy Graham (Click here to watch)

"So maybe it's time for a new Martin Luther, who's gonna come along and say, 'Live how you want to live, do what you want to do. But if you're going to call yourself a Christian, at least knwo the teachings of Christ. And at least understand the character of Christ."
--Moby in Relevant

"I'm a scribbling, cigar-smoking, wine-drinking, Bible-reading band man. A show off (laughs)...who loves to paint pictures of what I can't see. A husband, father, friend of the poor and sometimes the rich. An activist traveling salesman of ideas... Chess-player, part-time rock star, opera singer, in the loudest folk group in the world..."
--Bono's self-description in Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas.

"It all comes down to Jesus. It is all about love and how we all are connected. Coming from the inner city where there wasn’t much hope, where there was a lot of violence and drugs, I can relate to the other side, where it seemed like nothing was connected, nothing mattered. It was all dark and painful. I had those feelings when I strayed from my faith, got caught up in the street life, drugs, and crime … and it wasn’t until I woke up in prison that I said, “Oh God, I need to straighten my life out.” It was God that brought me back and put everything else in perspective."
--Mark Wahlberg on his role in I Heart Huckabees talking with Jeffrey
Overstreet of Looking Closer

"There is a thing called God or Nature or the Universe or whatever the f--k, yeah. Something must be happening for a reason. I overdosed f--ing thousands of times and f--ing had stomach pumps hundreds of times. And no I'm without drugs and alcohol eight months."
--Ozzy Osbourne in Spin on whether someone is watching out for him

"I'm thirty-three years old now. I see a lot of things differently now than I used to. I try to do more right than wrong and to keep God in everything I do and to keep the devils away from me. But I know by trying to stay so right, the devil is going to keep on working on me. That's going to be a curse around me all the time. But I don't think it's going to get me. I really dont think that it is."
--Snoop Dogg

"I don't talk about my faith very much, because the people you might want to talk with, you don't want to hang out with.

"To have faith in a time of religious fervor is a worry. And, you know, I do have faith, and I'm worried about even the subject because of the sort of fanaticism that is the next-door neighbor of faith. The trick in the next few years will be not to decry the religious instinct, but to accept that this is a hugely important part of people's lives. And at the same time to be very wary of people who believe that theirs is the only way. Unilateralism before God is dangerous."

"Religion is ceremony and symbolism. Writers live off symbolism, and performers live off ceremony. We're made for religion! And yet you see this country, Ireland, ripped over religion, and you see the Middle East. Right now, unless tolerance comes with fervor, you'll see it in the United States."
--Bono in The New York Times

"People are people. It doesn't matter what you've got or what position you're in, we all have issues in life, spiritual battles ... all kinds of things that need to be nurtured.…I'm just trying to, at this point of my life, glorify God the best way I can. I'm very appreciative of God's blessings."
--Lenny Kravtiz

“I look at is as Christianity is a faith, not a genre. I think that it’s important to us to not put ourselves in a box. Nobody likes to be categorized. I think (categories) limit your audience. But we’ve made music for everybody.”
--Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler

"I’m a religious person. I’m a Catholic. But I think any kind of spirituality is good. My chosen spirituality is Catholicism and I believe in Jesus. Now, if I was to say that in Rolling Stone, it would probably either get edited out or there would be some snide comment about that. And that’s what I was talking about in a song like ("St. Jude"): How spirituality or religion is almost something people deride. A lot of the reason is because of the caricatures of religion, people like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker. Young people see that and say, ‘This is a joke.’ A lot of it is the fault of these people and a lot of it is the fault of the whole left-wing journalism of Spin magazine or Rolling Stone. It’s not ‘cool.’"
--Brian Setzer, The Desert Sun

"I got on my knees and started praying. And the good Lord told me to start writing it down, dude."
Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys on the inspiration behind the song "Heaven" in Rolling Stone

BONO ON THE MAN IN BLACK
"Not since John the Baptist has there been a voice like that crying in the wilderness. Every man knows he is a sissy compared to Johnny Cash."
--Bono

"Johnny Cash doesn't sing to the damned, he sings with the damned, and sometimes you feel he may prefer their company."
--Bono from the liner notes of Cash's "Love, God, Murder"

MOBY ON JESUS CHRIST
"I'm a Christian in a very unconventional, idiosyncratic sense of the word.…I don't go to church, I'm not a member of any denomination, I would never argue about religion with anyone. I love Christ, I love the teachings of Christ, but I don't think I'm right. Organised religion does have a kind of chequered past. But my own Christianity is more simple and subjective."
--Moby in Q

TOLKIEN ON LORD OF THE RINGS
"The Lord of the Rings is a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; Unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. It was my desire to stay theologically orthodox that led me to avoid being too specific, despite the biblical parallels in the creation story...That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like 'religion,' to cults or practices, in the imaginary world...For the religious element is absorbed into the story and into the symbolism."
-- J.R.R. Tolkien, in a 1953 letter to friend, Father Robert Murray, just before book one was published

CASH ON LURKING DEMONS
"They don't come knocking on a regular basis. They just kind of hold their distance. I could invite them in: the sex demon, the drug demon. But I don't. They're very sinister. You got to watch 'em. They'll sneak up on you. All of a sudden there'll be a beautiful little Percodan laying there, and you'll want it."
--Johnny Cash in Rolling Stone

CASH ON SIN
"I believe what I say, but that don't necessarily make me right. There's nothing hypocritical about it. There is a spiritual side to me that goes real deep, but I confess right up front that I am the biggest sinner of them all."
--Johnny Cash in Rolling Stone

BARKLEY ON RELIGION
"It's not like religion isn't part of my life, because it is. I grew up going to church. I believe in prayer and treating people the way you would want to be treated. Religion, to me, is your individual relationship with God, or whatever you call your Supreme Being. That's it, plain and simple."
--Charles Barkley in his book I May Be Wrong

MOBY ON JESUS CHRIST
"I'm a Christian in a very unconventional, idiosyncratic sense of the word.…I don't go to church, I'm not a member of any denomination, I would never argue about religion with anyone. I love Christ, I love the teachings of Christ, but I don't think I'm right. Organised religion does have a kind of chequered past. But my own Christianity is more simple and subjective."
--Moby in Q

ROLLING STONE ON ANDY HUNTER
"U.K. DJ Andy Hunter is a spiritualist -- sonically and literally. He's one of the few dance artists to step up and proclaim his love for God while making a luxurious dance sound. His debut album, Exodus, is a free mix of progressive house, trance and drum-and-bass, and Hunter isn't shy in his presentation. An ambient aesthetic carries the album as a whole, creating an atmosphere that's tailored for the club kids and elite fashionistas alike. From the edgy swirls of "Wonders of You" to the hypnotic trance loop of "Radiate," Hunter instantaneously goes for a vibrant pitch. "Amazing" and "Translucent," which features airy, wispy vocals from Christine Bird, are almost heavenly in sonic depth and fiery electronic melody. Exodus is one of the year's ultimate sensory experiences, equally evocative to what Moby and Leftfield did in the early 1990s. Hunter isn't one to sermonize. He leaves it up to the listener to look beyond the aural display for a divine musical perception."
--Mackenzie Wilson in Rolling Stone

TARANTINO ON THE PASSION
LA Weekly: Is there any movie around you wish you'd made?
Quentin Tarantino: ...I don't think I would have the mania to make The Passion of the Christ, but I'd be proud of the results. Those are the only things playing around right now that are terrific.
LA Weekly: So you saw The Passion of the Christ?
Quentin Tarantino: I loved it. I'll tell you why. I think it actually is one of the most brilliant visual storytelling movies I've seen since the talkies -- as far as telling a story via pictures. So much so that when I was watching this movie, I turned to a friend and said, "This is such a Herculean leap of Mel Gibson's talent. I think divine intervention might be part of it." I cannot believe that Mel Gibson directed it. Not personally Mel Gibson -- I mean, Braveheart was great. I mean, I can't believe any actor made that movie. This is like the most visual movie by an actor since Charles Laughton made The Night of the Hunter. No, this is 15 times more visual than that. It has the power of a silent movie. And I was amazed by the fact that it was able to mix all these different tones. At first, this is going to be the most realistic version of the Jesus story -- you have to decipher the Latin and Aramaic. then it throws that away at a certain point and gives you this grandiose religious image. God----, that's good directing! It is pretty violent, I must say....

STRONG CHRISTIAN
“I have been a Christian—I’d say a strong Christian—for about four years. I’m not a Jerry Falwell, crazy, in-your-face Evangelical. But I’m scared a little bit for our country. I’m scared about the slipping social ethic.… The whole gay-rights thing is hard for me. I have a ton of gay friends. I have a gay aunt. I have a transvestite uncle. I want what’s best for them. It’s tough for me. But, you know, I believe what the Bible says. That’s the Word for me.”
--Maxine Friedman of Lead 21, profiled in New York

DYLAN’S LAST SONG
Rolling Stone: What's the last song you'd like to hear before you die?
Bob Dylan: How 'bout "Rock of Ages"?

LOS LONELY BOYS ON HEAVEN
"Heaven is basically a real prayer that we turned into a song. To tell you the truth, we just feel really honored and blessed that it's that song that people can identify us with, because that is really and truly who we are. And this music business and the rest of the world, man, it seems like you are up against a lot of odds when you go out and put your neck out on the line, in a sense for (a song from the heart about faith), for people to say 'Oh they're religious, they're churchgoers.' But. hey, we're not churchgoers or nothing; we just believe. We are real spiritual people when it comes to believing in God and Jesus and that whole spiritualism story. We just believe that's why we are where we are today."
--Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys

DENZEL ON GOD
"God is first. That's the breath of life. For me, that's why I'm here. I've been blessed with these abilities. I believe that it's not what you're given, it's what you do with what you have. I learned that from the Bible. What are you doing with what you have? Everybody has gifts to give. Who did you lift today? Who did you make better today?"
--Denzel Washington in the Independent

JESUS TATTOO
" Dixie had been lobbying for a tattoo for nearly a year, but I basically blew her off, telling her she could get one, but it would have to be my choice — either a battleship on her chest, or a heart containing the letters DAD on her upper arm. Not surprisingly, Dixie concentrated the bulk of her lobbying efforts on her mom, who similarly put her off. Then she got Jesus on her side, and ultimately on the small of her back. Her mom caved in and forked out the money for a three-inch black Christian fish symbol, with the letters JESUS inside. It's all in the name of religious expression, or so she says. I hope Jesus likes it because I'm not overly pleased."
--Mitch Chase, The Decator Daily

SCOTT STAPP ON FAITH
"I had run from my faith when I left home and ran right into rock 'n' roll, which was the worst thing my dad could have ever expected me to do.
"But when you're called to write, you just write what you feel. At the time I was writing those songs, I didn't think about or question why the lyrics had religious or spiritual connotations. I just wrote about what I was feeling, what I was struggling with. It did mess with the dynamics of the band. They were mad at me. They'd say, 'We didn't want to be in a Christian band!' They wanted to be in a rock 'n' roll band. ...
"But I had a [spiritual] calling on my life, from when I was younger, and the way I was raised, and I couldn't run away from it.
"At the time, we could honestly say we weren't a Christian band. I was rebellious, kind of running from God, struggling in my faith. It was challenging, but it was a blessing in disguise, because it really allowed our music to go places where normal secular music wasn't allowed to go.
"I also found out I wasn't alone in the world. There were a lot of people out there that had the same struggles with their faith."
— Scott Stapp, former lead singer of Creed, in World

LENNY KRAVITZ ON BLESSINGS
"People are people. It doesn't matter what you've got or what position you're in, we all have issues in life, spiritual battles ... all kinds of things that need to be nurtured.…I'm just trying to, at this point of my life, glorify God the best way I can. I'm very appreciative of God's blessings."
--Lenny Kravtiz

SWITCHFOOT FAITH
“I look at is as Christianity is a faith, not a genre. I think that it’s important to us to not put ourselves in a box. Nobody likes to be categorized. I think (categories) limit your audience. But we’ve made music for everybody.”
--Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler

PAM ANDERSON ON HOMELESS
"If I refuse one of them I'd be like, 'Oh my God. What if that was Jesus?'"
--Pam Anderson explaining why she gives money to homeless people

LOS LONELY BOYS ON HEAVEN"I got on my knees and started praying. And the good Lord told me to start writing it down, dude."
-- Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys on the inspiration behind the song "Heaven" in Rolling Stone

MASE ON FAITH
"Mase was never a filthy artist. I was never saying, 'You B's and hos.' So I don't know why people keep asking me about using curse words. All great artists have some spiritual backing. Before this, I was empty with riches on the outside. Now I'm rich on the inside and outside."
--Mase in Billboard

STAPP ON PASSION
"It put my life in perspective. When I think I have it bad, or when I'm feeling down or complaining or trying to place blame on certain things, I think about what Christ did for me and what he endured, [and] it puts things in the right order. What have I got to complain about? What I need to do is buck up and deal with this. When I saw that sacrifice and commitment, I wondered if I could learn how to love just a tenth of what that sacrifice symbolized, it would help me grow as a person. The movie basically made me re-evaluate myself, and how I can be a better person. How can I give and show people compassion and caring and love better than I do now?"
--Scott Stapp on The Passion of the Christ

LAURYN HILL ON PASSION
"The film was a visual representation of what life is supposed to be for the people of God -- a sinless man willingly gave himself up so that others might be saved. I was inspired by the film and proud to contribute a song to this collection."
--Lauryn Hill on The Passion of the Christ

RAY CHARLES ON DEATH
"You can't make a deal with death. No, sir. And you can't make a deal with God. Death is coldblooded, and maybe God is, too. So I'm alone, and I'm going crazy, until a righteous Christian lady from the little country town where I grew up wakes me and shakes me and says, 'Boy, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You gotta carry on.'… Made me realize I had to depend on me. No one was going to do sh-t for me. You hear me? No one. I could praise Jesus till I'm blue in the face. Pray till the cows come home. But Mama ain't coming back. So if Mama gave me religion, the religion said, 'Believe in yourself.' "
--Ray Charles, quoted in Rolling Stone

PEARL JAM ON THE BIG STUFF
"Those are the basic thematic building blocks. You could put God in there as well. As we get older, we're kind of tuning into the bigger stuff and trying to make sense of it somehow."
--Matt Cameron, Pearl Jam drummer explaining the group's new album to the Seattle Times

DIRTY LYRICS
"I'm frustrated by what I hear. Maybe it's not meant for me. Personally, I'm way too bright for a lot of the hip-hop lyrics to affect. I'm much too smart to think that jewelry or how cool I am is really going to change much about my personality. If you're dumb enough that it entertains you, have a great time. But I am seeking more than that. "When I was a young rock & roll star, I was really fascinated and shocked at times by the power that I had, by the power of my words, and shocked that it can be taken wrong. I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe that an artist has to take some moral responsibility for what he or she is putting out there. And I think a lot of these young kids are going to have to learn the hard way before they realize that you can actually do some damage if you're being careless or frivolous in what you're saying."
--Tom Petty in Rolling Stone

GROUNDED LIFEHOUSE
"I write songs about my wife but they’re a little more explicit. These songs are a little bit more open-ended. It’s where my spirituality comes into play. I leave a lot of stuff to the listener to interpret. Most of the love songs on this record are talking about my faith."
--Jason Wade of Lifehouse on VH1

WADE ON FAITH
"I have my struggles just as much as anybody else. But for the most part, my faith is what keeps me levelheaded. I have some problems with the modern-day church, but I keep that separated from what I believe about God."
--Jason Wade of Lifehouse on VH1

WADE ON MUSIC
"I still have the same beliefs I always had. But I never understood why, if you were Christian, you had to just write Christian music."
--Jason Wade of Lifehouse in the Boston Globe

WADE ON RELIGION
"Religion is the biggest thing that keeps me grounded. It’s the backbone to my music and a huge inspiration for my lyrics. It doesn’t let all this go to my head, and it helps me realize there’s a reason for it all."
--Jason Wade of Lifehouse in Cosmo Girl

THE KING & THE KING
"I'm not the King. Christ is the King. I'm just a singer."
--Elvis in Las Vegas

HAYES ON CASH
"Let's talk about the first show I saw after moving back to LA. It was [recently deceased wife of Johnny] June Carter Cash. I was really sad when she died but at the same time, it's one of those deaths that makes you think, that if you believe in God -- which I think I do, in one way or another -- then you have to believe that she's in a good f--king place. I mean June seemed like such a good soul, there's no way that she wouldn't be somewhere absolutely cool. So it's sad, but also beautiful."
--Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in NME

MXPX ON BEING PIGEONHOLED
"All of a sudden, people started calling us a Christian band, and we" re like, 'Why? We're just a band, dude, we like to play hard, fast and loud.' We are all Christians; so if you're being honest in your music and your lyrics, it's going to come out, you know.''
--Tom Wisniewski of MxPx

SHADYAC ON LIFE
"For me, it's not at all unusual to be on the set, having Jim talk out of his butt and then go home and read St. Thomas of Aquinas or Thomas Merton. To me, that's life. The extremes don't just exist, they feed each other."
--Tom Shadyac, director of Bruce Almighty

MOBY'S TATTOO
Rolling Stone: “Why a cross, and why there?
Moby: The back of the neck is like a billboard. And that's what I chose to advertise. I love Christ and the techings of Christ. That's important to me. Christianity much less so.”
-- Rolling Stone's Tattoo Nation: Portraits of Celebrity Body Art

STRAY CAT CATHOLIC
"I’m a religious person. I’m a Catholic. But I think any kind of spirituality is good. My chosen spirituality is Catholicism and I believe in Jesus. Now, if I was to say that in Rolling Stone, it would probably either get edited out or there would be some snide comment about that. And that’s what I was talking about in a song like ("St. Jude"): How spirituality or religion is almost something people deride. A lot of the reason is because of the caricatures of religion, people like Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker. Young people see that and say, ‘This is a joke.’ A lot of it is the fault of these people and a lot of it is the fault of the whole left-wing journalism of Spin magazine or Rolling Stone. It’s not ‘cool.’"
--Brian Setzer in The Desert Sun

GIBSON ON CALLING
"You know, if I was Billy Graham, I'd have preached. If I was Jackson Pollock, I'd have painted. But I have one good trick: that's filmmaking, and that's how I express myself. This [movie] is my meditation."
--Mel Gibson in USA Today

GIBSON ON JESUS
"A monkey has a better chance of typing the Gettysburg Address than Jesus has of not being the Messiah."
--Mel Gibson in the Los Angeles Times

CASH ON BEING C-MINUS
"I'm not all that much of a praying person, and I'm definately not a religious person, but I do consider myself a spiritual person and a Christian. I guess I might be a C-minus Christian, but I am one."
--Johnny Cash, liner notes of Cash Unearthed

EUGENE PETERSON ON U2
"We can't fit God into our plans, we must fit into his. We can't use God--God is not a tool or appliance or credit card. Prophets confront us with the sovereign presence of God in our lives. If we won't face up, they grab us by the scruff of our necks and shake us into attention. Isaiah alternately rebuked and comforted, Ezekiel did street theater. U2 writes songs and goes on tour, singing them."
--Eugene Peterson, from the forward to Get Up Off Your Knees

COSMO ON SPIRITUALITY
"I've come to the painful realisation that men and shoes are not enough to make me happy. The key to true contentment lies elsewhere."
--Hannah Borno, British Cosmo's new spirituality editor

"We're looking at spirituality rather than organised religion, because that's where there seems to be a demand from our readers. They want something a bit more alternative."
--Hannah Borno, British Cosmo's new spirituality editor

ALICE COOPER ON SHOCK
"I think people are unshockable now. Any time you can watch a war on TV and see 500 people get blown up live, hanging yourself isn't that shocking. So I've been off the shock list for quite a long time. I kind of passed that onto Marilyn Manson. I'm now purely into entertaining an audience."
--Alice Cooper in Rolling Stone

NEUHAUS ON THE CROSS
"St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York is directly across from Rockefeller Center, and at the entrace to Rockefeller Center is the great sculpture of Atlas holding up the world. On Good Friday, the doors of the cathedral are opened, and you can see the great cross from the street. Turn in one direction and there is the mythical Atlas holding up the world; turn in the other, and there is the One broken by the world. Which image speaks the truth? Is the world upheld by our godlike strength or by the crucified love of God? Upon that decision everything, simply everything turns."
--Richard John Neuhaus, Death on a Friday Afternoon

PASSION VS. DAWN OF THE DEAD
"It makes sense that we beat 'em out. I mean, we've got more people rising from the dead. They've got one. We've got thousands."
--Actress Sarah Polley on hearing that Dawn of the Dead unseated The Passion of the Christ as #1 at the box office

HEATON ON JESUS
"I think Jesus is a scary subject. God you can make into anything you want. But confronted with [with Jesus] you have to say, 'I believe that or I don't.' It's very powerful."
-- Patricia Heaton in People

HEATON ON HOLLYWOOD
"People look at the stuff that comes out of Hollywood and think, 'Who are the people making this garbage? They couldn't possibly have any connection to God.'"
-- Patricia Heaton in People

HEATON ON FAITH
"Most people have some kind of faith, it makes the show more real....This business tests you constantly: the materialism, the pride, the ambition. [The apostle] Paul says, 'I have died to myself and it's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.' We're supposed to 'die to ourselves' — and I'm paying a publicist $3,000 a month to make sure everybody knows who I am?"
-- Patricia Heaton in People

SIMPSON ON GOD
"I travel 300 days of the year, but I definitely have my time with God, and that is my church."
--Jessica Simpson in People

PRINCE ON JEHOVAH
"All praise and thanks to Jehovah. Without any real spiritual mentors other than artists whose records I admired, I embarked on a journey more fascinating than I could have ever imagined. But a word to the wise: Without real spiritual mentoring, too much freedom can lead to the soul's decay."
-- Prince, a recent Jehovah's Witness convert, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

ESTERHAUS ON GOD
"I don't think I could have done it without God's help in my life. I don't say this to proselytize or to be a missionary, and I don't want people to confuse it with being lobotomized or castrated, but God is a presence in my life."
--Joe Esterhaus, director of Showgirls and Basic Instinct

RUBIN ON JOHNNY AND JUNE
"When Johnny and June were staying at my house, before dinner he got out a big old Bible and had everyone hold hands and did a prayer. It was fantastic. You felt blessed. Because he comes from such a deep place of faith, that you know it's real."
--Rick Rubin, producer of Johnny Cash on American Recordings

AL GREEN ON HIS NEW ALBUM
"Am I gonna hear about it? Hell, yes! See, I'm a real preacher. For a long time, people would say, 'You can't sing "Love and Happiness" because that's not a gospel song.' And then I started to think, 'What's the second verse of "Love and Happiness"?' [Singing] 'Be good to me, and I'll be good to you/We'll be together to see each other walk away with victory.' Now, if we don't wanna see each other walk away with victory, something must be wrong."
--Al Green in Rolling Stone on his new project with producer Willie Williams

MEL GIBSON ON THE PASSION
"I'm not a preacher and I'm not a pastor. But I feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelize."
--Mel Gibson

GOOD CHARLOTTE ON FAITH
"We do have a lot of faith in God, and I attribute everything we have to Him, but there's no way that either of us could do with going to church on a regular basis. We are not your typical Christians by any means at all, but I do try to do good by people. That's my religious effort."
—Benji of Good Charlotte in Blender

GIBSON ON FORGIVENESS
"This is a movie about love, faith, hope and forgiveness. He died for all mankind. He (Jesus) suffered for all of us. It's time to get back to that basic message. The world has gone nuts. We could all use a little more love, faith, hope and forgiveness."
--Mel Gibson

STAPP ON GOD
“God wasn't revealed to me for 17 years of my life. God was revealed to me when I went away from that and had my own experiences. God was revealed to me through humanity and nature and everything that's around us. That's how I'm raising my son. If he wants to go to church, he can go to church, when he's old enough to make that decision.”
-- Scott Stapp of Creed in USA Weekend

MIKE NESS ON LIFE
"It used to be 'Live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse.' Now I want to live to be 100. I don't want to leave my kids without a dad."
--Mike Ness of Social Distortion in the Los Angeles Times

BURKE ON MUSIC
"I don't really see any difference between singing songs about God and singing about love and romance. I think God is love. And when you talk about love, you have to talk about God. This is the greatest answer of all time. The reason why we're having problems is because we don't love one another. And He [Jesus] said, in His own words: 'Above all things, love one another.' This is the only commandment He gave, that we love one another."
--Bishop Solomon Burke, " The King of Rock and Soul," in The Phoenix New Times

WOO ON THE BIBLE
"My friends in missionary school didn't think I could concentrate on the Bible. They felt I was too artistic, and they encouraged me to go for art rather than be a minister."
--Director John Woo, Director of "Windtalkers," in the Chicago Tribune

BRITT ON THE DOLLAR
"In movie after movie, TV show after TV show, people face every manner of terror, crime, illness and betrayal without ever turning to, or even acknowledging, a higher power. Perhaps praying and seeking spiritual counsel are too boring, passive or wordy for today's action-obsessed audiences. Maybe writers and producers fear that viewers with differing beliefs would stay away, offending Hollywood's favorite deity: the almighty dollar."
--Donna Britt in The Washington Post

WOO ON JESUS
"[Jesus] taught us to love our neighbors. Love everyone. And his sacrifice, you know, to save the others. Jesus was so great. He was not afraid of anything. He had no fear of Romans, no fear of evil. He knew how to forgive his enemy."
--John Woo, director of Windtalkers, in The Guardian

PEDRO THE LION ON CONVERSION
"I think in preaching there's always been this idea of a hidden agenda, where the goal is to convert people and, for me, the goal is trying to continue my own personal search for truth and to help other people to be more critical and logical in that approach of trying to get at truth. And if what I set out to believe is actually true, then hopefully other people will come to that."
--David Bazan of Pedro the Lion on Grace Online

GIBSON ON SIGNS
"The humanity in the film [Signs] come from the spiritual element because all of us have a within us an instinctual thing that wants to reach for a higher place, that has a suspicion that there is a higher realm outside ourselves that exists and influences who we are. We all ask that question: 'Why the hell am I here?' That's human nature. And Night [Shyamalan] give us a big dose of that human nature in the film."
--Mel Gibson in The Los Angeles Daily News

NIGHT ON FAITH
"Faith is something very different than religion for me. Religion is some group saying their particular version of God is the right version, and that's hard for me to accept. The world has become such a smaller place. It makes it hard for me to believe that the guy in Nepal and the little bout in Africa and th eold man in Maine, all three of them with different versions of God, and yet maybe none of them are right. I just can't believe that. There has to be some unfying thing."
--Night Shyamalan, director of "Signs," in The Los Angeles Daily News

TWEET ON GOD
"Music is music, but gospel is different. It's the feeling behind the music that's important. Of course, I wouldn't be accepted in the church if they knew what I was singing about; but me and God have a relationship. Just because I'm singing what I'm singing, it doesn't mean I don't believe. The [prodigal son] story parallels my own relationship with Jesus; I thought I could do it on my own, and I had lost faith in a lot of things, but he still welcomed me back."
--Tweet in Rolling Stone

MOBY ON RELIGION
"The role of religion in my life is very multifaceted. When I'm exploring those things musically, on one hand it has to do with an expression of my own beliefs, but it's also an acknowledgement of the power that spiritual music can have. Even if I weren't a Christian, I think I would still love gospel music because it's so passionate."
--Moby in Teen People

GWEN ON PRAYER
"As a teen I was a Catholic girl from a really great family. I wasn’t having sex -- that wasn’t the way I was brought up. And I pray, because if you take the time out to be thankful, it calms you down. My mom tells me, ‘Pray and you will find peace.’"
--Gwen Stefani of No Doubt in Teen People

NELLY FURTADO ON CHURCH
"[Church] was a big part of my life. Very exciting and colorful. It was just so customary that I didn't really take the time to think about what everything meant, besides the basics. I still believe in the Ten Commandments and the Seven Sins. It keeps me on the straight and narrow, though I get jealous of people sometimes who can just let go and give into sin."
--Nelly Furtado in Rolling Stone

OZZY ON FAMILY
"It's not easy being part of a family and being in a band. I think it's different but there are similarities: kids are alive and so is rock and roll. I think my family give me the strength I need to survive in the rock and roll circus. But kids, well, that is strange -- first you cant really imagine ever having children and once you got them, you can't really imagine how it was without them. I think no matter what you do, you should spend as much time with your children as possible. I think fathers should also be there when their wife or girlfriend give birth, a lot of guys get a girl pregnant, but they leave her alone with the difficult and painful part and that's not right!"
--Ozzy Osbourne in Circus

OZZY ON THE OCCULT
"We'd get invitations to play witches' conventions and black masses in Highgate Cemetary. I honestly thought it was a joke. We were the last hippie band -- we were into peace....I never did this black magic stuff."
-- Ozzy Osbourne in Rolling Stone

DAVE WILLIAMS, R.I.P.
"I was always told when I was growing up that religious people shouldn't judge others by their appearance, by the attitude or by anything else. But it seems like they're among the first to judge you--even before they really know what they're judging. I had someone look at my 'Sinner' tattoo and tell me that I was going to hell. Well, I guess that's okay--I never said I wasn't a sinner. I think just about everyone is in one way or another. Nobody's perfect. But I do believe I'm a good person. I love my friends and my family, and I think we're bringing a lot of pleasure to people through music. If religious people have trouble with that, I'm sorry."
--Dave Williams, lead singer of Drowning Pool found dead on Wednesday, August 14, Hit Parader, September 2002

DAVE WILLIAMS ON CHURCH
"I can remember going to church and hearing how we were all sinners for watching TV or listening to music. I didn't understand that, but as I got older, I started to think about it more, and a lot of the material that I write about reflects my attitude toward religion. I have nothing against religion--I just have a problem with some of the messages that it promotes. Religion doesn't seem to have much flexibility. They have to recognize that all people can't follow the same set of rules. We've all broken some of those rules at one time or another. In the eyes of religion that makes us all sinners."
--Dave Williams in Hit Parader, March 2002

LENNY ON GOD
"I'm not going to do anything for business that changes me, you know. I'm all about being positive, I'm all about God, I'm all about people. Listen to my first record [or] my last record, it's always there. That's who I am. ... I love, I love nature, I love being out in the water, I love being out in the bush, just really chilling, observing, the beautiful things that God has created for us."
--Lenny Kravitz on CNN

LENNY ON GOD
"I'm just at a place where maybe I'm becoming more comfortable with myself. If you listen to all the records, those themes continue. They change and they grow because you experience more, you learn more, but I've always been about love and God and positivity in general, and people. That's always been my thing, that's the kind of upbringing that I had in my family, and I know that I was definitely blessed to have it, 'cause I know that most of my friends did not have that kind of upbringing."
--Lenny Kravitz on VH-1

LAMOTT ON GOD
"I don't know much, but I understand how entirely doomed I am without God."
--Anne Lamott, author of "Traveling Mercies"

DELONGE ON GOD
"I know there is a God, and I know there is a reason why we're here. But we live on a planet where the international pastime is tribal warfare. It just seems so…immature and malicious. What I hope for is that everybody in the world would connect a little bit more to their spiritual side. That's 80 percent of what I'm all about. The other 20 percent is diarrhea talk."
--Blink-182's Tom Delonge in Alternative Press

LITTLE RICHARD ON GOD
"I sing rock-and-roll but I always believe in God. I believe without God we're nothing. I believe you can tell the difference when you meet a man who knows God."
--Little Richard in The Washington Post

DYLAN ON BONO
“He’s like that guy in the old movie, the one who beats up a rat with his bare hands and wrings a confession out of him. If Bono had come to America in the early part of the century he would have been a cop.”
--Bob Dylan on Bono

KIRKPATRICK ON GIBSON
“The American Film Institute named It's a Wonderful Life the most inspiring picture of all time. In that movie, while drunk on Christmas Eve, decent man George Bailey chastises his wife, reduces his children to tears, and destroys the living room of his home with his own hands. Suicidal, Bailey prays to God for help, seeks his family’s forgiveness, and finds redemption. AFI voted George Bailey one of the top ten movie heroes of our time.
“Mel Gibson is the gifted film-maker of both Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ. Sometimes when the gift shines brightly, we overlook the raw reality of our humanity. Like each of us, Mr. Gibson struggles with personal challenges, but his journey is highly visible. We cannot condone the behavior or language that led to his arrest. But in the aftermath, what more could a repentant person do than acknowledge his wrongdoing, sincerely apologize, ask for forgiveness, seek medical help for his disease, and initiate dialogue with those whom he has hurt?”
—David Kirkpatrick, co-founder of Good News Holdings and former production chief of Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures

COLBERT ON CATHOLICISM
"I love my Church, and I'm a Catholic who was raised by intellectuals, who were very devout. I was raised to believe that you could question the Church and still be a Catholic. What is worthy of satire is the misuse of religion for destructive or political gains. That's totally different from the Word, the blood, the body and the Christ. His kingdom is not of this earth."
--Stephen Colbert in TimeOut New York

THE FRAY ON CHRISTIANITY
"We don't call ourselves a Christian band. Because when you get into marketing, 'Christian' means that you have everything together, and you're always happy, and you want everybody to start going to your church. The common denominators in the music I've liked is the honesty of not having answers and the passion to find them. I think that's what spiritual music has, whether it's Christian or pop or new age. If we have an agenda, it's to make art that is honest and represents what we believe in."
--Isaac Slade of The Fray in USA Today

FLYLEAF ON FAITH
"That's one of our goals, to bring hope to the front of suffering, despair and all that stuff that heavy rock songs are usually about...I used to be an obnoxious atheist...When I was about 16, I planned on killing myself that day that everything changed for me. And there was a miraculous sequence of events that happened to me, and then I knew that there was a God. I didn't really know if it was Christianity or not, so I studied it for myself to find out what Christianity is all about. The pieces totally fit together with the miraculous experience I had. And then I understood that my faith tells me that I'm created for a reason and that there's a reason for me wakin' up every day, and it's not about myself. It's just about the fact that I have some sort of purpose, and hopefully my story will help other people."
--Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf

SINGER ON SUPERMAN
Newsweek: Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two young Jewish men. Do you think that's significant?
Director Bryan Singer: Yeah, there's a bit of the Moses story in the origin of Superman--the parents who send their child downriver to fulfill his destiny. There's a very strong Christian allegory as well, particularly in our film, which is about saviors and sacrifice."

CAVE ON THE BIBLE
"Of all the books I've read, the Bible is certainly the one that's influenced me the most. It's all over what I do."
-- Songwriter Nick Cave of the Bad Seeds in Entertainment Weekly

LL COOL J ON CHURCH
Spin: Both Flav and Reverend Run have had success with reality TV shows. Would you ever consider doing one?
LL Cool J: I've had offers but that's not what I'm looking to do. My reality would be boring: watching TV, grab the remote, watch some boxing. I'm pretty laid-back. I work out a lot. I go to church a lot. I read a lot--everything from the Bible to Beowulf.

JACK WHITE ON GOD
"Some things just get thrown on you. I think every day God throws a lot of things at you to test you and to see what you're going to do with it."
--Jack White of The Raconteurs quoted in Spin

KELSEY GRAMMER ON SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Kelsey Grammer, who plays Beast in the new X-Men movie, told Maxim, "The seven deadlies [Deadly Sins] are pretty deadly, especially pride." When he was asked if that was the sin he struggles with most, Grammer replied: "It has certainly been one of mine, but I’ve tested all of them. See, it’s not that the Bible says you can’t do it; it’s that you shouldn’t. The wages of sin is death. And they’re not talking about physical death—they’re talking about spiritual death. And when you overindulge in those things, your spirit ends up destroyed."

POD ON LONGEVITY
"14 years P.O.D. has been around, we been saying the same thing since we first started, that there is a God out there that loves you. We have that faith and I believe that keeps us strong, and even though we been in this business and industry you see so many fakes and phonies... one of the lyrics on our album says if you don't stand for something, then you don't stand for nothing. We have been the same way for 14 years, no changing - no gimmicks."
—Sonny from P.O.D. on MTV

PRYOR ON HUMOR
"The drugs didn't make me funny. God made me funny. The drugs kept me up in my imagination. But I felt … pathetic afterward. Drugs messed me up."
--Richard Pryor in The Washington Post

CLAY AIKEN ON THONGS
Boston Globe: You were on the cover of a Christian magazine last year talking about being a God-fearing pop star, but I was on your website and found that you're selling Clay Aiken thongs for 10 bucks a pop. Where does that fit into being a good Christian pop star?
Clay Aiken: First of all, do you think that Christians don't wear underwear? Of course they do!
--Clay Aiken in the Boston Globe

JON VOIGHT ON FREE LOVE
"Free love -- what a poison that was. Free love, the destruction of family life and loyalties and the responsibilities of parents, and I've gone through that, so I know."
--Jon Voight on the 1960s

MADONNA ON PURPOSE
"I'm constantly trying to figure out what my place in the world is. That search was obviously instigated by the birth of my daughter. In my film, I talk about how I woke up one day and thought, 'my God, I'm about to have a baby; how am I going to teach my child what the meaning of life is when I don't know myself?' If she asks why she's here and who is God or why are people suffering, I want to have answers. And I want to ask those questions, too."
--Madonna

50 CENT ON PURPOSE
"The thing is this: all of the money, all of the success-none of it is going to keep me alive longer than I'm meant to be. But the ICU is finished with 50 Cent. They're through seeing me under any circumstances. The way I see it, even a nigga like me ain't no accident. Like I said before, I believe in God. I didn't survive being shot nine times for nothing. I didn't claw my way out of the 'hood just 'cause it was something to do. I know I've got a purpose-a reason for being on this planet."
--50 Cent

NEIL YOUNG ON THE CASHS
" They were wonderful people, the Cashes. The last time I saw Johnny we were at my house on my ranch in California. He and June were down. I was playing some songs for him for his new record he was working on with Rick Rubin. We had dinner. Before we started, June had us all hold hands and she said grace. Since then, whenever we have guests in the house we all hold hands and say grace."
--Neil Young in The Tennessean

STEVIE WONDER ON CLERGY
"Sometimes we listen to too many commentators about things that don't affect their lives because they're in a different tax bracket. Or to the so-called clergymen giving their interpretation of God's word, and yet they're not rolling the same way in their own lives."
--Stevie Wonder in USA Today

JACK WHITE ON FAITH
NPR’s Terry Gross: The new album is Get Behind Me Satan, and there have been a couple of biblical references in your songs over the years—were you brought up with religion?
Jack White of the White Stripes: Oh yes, heavy duty—but not to the point of you know, speaking in tongues or anything. But it was in the air for sure. I appreciate it as well. I like looking at life through that at times. I wouldn’t consider myself sort of…I mean, I just like being in touch with God, I think. I think that’s sort of important. I think when you’re a creative person in any kind of art form, once you finally admit to yourself that you can’t create like God creates, it humbles you. And then you can be free to explore the beauty of that creativity. When you look at it with God in the picture as well it just sort of frees you up, I think.

MUSTAINE ON FAITH
I've tried everything in my life. I was baptized Lutheran and brought up as a Jehovah's Witness. My mom was Jewish. I experimented with black magic and witchcraft and read the satanic bible. But I became a Christian about three years ago and that's a positive thing."
--Dave Mustaine from Megadeth in an interview with CanWest News

EVANGELINE LILLY'S FAITH
"She's a Christian, but she's a pottymouth."
--Dominic Monaghan on "Lost" co-star Evangeline Lilly

EVANELINE LILLY'S FAITH
"Over and over again, I've been called a walking oxymoron. I do things that you wouldn't associate with a good little Christian girl."
--Evangeline Lilly, star of "Lost"

LANG ON FAITH
"Aspects of the entertainment industry not really related to music began to sidetrack me. For a while, I was headed down not such a good path. But God brought me out of that. He totally saved me."
--Jonny Lang in the Lexington Herald-Leader

CHRIS MARTIN ON FAITH
"I went through a weird patch, starting when I was about sixteen to twenty-two, of getting God and religion and superstition and judgment all confused. I think a lot of our music comes out of that. I definately believe in God. How can you look at anything and not be overwhelmed by the miraculousness of it?"
--Coldplay's Chris Martin

HELMS ON BONO
"I will never forget Bono's compassion....I had never heard of him, but my younger staff members had. They quickly educated me....Since that first meeting, Bono and my wife and I have become friends."
--Former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC)

HELMS ON U2
"While I may not have been as 'into' the music...I was very much in sync with the band's desire to use their public platform on behalf of people in desperate need."
--Former Senator Jesse Helms on attending a U2 concert, his first rock show

DAVE MATTHEWS ON GOD
"The idea of a God that's preoccupied with our well-being is totally foreign to me. I'm more inclined to think that a very miraculous indifference is responsible for most things. I have faith, but I think there's a difference between faith and absolute belief. Faith requires a certain amount of suspended belief, whereas absolute belief doesn't really require any faith. If you think God is absolutely there watching you, then why do you need any faith? But I do like the idea of a force that made all the miracles. All the stuff we don't understand that we arrogantly pretend to be in control of, that stuff is where I think my faith is."
--Dave Matthews in Rolling Stone

GERSON ON SOCIAL ACTION
"I think there are lots and lots of young people, in their 20s to 40s, who are very impatient with older models of social engagement like those used by the religious right. They understand the importance of life issues and the family issues, but they know the concern for justice has to be broader and global. At least a good portion of the evangelical movement is looking for leaders who have a broader conception of social justice."
--Former White House speechwriter Michael Gerson in Christianity Today

UNDEROATH ON FAITH
"A lot of [Define The Great Line] is about my struggle as a human, with drug problems and emotional problems and fighting yourself and figuring out, really, how you're going to change....But many people will be bummed out because I've been struggling with drug problems on-and-off since I can remember, even recently--really recently--I don't believe in lying to people. Being honest, at least I know I could help somebody. As dark and twisted as the songs are, they have that element of hope in their heart, that there was a God, and the only way for me to get out was to hold onto his hand. A lot of people may feel that they've done too much or it's too late, but that's never the case."
--Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath in AP

UNDEROATH ON FAITH
"Because I'm a Christian doesn't mean that I don't believe in dinosaurs and I hate all homosexuals. I do believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose three days later. But I don't believe what your parents tell you I believe."
--Aaron Gillespie of Underoath in AP

MEWITHOUTYOU ON FAITH
"About five years ago, my intentions were to make out with as many girls and get into as many magazines and or TV stations as possible. I had very selfish ambitions. But in October of 2003, I started living with a small group of people who were intentionally living communally, just sharing their lives. It occurred to me that all this business of Christianity, well, it was just business. What Jesus taught and what He lived were new ways of thinking, living and loving others that transcended the religious forms I had come to trust in. It just became so simple and so clear that my only duty was to worry about and care for others without expecting anything in return. Coming from a point where I used to think about killing myself all the time because I thought, really, that there was no purpose to this life and every day was a chore. I was really knocked off my horse."
--Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou in AP

ALICE COOPER ON FAITH
"I'm a true believer in God and Satan. I may be one of the only people in the world that believes that Bible stories are literal. I literally believe that there is a character named the Devil who is definitely out for you and me. He's out there to get you and me to look away from Christ."
--Alice Cooper in the Toronto Sun

BARKLEY ON FAITH
"Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me. My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is."
--Charles Barkley

FARMIGA ON FAITH
"I was raised by Catholic parents, with a profound awareness and reverence for God. And ingrained in me is the idea of service with a glad heart with the talent you were given. We all have the ability to serve God and each other with our talents. I choose roles with that objective. I really think that's why I act. I've never sought out parts where you float around in beautiful dresses and have no character."
--Vera Farmiga in NY Times

KEENER ON FAITH
"I find that playing so many characters in so many films is a way to be in the moment. That was, to me, growing up Catholic, the appeal of the clergy — they address the moment. So, short of being a priest, I am an actor."
--Catherine Keener in the NY Times

BEAUJON ON FAITH
"When I started this book, my wife was concerned that I would become a Christian. That didn't happen. But I have become a fan, not just of the music, but of Christians, and of Jesus himself."

"To me, the message of the Gospel is love one another, look out for the less fortunate, and try to walk gently on the earth. And I love that. I think evangelical Christians tie themselves in ontological knots trying to make the whole Bible jibe, which is simply impossible with a collection of historical texts written over more than a thousand years. To anyone struggling with Christianity, my advice is try to keep your eye on the big picture, not a verse here and there. Love God, if you are so inclined, and one another. Sort out the rest using those principles as a lens."
--Andrew Beaujon, author of Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the phenomenon of Christian rock

UNDERGROUND CHURCH
"Where you have a lot of punks, you don't usually have a lot of Christians. Some of the best Christians of our generation come from backgrounds where they were listening to Slipknot, or Murphy's Law. They go through a refining of their faith."
--Austin Williams of Underground Church in The New York Times explaining why the East Village was ripe territory for his brand of ministry

MOBY ON FAITH
"As a Christian, I feel very shut out from a lot of contemporary Christianity. My understanding in what it means to be a Christian is to, in our own subjective way, recognize Christ as being God, and recognize our shortcomings and our failings, and try and live according ot the teachings of Christ as best we can. And what I find so strange is I look at the behavior of so many Christians, and I don't see any aspect of the teachings of Christ represented there. But [I remember] the quote about taking the log our of your own eye before you can see the speck in someone else's eye, so I don't want to get in the position of judging other Christians. I fully admit that a lot of my actions and a lot of things that are still in my life are inconsistent with my beliefs as a Christian. I'm very secular."
--Moby in Relevant

MOBY ON FAITH
"Theology is a lot more interesting. I mean, I love music, and I love making music, and I love making records, and I've devoted my life to being a musician. But music, in and of itself, is not the most interesting thing to talk about."
--Moby in Relevant

MOBY ON FAITH
"So maybe it's time for a new Martin Luther, who's gonna come along and say, 'Live how you want to live, do what you want to do. But if you're going to call yourself a Christian, at least knwo the teachings of Christ. And at least understand the character of Christ."
--Moby in Relevant

WALBERG ON CHRIST
"It all comes down to Jesus. It is all about love and how we all are connected. Coming from the inner city where there wasn’t much hope, where there was a lot of violence and drugs, I can relate to the other side, where it seemed like nothing was connected, nothing mattered. It was all dark and painful. I had those feelings when I strayed from my faith, got caught up in the street life, drugs, and crime … and it wasn’t until I woke up in prison that I said, “Oh God, I need to straighten my life out.” It was God that brought me back and put everything else in perspective."
--Mark Wahlberg on his role in I Heart Huckabees talking with Jeffrey Overstreet of Looking Closer

OZZY ON GOD
"There is a thing called God or Nature or the Universe or whatever the f--k, yeah. Something must be happening for a reason. I overdosed f--ing thousands of times and f--ing had stomach pumps hundreds of times. And no I'm without drugs and alcohol eight months."
--Ozzy Osbourne in Spin on whether someone is watching out for him

FERGIE ON SOUL
“…I believe in a soul and my soul’s in this body. After that I don’t think that this human mind can even fathom where the soul goes. Is is something you see, something you touch? I don’t know; I can’t really picture exactly what that is. When this life is done that will go on. Hopefully it will be a good place, and hopefully I’ll lead a good life. I am not perfect, but I try to live a good life and to do better all the time. Hopefully that will reflect on my soul.”
-–Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas in Risen Magazine

JACK WHITE ON SEMINARY
"I'd got accepted to the seminary in Wisconsin and I was going to become a priest, but at the last second I thought, 'I'll just go to public school.' I had just gotten a new amplifier in my bedroom and I didn't thing I was allowed to take it with me."
--Jack White of the White Stripes on "60 Minutes"

SNOOP ON GOD
"I'm thirty-three years old now. I see a lot of things differently now than I used to. I try to do more right than wrong and to keep God in everything I do and to keep the devils away from me. But I know by trying to stay so right, the devil is going to keep on working on me. That's going to be a curse around me all the time. But I don't think it's going to get me. I really dont think that it is."
--Snoop Dogg

LENNY ON GOD
"People are people. It doesn't matter what you've got or what position you're in, we all have issues in life, spiritual battles ... all kinds of things that need to be nurtured.…I'm just trying to, at this point of my life, glorify God the best way I can. I'm very appreciative of God's blessings."
--Lenny Kravtiz

SWITHFOOT ON CHRISTIANITY
“I look at is as Christianity is a faith, not a genre. I think that it’s important to us to not put ourselves in a box. Nobody likes to be categorized. I think (categories) limit your audience. But we’ve made music for everybody.”
--Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler

MOBY ON JESUS CHRIST
"I'm a Christian in a very unconventional, idiosyncratic sense of the word.…I don't go to church, I'm not a member of any denomination, I would never argue about religion with anyone. I love Christ, I love the teachings of Christ, but I don't think I'm right. Organised religion does have a kind of chequered past. But my own Christianity is more simple and subjective."
--Moby in Q

THUNDERSTRUCK
"If you like free-for-all Christian commentary on pop culture-without a particular doctrinal viewpoint-check out www.thunderstruck.org ... this addictive blog catalogs interesting features from all over the Web. It's packed with treasures from an amazing variety of sources. You'll read about The Matrix Reloaded, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Johnny Cash and Christian yoga; you'll hear from Dennis Miller and William F. Buckley.…If the Web site has a bias, it is poking in the pieties of both mainstream culture and conventional Christianity."
-- Dallas Morning News

"Best Christian blog? The astounding Thunderstruck, where Steve Beard lists and links thousands of key articles from a host of sources, all calculated to make Christians think more carefully about their faith and the culture they live in. I have to watch how often I go there; I start clicking on his links, and whoops, it’s suppertime."
--John Allan, Christianity & Renewal magazine

"Think of Steve Beard as the missing link. Without him, you might not find anything to connect " Roy's rock" to rock 'n' roll, bikinis to the breastplate of St. Patrick."
--The Mobile Register