Religious views of the Beatles
History of the Beatles |
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The religious views of the English rock band the Beatles evolved over time and differed among members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
Although all four Beatles were associated with either
In March 1966, Lennon remarked to a journalist from the
After the Beatles'
After the break-up of the Beatles in 1970, Lennon continued to reject religion. His 1971 single "Imagine" is regarded as an "atheist anthem". In 2010, Starr said he had recently returned to monotheism, while McCartney, in 2012, said he has a "personal faith in something good, but it doesn't really go much further than that".
Background
McCartney and Harrison were both baptised as
Lennon attended St Peter's Anglican church in Woolton, South Liverpool, where he was a member of the youth group and sang occasionally in the choir.[3]
Starr attended an Evangelical Anglican church during his childhood.[4]
The Beatles years
According to the band's press officer, Derek Taylor, all four Beatles had abandoned their religious upbringings by 1964. In an interview for The Saturday Evening Post, in August of that year, he stated that the Beatles were "completely anti-Christ. I mean, I am anti-Christ as well, but they're so anti-Christ they shock me which isn't an easy thing."[5][6]
In February 1965, the band gave an interview to Playboy magazine, in which they defended themselves against claims that they were anti-religious, while at the same time emphatically declaring themselves to be agnostic.[7]
McCartney: "We probably seem antireligious because of the fact that none of us believe in God."
Lennon: "If you say you don't believe in God, everybody assumes you're antireligious, and you probably think that's what we mean by that. We're not quite sure 'what' we are, but I know that we're more agnostic than atheistic."
Playboy: "Are you speaking for the group, or just for yourself?"
Lennon: "For the group."
Harrison: "John's our official religious spokesman."
McCartney: "We all feel roughly the same. We're all agnostics."
Lennon: "Most people are, anyway."
McCartney: "In America, they're fanatical about God. I know somebody over there who said he was an atheist. The papers nearly refused to print it because it was such shocking news that somebody could actually be an atheist ... yeah ... and admit it."
Starr: "He speaks for all of us."
It was also in February 1965 that filming for
In August 1966, on the eve of
Two press conferences were held in the US, where both Brian Epstein and Lennon expressed their regret that Lennon's words had been taken out of context and offence taken. At one of the conferences, Lennon described his own belief in God by quoting the Bishop of Woolwich, saying, "... not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us."[12] The US tour went ahead as planned, although there was some disruption and picketing of their concerts.[13]
Harrison's interest in Indian culture expanded to
Post-Beatles
After the
Harrison continued to embrace the Hare Krishna tradition (particularly
Speaking at the Grammy Museum, Los Angeles, in February 2010, Starr stated that he had recently returned to monotheism, saying "I stepped off the path there for many years and found my way [back] onto it, thank God." He was also reported as saying "For me, God is in my life. I don't hide from that ... I think the search has been on since the '60s."[22] In Olivia Harrison's 2011 book George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Starr describes himself as "a Christian Hindu with Buddhist tendencies". Starr added that, as with his belated admiration for Indian music, this was "Thanks to George, who opened my eyes as much as anyone else's."[23]
In a 2012 interview for The Independent, McCartney, when asked if religion played a role in his personal life, responded, "Not really. I have a kind of personal faith in something good, but it doesn't really go much further than that." while stating "there is something greater than me… ". He also went on to say, "Jesus I could see, that's a historical character."[24]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-8050-5248-0.
- ^ Harry, The Beatles' Encyclopedia, p. 492.
- ^ "St Peter's Church website, the Beatles connection". stpeters-woolton.org.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ "Ringo Starr attended an Evangelical church in Liverpool". Christian Telegraph. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ^ Saturday Evening Post, 8–15 August 1964, p. 25
- ISBN 9781434364111.
- ^ "Beatles Interview: Playboy, February 1965 (Page 2) - Beatles Interviews Database". Beatlesinterviews.org. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "George Harrison biography". The Beatles Bible. 14 March 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ISBN 9780711990944. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ "The Beatles Are Bigger than WHO?". I Remember JFK. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ Chittenden, Maurice (23 November 2008). "John Lennon forgiven for Jesus claim". The Times. London. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-7499-2988-6.
- ISBN 0-7119-8308-9.
- ^ Kozinn, Allan (7 February 2008). "Meditation on the man who saved The Beatles". The New York Times.
- ^ Eyre, Hermione (1 November 2006). "Atheists should be louder and prouder". The Independent. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ^ a b "1980 Playboy Interview With John Lennon And Yoko Ono". John-Lennon.com. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-567-08408-8.
- ^ "George Harrison". International Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-8356-0900-5.
- ^ Tillery 2011, p. 148.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-06-177418-8.
- ^ Hough, Andrew (3 February 2010). "The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr admits: 'I have found God'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-4197-0220-4.
- ^ Paul McCartney talks Jimmy Savile and (unusually for him) the real John Lennon,
External links
- St Peter's church website (Lennon's former church, where he met McCartney)