Bono Discusses his Faith

After decades of ambiguity and speculation, U2 singer Bono openly discusses religion and Christianity in a breakthrough interview with Beliefnet.com, the Internet's leading multifaith community for religion and spirituality.  Beliefnet columnist, Rolling Stone contributing editor, and Grammy Award-winning music writer Anthony DeCurtis, who has covered the band since 1984, conducted the exclusive interview for Beliefnet. 


    "I've successfully avoided talking about my faith for 20 years," said Bono after finishing his interview with DeCurtis.  "The problem is, when I do these kinds of things, the way it turns out in the tabloid papers here and in England is, 'Bono Pontificates on the Holy Trinity.'  But at the same time, I can't let them gag me.  These are the unformed, unfocused thoughts of a student of these things, not a master." 

    Bono speaks candidly with DeCurtis on subjects ranging from his work on international debt relief with the Jubilee 2000 Coalition, the AIDS crisis in Africa, U2's occasional classification as a Christian band, and his own personal spiritual beliefs. 

    When asked about U2 being seen as a Christian band, Bono admits a love of gospel songs and hymns, but views using music as a tool for evangelism as "missing the point."  He offers his observations on God and music, specifically on Grammy night, saying, "When those people get up at the Grammys and say, 'I thank God,' I always imagine God going, 'Oh, don't -- please don't thank me for that one.  Please, oh, that's an awful one!  Don't thank me for that!'" 

    While discussing his debt-relief work, which has brought him in direct contact with many conservative politicians and religious figures, Bono says, "I really have to swallow my own prejudice at times.  Because I was suspicious of the traditional Christian church, I tended to tar them all with the same brush.  That was a mistake, because there are righteous people working in a whole rainbow of belief systems -- from Hasidic Jews to right-wing Bible Belters to charismatic Catholics." 

    Bono issues a passionate challenge to Christians around the world to become the "conscience of the free market" and ease the plight of HIV/AIDS sufferers in Africa, a problem that threatens to become another "holocaust." He suggests that "America will be judged by God" if it turns its back on the suffering of 23 million people.  More personally, he credits the idea of grace as the reason he would like to be a Christian, while allowing that, "as I said to Edge one day, I sometimes feel more like a fan, rather than actually in the band.  I can't live up to it.  But the reason I would like to is the idea ofgrace.  It's really powerful." 

    "I've interviewed Bono many times over the years, on many different subjects and in many different situations," says DeCurtis.  "He typically relishes being a great raconteur, and he loves to shoot from the lip.  But this time he was extremely thoughtful and considered.  Debt and his spiritual life are topics he did not want to be glib about." 

    This groundbreaking interview with Bono continues Beliefnet's trend of securing exclusive views on religion and spirituality from a number of high-profile individuals.  Past interviews include George W. Bush discussing his controversial support of the use of federal funds to teach religion to prisoners and Michael Jackson sharing his memories of a Jehovah's Witness upbringing that involved going door-to-door on "pioneering" Sundays. Beliefnet's high-quality, unbiased platform encompasses a vast array of spiritual faiths, religions, and belief systems that make up today's spiritual market, making it the ideal outlet for expression. 

    DeCurtis has written extensively about U2 over the past 16 years, including two cover stories and several articles for Rolling Stone and a recent cover for Revolver.  He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, a writer for the New York Times, and the author of "Rocking My Life Away: Writing About Music and Other Matters."  In addition, DeCurtis won a Grammy Award in 1989 for his essay accompanying the Eric Clapton box set Crossroads. DeCurtis currently hosts an online interview show, "The A List With Anthony DeCurtis," on GetMusic.com.