Because if He does I might have to renounce Him.

I long ago noticed the influence of religion in David's work. When I was doing English 'O' Level, sometime around 1974, I received praise from my teacher (for using a third-party quote) for a part of an essay that I wrote about love (I think we were studying Romeo and Juliet at the time) in which I used the following quote from Soul Love: The priest that tastes the word and told of love - and how my God on high is all love. Though reaching up my loneliness evolves by the blindness that surrounds him.

Religion, prayer and religious imagery and iconography, Christian and otherwise, have long played a part in literary works in general and David's work in particular. References to heaven and hell feature in particular. Ronno was famously a Jehova's Witness and Garson was/is a Scientologist who converted Woodmansey and Bolder. David's flirtations with Buddhism, Satanism and Christianity are well documented. There was of course the famous Lord's Prayer incident at the Wembley Freddie Mercury benefit and when they married David made a big thing out of his Anglican belief and Iman's Islamic faith (didn't they marry under both codes?).

Bus Stop is full of religious imagery. For example; I'm a young man at odds with the Bible, But I don't pretend faith never works, When we're down on our knees, Prayin' at the bus stop God never laughs at my jokes

It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City is another jam-packed one, albeit from Springsteen's pen, for example: Devil appeared to me like Jesus through the steam in the street

Loving The Alien is again jam-packed with religious imagery. For example: But if you pray all your sins are hooked upon the skyPrayers they hide the saddest viewAnd your prayers they break the sky in two

Somebody Up There Likes Me is another one: He's everybody's token, on everybody's wallBlessing all the papers, thanking one and allHe's so divine, his soul shinesHis ever loving face smiles on the whole human raceHe's got his eye on your soul, his hand on your heartKeep your eyes on your soul, keep your hand on your heartSoul shine (Ooh-ooh) So divine

Word On A Wing is yet another one: Don't have to question everything in heaven or hellLord, I kneel and offer you my word on a wing, And I'm trying hard to fit among your scheme of thingsLord, lord, my prayer flies like a word on a wingDoes my prayer fit in with your scheme of things?

And this stanza from Zeroes is crammed (there's only three lines that do not have an obvious religious connection) with religious imagery:
Hi, can I walk you home again today
Gotta get forgive and forget hey-hey
Something good is happening I don't know what it is
Don't you know we're back on trial again today
And it's breaking wine for you
Hell it's only 'cause you're true
Someone outtimed my heart
Stopping and preaching and letting love in
You are my moon, you are my sun
Heaven knows what you are
Tonight the Zeroes are singing for you

Other examples are:

Can't Help Thinking About Me: Remember when we used to go to church on Sundays

A Small Plot Of Land: Poor soulAnd prayer can't travel so far these days

Moonage Daydream: The church of man, love, is such a holy place to be

From Drive In Saturday: Jung the foreman prayed at work

African Night Flight: Seemed like another day I could fly into the eye of God on high

Ricochet: Turn the holy pictures so they face the wall

Hang On To Yourself: Praying to the light machine

I Pray, Olé: I hope to god you're still hereIt's a god eat god world

Untitled No. 1: Jesus, up here, hear me, I, up-up-up ??

Ricochet: Turn the holy pictures so they face the wallSound of the devil breaking parole

Lady Grinning Soul

Under The God

God Knows I'm Good

God Only Knows

Sex And The Church

Buddha Of Suburbia

Ching-A-Ling: While stepping through a heaven's eye, Two lover souls we spied

Joe The Lion: You can buy God it's Monday

I'm Deranged: It's the angel-man

Pretty Pink Rose: It's a Christian code

Time Will Crawl: I could not take on the church

Holy Holy: I don't want to be an angel, just a little bit evilFeel the devil in me

Julie: My soul is on the line And I know that if there's a God above

Seven Years In Tibet: I praise to you nothing ever goes away

Modern Love: Church on time - puts my trust in god and manGod and man - no confessionsGod and man - no religion

No Control: Don't tell God your plans

Pallas Athena: God is on top of it all

When I'm Five: I saw a photograph of Jesus and I asked him if he'd make me five

Sacrifice Yourself: God could detonate himGod's the one we pick to curse usDon't sacrifice yourself

Who Can I Be Now: Up in heaven, any angel writes a special game to play

Peace on Earth: I pray my wish will come true

Space Oddity: Check ignition and may God's love be with you

Let Me Sleep Beside You: Child, you're a woman now, your heart and soul are free

It's Gonna Be Me: Come back, my babe...Be holy againWhen that angel stuck in my mind

Glass Spider: But you've seen who's in heaven. Is there anyone in hell

Saviour Machine: They called it the Prayer, its answer was law

Look Back In Anger: The speaker was an angel

Sweet Head: Till there was rock, you only had god

Never Let Me Down: When I needed soul revival I called your name

Ashes To Ashes: Strung out in heaven's high

Beauty And The Beast: Someone fetch a priestThank god heaven left us

The Drowned Girl: It happened quite slowly that she gently slipped from God's thoughts

Shining Star (Makin' My Love): Someone to pray for, till I met you

Silly Boy Blue: Preacher takes the school Child of Tibet, you're a gift from the sun Reincarnation of one better man, The homeward road is long You've left your prayers and song

Jump They Say: They say he has two gods

I Can't Read: Money goes to money heavenBodies go to body hell

Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola: C'e' un angelo, un angelo

A Big Hurt: You were a saint abroad but a devil at home

Strangers When We Meet: No peachy prayers

TVC15: Maybe if I pray every, each night I sit there pleading

Looking For A Friend: God help all you ladiesMay the devil take all you men

The Wedding Song: Angel for lifeHeaven is smiling down

We Are The Dead: Heaven's on the pillow, its silence competes with hell

My Death: My death waits like a bible truth, Angel or devil, I don't care

Lucy Can't Dance: Now you're looking for God in exciting new waysI say trust Him at once which is something these days

The Width Of A Circle: And the prayers were small and yellowFor I realized that God's a young man too When God did take my logic for a rideHe said "You'll never go down to the Gods again"

There Is A Happy Land: Tiny Tim sings prayers and hymns, he's so small we don't notice him

Bars Of The County Jail: I rode a horse through many a town but the devil rode me down to the ground But the father was shot and his gold was stoled and now I'm the devil's man

Heaven's In Here: Crucifix hangs an' my heart's in my mouth

Letter to Hermione: I tear my soul to cease the pain

Ballad Of The Adventurers: Oh you, who are flung out, alike from heaven and from Hades

It Ain't Easy: It ain't easy to get to heaven when you're going downWith the help of the good LordWe can all pull on through

Under Pressure: Pray tomorrow takes me higher

Memory of a Free Festival: It was God's landIt was HeavenWe touched the very soul

Blue Jean: is heaven any sweeter than Blue Jean

Dead Against It: She talked to God

Cygnet Committee: I bless you madly...They drained my very soul drywhere all is God and God is just a word

Isolation: Like a body needs a soul

It's No Game: No more free steps to heavenJust walkie-talkie - heaven or hearth

Shake It: I could take you to heaven...I could spin you to hell

You Belong In Rock 'N Roll: Just the twinkling lights of heaven

That's Motivation: Presenting your soul...Welcome to the world of your dreams,...Where you can be what you want...Commit horrible sins...and get away with it...Lust...Gluttony...Pride...Anger...Sloth...Avarice...And jealousy

The Width Of A Circle: And I smashed my soul and traded my mind

Bombers: Except a man dear Lord who looked like you

Dead Man Walking: There's not even a demon in Heaven or Hell Is it all just human disguise As I walk down the aisle

Boys Keep Swinging: Heaven loves ya

If you believe everything you read in a BOOK. Add the Easter bunny and Santa Clause..

I think Bowie flirted with him - but didn't go all the way.

In the early 90s, Bowie said his belief in God has become unquestionable as he's gotten older. He does not subscribe to a specific religion as far as I know.

Nice list, Nibbler! I'd like to add Telling Lies: I am the future, I am tomorrow, I am the end -

Good one.

I first wrote that when the title of Heathen was announced, so there's loads more that could be added to it.

____________________________________________

Ronno was famously a Jehova's Witness

His family (not Ronno) were Mormon.

Love On.
Craig

Well a fella (0r fille) needs some sort of direction at times.
I didn't know that about Ronson was a JW... cool.
Speaking of keeping flames alive; 'RONSON' is the brand name of
very good quality cigarette lighters... coincidence?
.
I just don't know....

My mate has a big collection of Ronson lighters.All with different naval badges on.Not one with a pic of Mick.

Oh, Lee....
yeah, super colossal marketing error.
The Glam rock equivalent of the Marlboro Man.
Woulda', coulda', shoulda', eh?

anyone with any intelligence at all has flirted with the idea of a supreme being.... the people with the most intelligence leave it at that.

i disagree, history has shown plenty of intellectual people have been believers and plenty have been nonbelievers. not sure why it makes you feel superior to not believe in a god, but to each their own

who cares if bowie believes in god? get a life and stop worrying about what other people do in their personal lives.

BOWIE AND GOD: Creation according to Genesis.

Yeah, I think the Iggster nailed it:
"anything with any intelligence at all has flirted with the idea of a supreme being"
... it's true, my pets were NOT religious creatures AT ALL!
You should have seen how they carried on.
Here today - Gone Tomorrow summed up their supper dish existence.
I miss them though.

"God is a concept by which we measure our pain."
John Lennon

I think that sampling of lyrics makes the point that for Mr. Bowie the belief may not be there, but the yearning is.

Is it nice in your snowstorm?

I believe Bowie did dabble in different types on that Nature but
he did say ''He and ,,I....Man ,,have very highly Spiritual beliefs''
should I let him know it's a little thing in the Brain called
Conscience~~~~~~~
bats

Religion..bible stories are just fairytales.



Tits and Explosions

Yes Sean we agree on this ,,it's a control facture ,,and playing around
with one 's conscience,,guilt is part of it,
Thank God Buddha had some sense,,but different countries have played around
that to suit their Beliefs
bats

First we should ask, what would it mean if someone like Bowie - who is already in a very powerful and gifted position - never believed in God?


How would David Bowie rationalise say for instance - his far superior creative talent? If there is no God, then who exactly is the "creator more creative" than David Bowie?


Many suggest that disbelieving has a certain arrogance because of its assumption of "no higher power". If that rule applies, then what I am saying is that it could apply double so for Bowie.


In some ways, belief in God could be very sobering for him - a necessary sanity check.


We are not even in the right shoes to begin judging him on such a personal belief.

Its not the only way to look at things though Adam. He could think of himself as a very talented lucky man, religion is a good thing to muse on for an artist at times but that's all.

Another take could be from the viewpoint of futility, DB was very unhappy during some periods of his life it doesn't just imply arrogance to not believe. When your not happy you search and pontificate but eventually you rationalise.

'Who is the creator more creative' implies arrogance on DB's part, I'm sure being a thoughtful man he's a lot more questioning than that. The artist works on his masterpiece for 3 score and ten or as long as they can to create a work that will endure and have meaning past their end.

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