"The band that prays together, stays together."

[thrillme]

"Even Adam Clayton appreciated the rich fun of this spiritual caper. Once in a while, he would look his interviewers in the eye, and deliver the killer line, completely deadpan. 'the band that prays together, stays together.' "

I found the new Uncut legends mag about U2, and came across this.

Does this mean after the next album/tour, they'll be another issue about them?, ye know, to be up to date.

 

[SWlondnr]

That phrase i thought was very profound, ermm..well i don't know..but i'll presume that there will be lots of press coverage when their album comes out especially in music mags

 

[PennyPyro]

I just got that mag yesterday!

 

[starsgoblue]

We don't know what Adam believes spiritually right? We just know that he isn't a Christian...unless I'm mistaken?

 

[NameOfLove19]

We don't know what Adam believes spiritually right? We just know that he isn't a Christian...unless I'm mistaken?

I think that he's more spiritual than his earlier days. Everyone seems to hold on to his....I don't know, lack of religion from when he was younger, though.

 

[Sue DeNym]

I think that he's more spiritual than his earlier days. Everyone seems to hold on to his....I don't know, lack of religion from when he was younger, though.

It's been at least twenty years since he first said he wasn't a Christian. That's a long time, things may have changed since then.

Bono said in Bill Flanagan's book that Adam was a believer, but I'd prefer to hear it from Adam himself.

 

[PennyPyro]

It's been at least twenty years since he first said he wasn't a Christian. That's a long time, things may have changed since then.

Bono said in Bill Flanagan's book that Adam was a believer, but I'd prefer to hear it from Adam himself.

this is news to me! what's Bill Flanagan's book?

 

[indigo tree]

this is news to me! what's Bill Flanagan's book?

U2: At the End of the World. Its basically an account of U2 during the Zoo TV tour. Its utterly fascinating.

 

[riverdancer]

But that seems like such a cheesy line for Adam...

 

[NameOfLove19]

Adam, not cheesy? Remember, this is the man who said he'd be a giraffe....so he could meet other giraffes!

 

[indra]

But that seems like such a cheesy line for Adam...

Perhaps his tongue was planted very firmly in his cheek....

 

[coemgen]

The last I heard Adam is a believer, he just doesn't wear it on his sleeve like the other three. I've always envisioned a U2 video with Adam walking into an empty church, kneeling down and praying. Controversial, huh?

 

[Sue DeNym]

The last I heard Adam is a believer, he just doesn't wear it on his sleeve like the other three. I've always envisioned a U2 video with Adam walking into an empty church, kneeling down and praying. Controversial, huh?

Not at all; I think it would be lovely.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Not at all; I think it would be lovely.

what's lovely is your pseudonym

...and very clever!

 

[melon]

The last I heard Adam is a believer, he just doesn't wear it on his sleeve like the other three. I've always envisioned a U2 video with Adam walking into an empty church, kneeling down and praying. Controversial, huh?

But that would be wearing it on his sleeve.

There is a certain gospel virtue in not wearing it on your sleeve (the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee). It's one I try and keep in mind.

Melon

 

[80sU2isBest]

But that would be wearing it on his sleeve.

There is a certain gospel virtue in not wearing it on your sleeve (the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee). It's one I try and keep in mind.

Melon

I see your [point, for sure, Melon.

But I'm not so sure I see it as wearing it on a person's sleeve. To me, wearing faith on my sleeve simply means not being afraid to let people know I'm a Christian; being proud of my Lord.

The Pharisees wanted people to know they were religious, not to bring glory to God, but to themselves. That, however, is the devil's trap that all Christians can fall into, if we're not always on guard against it.

 

[thrillme]

The last I heard Adam is a believer, he just doesn't wear it on his sleeve like the other three. I've always envisioned a U2 video with Adam walking into an empty church, kneeling down and praying. Controversial, huh?

Came across this, I had to read it twice, when I first saw it, I thought, wait, Adam said this. *Hanging around Bono so much, he's talking like Bono.* Except, Bono didn't use the words upend, nor romantic figures.

Adam reflects on transexual Nadia winning the UK TV show Big Brother – wondering what it says about the upside-down nature of modern celebrity: ‘...the thing that’s noxious about celebrity is that it upends God’s order of things. The real romantic figures surely, should be nurses, firemen, mothers, aid workers...these are literally heroic people...--NME

 

[Ted Engel]

But that would be wearing it on his sleeve.

There is a certain gospel virtue in not wearing it on your sleeve (the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee). It's one I try and keep in mind.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus can be heard reminding disciples, crowds, and Pharisees that the most important thing to remember about the things we do is that there is almost always a motive for recognition behind it. "When you give to the needy," he told them, "do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets" (Matthew 6:2). Significantly, he makes the same comment regarding prayer, and also about fasting.

In each example Jesus offers, he doesn’t tell us that our hope for recognition is wrong. He explains that within our hope, we can seek to be honored by men or seek the reward of God.

Regarding those who make certain the right people witness their actions, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:2-4).

Where the motive is the honor of God, we store up treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

 

[coemgen]

You make some good points. We are supposed to give in secret and not pray for show. However, I don't think God would frown upon a U2 video with Adam praying in a church. It would be part of the storyline in the video, and, considering Bono's (and Edge's) lyrics, it could be in a video for nearly any one of U2's songs.

 

[Sue DeNym]

The last I heard Adam is a believer, he just doesn't wear it on his sleeve like the other three.

I'm not so sure he is anymore. This is from the Australian version of Rolling Stone magazine, scan courtesy of beli:

Note the first question in the center column, and Adam's answer. If he were a Christian, wouldn't he have corrected the interviewer?

 

[thrillme]

I'm not so sure he is anymore. This is from the Australian version of Rolling Stone magazine, scan courtesy of beli:

Note the first question in the center column, and Adam's answer. If he were a Christian, wouldn't he have corrected the interviewer?

I dunno, maybe he just ignored it, as he's been getting that label since the beginning, let people think what they want nowadays.

"I don't have a difficulty with the religious aspect of it, no."

I would think someone who isn't Christian, might have some difficulty with a song called Yahweh.

-----------

Here's the full quote from NME article(found magazine, last one too)

‘...the thing that’s noxious about celebrity is that it upends God’s order of things. The real romantic figures surely, should be nurses, firemen, mothers, aid workers...these are literally heroic people.

People who run back into burning houses and pull out babies. In God's mind, they are at the top. The idea that a bunch of spoilt-rotten,self-indulgent artistes-and I include myself-who are overpaid, over-nourished and over-exposed most of the time...that we're more important than them, it's upside-down."--Adam.

Not something I would expect to here from someone who isn't Christian.

I thought it was Bono's quote, not Adam's the first time I read the first paragraph online, thought maybe they goofed and quoted it as Adam, even though it was Bono, but nah, I read the article, and sure enough, it was Adam.

 

[Fencolina]

So maybe he believes in God. That doesn't make him a Christian.

Maybe he doesn't want to classify himself. Maybe he can't.

 

[Jamila]

Good thoughts, Fencolina.

When we try to box God into a nice, neat description, we soon find out (sometimes the hard way) that GOD DEFIES DESCRIPTION.

We need to remember that LOVE IS BIGGER THAN US....

 

[financeguy]

Why is it so important to you guys that Adam become a believer? U2 wouldn't be the same band with four Christians in it, why don't you just accept that?

 

[financeguy]

-----------

Here's the full quote from NME article(found magazine, last one too)

‘...the thing that’s noxious about celebrity is that it upends God’s order of things. The real romantic figures surely, should be nurses, firemen, mothers, aid workers...these are literally heroic people.

People who run back into burning houses and pull out babies. In God's mind, they are at the top. The idea that a bunch of spoilt-rotten,self-indulgent artistes-and I include myself-who are overpaid, over-nourished and over-exposed most of the time...that we're more important than them, it's upside-down."--Adam.

Not something I would expect to here from someone who isn't Christian.

What an incredibly strange statement, do you think that everyone who believes in God is a Christian?

 

[80sU2isBest]

Why is it so important to you guys that Adam become a believer?

For me, it's because Christ has meant so much in my life, and I'd like everyone to share in that, especially since I believe that Christ is the only way to the Father.

 

[financeguy]

Well fair enough if that's your belief. I'm not convinced you're going to convince Adam though, as he's been in a band with three Christians for 25 years and still doesn't subscribe to their beliefs as far as I can determine!

 

[thrillme]

What an incredibly strange statement, do you think that everyone who believes in God is a Christian?

No of course not, but in the way he said, "In God's mind, they are at the top." "upends God’s order of things."

From what I've been told/studied in religious studies classes, only Jews and Christians believe in God, in that way---Having a mind, or that there is an order of things. Muslims do, but usually they say Allah(?) not God. He's clearly not an atheist, and agnostics feel you can't really know God, or if there is one.

Buddhism doesn't really have deities, Hinduism does, but they've have other names.

Does it matter, I mean, I don't know any of them, but seeing as how that caused the biggest riff in U2 in the early days, if it's no longer the case, that Adam has subscribed to the beliefs of his friends, that will no longer be an issue for them. Obviously they dealt with it, and moved on, but he wouldn't be the odd man out in that regards anymore. No longer that have alienated feeling like in the early days.

 

[beli]

seeing as how that caused the biggest riff in U2 in the early days, if it's no longer the case, that Adam has subscribed to the beliefs of his friends,

or his friends have learnt how to live and let live.

 

[Salome]

I think in the early days it was probably more Adam having a problem with the others putting religion before the band than the others having a problem with Adam

either way
I'm sure that god won't have a problem with Mr. Clayton
he's a bassplayer