The Beatles, God, and the Bible

Not too many people know that John Lennon met Paul McCartney while at a church function, or that John was a choirboy. Nor do they know that at the height of their fame in 1965, all four Beatles professed to be atheists. Yet in 1980 John had moved from proudly stating that they were more popular than Jesus, to humbly saying. "I'm a most religious fellow...I was brought up a Christian and I only now understand some of the things that Christ was saying in those parables." As a young man, George Harrison wrote, "I want to find God. I'm not interested in material things, this world, fame—I'm going for the real goal." Later in life Ringo said, "For me, God is in my life. I don't hide from that." In the 1990s Paul said, "I'm not religious, but I'm very spiritual." He prayed for his wife when she was having trouble giving birth to their daughter, and his 2001 song "Freedom" spoke of freedom as "a right given by God." He also said, "God wouldn't have given us tears if He didn't want us to cry."