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Christopher was brought up Catholic (Aug 4 2000; Oct 25 2002; Oct 27 2004), but is not currently a member of any particular faith (Mar 28 2000), explaining, "Well, I have a lot to say about organized religion" (Oct 25 2002). He says that his spiritual side developed through having had a "very religious family, combined with gradual evolution" (Apr 24 2000). Chris elaborates, "My mother told me there is a God. I've felt Him occasionally, then I lose Him. So, I keep looking for Him. Enlightened is not the word. 'Desperately searching'…better" (June 9 2000). For Chris, the "evidence" that, as one fan put it, "there is more to the universe than a bunch of elementary particles assembling themselves" is "faith and the journey of souls that you see in people" (Mar 30 2000). Modern spiritual figures or philosophers do not appeal to him, since his "interest in God is more personal these days and not tied to any spokesperson" (Oct 1 2000). In response to a comment that some have experienced God through great works of art, Chris said, "Yeah, intertwined with art is close" (Oct 1 2000). Chris has also said he thinks of the religious symbolism in Maynard's lyrics (of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle) "more as spiritual than religious. It's about searching with and towards a greater understanding and love than anything dogmatic" (Nov 15 2004). Christopher says that he has faith in God "in spite of the Bible" (Sept 17 2000) "Faith is belief," according to Chris and, in response to a fan who asked whether faith can "make humans capable of anything," such as healing wounds, he said, "Can it heal wounds? If you believe it to be so - yes. Me? I don't know…Guess I don't have alotta faith. Have faith" (Sept 11 2000). He reveals that he came to be self-confident through "feeling God. Trying to see, appreciate and use the gifts given to us" (Apr 13 2000). If he could ask God only one question, it would be "Why?" (Apr 21 2000) Jesus is a historical figure Chris would want to play, since Jesus "was the ultimate rebel" (Aug 25 2000). If Jesus had been spared the cross, Chris thinks he would have continued "to rail and preach" (May 21 2001) and that the answer to the question "What would Jesus do?" is "Continue teaching" (Apr 22 2000). Chris does not think that today's "institutionalized church" is what "Jesus had in mind, but maybe it's all we allow ourselves to accept" (Apr 5 2005). Chris says his definition of an "inactive Catholic" depends on one's "lethargy or disillusionment or enlightenment" (Aug 4 2000). A fan asked whether Christopher thinks that the "current stance that the Catholic Church takes on various issues prevents people from truly finding God." He responded, "No. I don't know what the Catholic Church's stances really are. I mean, abortion has nothing to do with people finding God, except if yer aborted then...maybe. Intolerance (i.e., of homosexuality) closes people off to God" (Oct 14 2000). The last time Chris took Communion was "Christmas four years ago - never again" (Feb 26 2004). Chris would rather serve in heaven than reign in hell and instead of choosing between "repent" or "despair," Chris says, "I hope, doubt and believe" (Apr 22 2000). To him, God is less of an individual thing and closer to being something that unites him with other people (June 19 2000). He believes in the concept of yin and yang and, in response to a fan who asked whether "beauty/horror and joy/pain is the same unifying concept of God" as yin/yang, Chris said, "If the balance of extremes is God, then I guess it is so" (Aug 23 2000). It is not surprising, therefore, that Chris's attitude toward "right-wing and radical religious fundamentalists" is "Do ya need all the bullshit? Isn't the essence of all spiritual belief, love? Love that is eternal? Do you need more? Do ya need fairy tales?" (Sept 8 2004) If heaven exists, upon his arrival, Chris would like to hear God say, "'Not bad, rest. Homemade tiramisu is in the back, tonight is tequila night and the girls have been waiting. Get crazy, 'cause next week you'll be going back.' Amen" (Apr 13 2000). On the other hand, Chris believes that "Purgatory would be watching daytime talk shows. Hell would be to be stuck with the people that go on those daytime talk shows" (July 30 2000). The holiday custom that Chris loathes is the "pressure to have to trade gifts. I like to use it as an excuse to chill and play with my peeps" (Jan 12 2002). When asked if he believes in "ghosts, angels and/or extra-terrestrials," Christopher responded, "Yes…I think" and explained that he thought he saw a ghost once as a child (Aug 29 2000; Sept 11 2000). He says that he believes there is life on other planets, but does not believe that there are other beings "anywhere near us" (Jan 31 2005). To Chris, reincarnation is a "maybe" (Nov 9 2001). Chris has no interest in astrology (July 30 2000), does not believe in "magick," although he admits knowing nothing about it (Nov 9 2001), does not believe that people can talk to the dead (Apr 15 2004) and, when asked if he believes in parapsychology, said that he has "no clue as to what parapsychology includes" (Aug 29 2001). When asked whether he would visit the Scientology Center in L.A., he replied, "Sure - why not?" (Dec 27 1999) What attracts Christopher to religious symbols is "probably the base human search for something of faith to hold on to" (Sept 8 2004). He describes a crucifix that hangs on his wall: "I am a big fan of religious symbols, crucifixes in particular. That one is from Texas in the 1920s. I never saw one with a skull and crossbones on the bottom of it. It predates my tattoo" (Jan 12 2002). He continues to collect these symbols, saying at one point, "Looking for a Buddha now. I have a great Ganesh and many crucifixes" (Jan 19 2001). Chris does not have any religious objects in his home that symbolize Judaism (Sept 26 2002). The last word on Chris's position on religion: "Any way one wishes to worship - God bless. If they think or feel they've found the truth within their faith - God bless. I've hung out with Catholics that I didn't feel were enlightened socially but the 'truth' of their faith really shone through and was very inspirational. I've also been cursed at by a Buddhist monk for accidentally lightly bumping his head with mine on a train ride through Thailand - he was just another grumpy asshole having a bad day with a foreigner. In the end, we're all just searching and we'll find it in the end. A lucky few believe they have found it now - their actions usually bear out the truth of that. Thus spoke Siddhartha" (Sept 16 2000). Last updated: March 04/06 | |