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Cartoonist

(7,530 posts)
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 11:18 PM Feb 2019

What do the Beatles believe?

Very interesting article. I couldn't find any errors. Some speculation, but he clearly says so.

The Beatles’ Religion Was Here, There and Everywhere

Much is made of the flirtations of the Fab Four with Eastern religions of one sort or another and the resultant iconic images of the four musicians in India on retreat. Little is made of the band’s Christian roots. Two of the band, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, were both baptized Catholic; John Lennon and Ringo Starr were Anglicans.

It would be fair to say that the Christian influence on the four men’s upbringing was negligible. The word “nominal” barely covers it. All four were part of postwar Britain, one not noted for religious fervor. In fact, by 1960s the country was increasingly secular. Religion was relegated to the private sphere. It was often noted that, unlike in, say, Ireland or America, an Englishman who was perceived as religious was exceptional, often thought of as eccentric.

So, in 1960s, it was unsurprising that during interviews The Beatles talked of their bafflement at the overt religiosity of the United States. Furthermore, the comments made to a London journalist by Lennon about the pop group being “more popular than Jesus” caused no stir when published in a British newspaper in March 1966. Lennon’s comments made him sound more pantheist than Christian. The remarks were received very differently across the Atlantic — so much so that due to the angry backlash against these remarks Lennon had to try and rationalize and downplay what he had said. The problem was not so much that Lennon had set out to offend Christians in his comments but that in the society — and particularly the artistic world — in which he moved, religion in general, and Christianity in particular, was now simply an irrelevance.

In fact, very early on and emphatically, The Beatles had declared themselves agnostic. Religion was not something they wished to spend time discussing. Yet all this was to change in 1966 when Harrison and his then wife, Patti Boyd, visited India. Harrison had already been drawn to the music of India. Now, partly through the influence of his wife, he became equally attracted to the world of Hinduism and its then à la mode form found in the West — the Hare Krishna Movement. This attraction inevitably spread to the other three Beatles and their wider entourage.

more http://m.ncregister.com/blog/kturley/the-beatles-religion-here-there-and-everywhere

14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
What do the Beatles believe? (Original Post) Cartoonist Feb 2019 OP
All you need is love. Mme. Defarge Feb 2019 #1
The Beatles believed they were the walrus True Dough Feb 2019 #2
Harrison was the only one raised with religion JenniferJuniper Feb 2019 #3
Interesting - I didn't know that about them. trotsky Feb 2019 #6
Harrison turned on the rest of the Beatles to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Major Nikon Feb 2019 #10
Not quite that clear Cartoonist Feb 2019 #12
Ringo didn't reject TM, just Maharishi Major Nikon Feb 2019 #13
Thanks for the correction Cartoonist Feb 2019 #14
Beatles Interview: Playboy, February 1965 IH8TU Feb 2019 #4
I'm disappointed... NeoGreen Feb 2019 #5
Sorry. Will this do? Cartoonist Feb 2019 #7
Thank you sir... NeoGreen Feb 2019 #8
Too bad there is no money for posting cat pics Cartoonist Feb 2019 #9
From the documentary "Living in the Material World" edhopper Feb 2019 #11

True Dough

(20,257 posts)
2. The Beatles believed they were the walrus
Mon Feb 25, 2019, 11:25 PM
Feb 2019

That's gotta be some sort of Hindu reincarnation sorta stuff, no?

JenniferJuniper

(4,547 posts)
3. Harrison was the only one raised with religion
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 12:54 AM
Feb 2019

but he became disillusioned with the Catholic church as a teen and I believe declined to be confirmed. But he came from the only church-going family of the four.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
10. Harrison turned on the rest of the Beatles to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 09:47 AM
Feb 2019

It didn't take long before the rest of them figured out he was a charlatan, but Harrison had something of a lifelong obsession with him. That and his association with Hare Krishnas shows how easily deluded he was.

Cartoonist

(7,530 posts)
12. Not quite that clear
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 10:47 AM
Feb 2019

Only Ringo rejected it outright. While they became disenchanted with the Maharishi(Sexy Sadie), the practice of transcendental meditation was still valid. John moved on eventually, but Paul said even recently that he still meditates.

Besides, I don't think that's a religion. It's more like Yoga. George got into Hinduism, not as a believer, but to better understand India.

Major Nikon

(36,900 posts)
13. Ringo didn't reject TM, just Maharishi
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 11:22 AM
Feb 2019

Which is pretty much true for the rest of them except for Harrison.

FWIW, The 3rd circuit ruled it was religion for the purposes of the Establishment Clause.
https://casetext.com/case/malnak-v-yogi

 

IH8TU

(26 posts)
4. Beatles Interview: Playboy, February 1965
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 02:52 AM
Feb 2019
http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dbbtspb.int2.html


PLAYBOY: "You guys seem to be pretty irreverent characters. Are any of you churchgoers?"

JOHN: "No."

GEORGE: "No."

PAUL: "Not particularly. But we're not antireligious. We probably seem antireligious because of the fact that none of us believe in God."

JOHN: "If you say you don't believe in God, everybody assumes you're antireligious, and you probably think that's what we mean by that. We're not quite sure 'what' we are, but I know that we're more agnostic than atheistic."

PLAYBOY: "Are you speaking for the group, or just for yourself."

JOHN: "For the group."

GEORGE: "John's our official religious spokesman."

PAUL: "We all feel roughly the same. We're all agnostics."

JOHN: "Most people are, anyway."

NeoGreen

(4,033 posts)
8. Thank you sir...
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 09:11 AM
Feb 2019

...it felt as if I had clicked on DU's famous Sunday LOL cat thread only to find no pictures of cats.

I feel much better now.

edhopper

(34,802 posts)
11. From the documentary "Living in the Material World"
Tue Feb 26, 2019, 10:26 AM
Feb 2019

it seems George was more a Buddhist than anything else.

John said all he needed to in one song.

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