Do you think Lana still believes in God?

[brooklynbaby91 1,357]

I've always assumed from some of her past quotes and a lot of her lyrics that she believes in God, but the lectures she's been promoting on the Honeymoon hotline have strong atheist undertones. The book A Universe from Nothing and the lecture by Lawrence Krauss are basically all about how the universe was naturally able to create itself out of nothing, and that no divine power or god was needed for it. He talks about religion and the flawed thinking behind a higher power in his lecture and he's also an atheist activist. I just thought it was interesting that Lana would recommend these things to her fans, because I've always seen her as a believer. Like even though she could just be interested in the science of it, the reason behind the research has a political bent to it and the lectures themselves don't shy away from criticizing the idea of a god.

[annedauphine 34,587]

This is extremely interesting to me. 

 

I think that she do believe in a spiritual higher power, and I think that she appreciate the comfort of cult, like having defined symbols and practice, is kind of comforting. But I'm not sure that she's that interested in the traditional aspect of Christianity, particularly Catholicism as she was raised, in regards of her views on some sexuality aspects and as you said her interest in metaphysics, and the lectures she's been recently promoting. But she did said recently several times that she definitely was a seeker. So maybe she's just trying to understand everything in order to consolidate and understand better her faith? But I read on twitter that a fan gave her a "our father" bracelet and she asked to be said one for her.

 

 

Obviously, I am nowhere near speaking in her name and I might have completely misunderstood the whole point. I have so much to say about this but I fear it's too personal!

[litewave 519]

I have read Krauss's book and his "nothing" is not exactly nothing. It is absence of spacetime and energy but it presupposes the existence of physical laws that turn this "nothing" into spacetime and energy. He basically replaced God with physical laws, the existence of which he doesn't explain. I think Lana is curious about how physicists unveil the mystery of our existence but feels there may be more than they know or imagine.

[DeadAgainst 1,514]

"I believe in the country America used to be.

I believe in the person I want to become."

 

She was interested in metaphysics because "it bridged the gap between God and science" so she seems to be looking for reconciliation

 

Also she described herself as "spiritual" recently and talked about believing in psychics which doesn't exactly strike one as atheistic in the strictest sense

[Intriguing Penguin 867]

I think she does. I know a lot of philosophers and theologians who study and take a deep interest in atheist philosophers. Like I'm obsessed with the works of Nietzsche and Schopenhaur but I believed in God. So, Lana's probably just currently studying and obsessing over atheistic elements in the world, and maybe experimenting with them in a way trying to walk in life without believing in God. Overall, I say she is a believer. 

[WhiteHydrangea 4,200]

She recently told one fan in the London M&G that she'll do a pray for her so

[naachoboy 7,977]

Yeah

[ILostMyself 171]

I've read on multiple occasions and also seen it in interviews that Lana believes in God, and that, in my view, has not changed at all. Now, I'm atheist, however I think that being Catholic, attending church, saying prayers etc. does not at all contradict being interested in metaphysics or looking at the laws of physics to understand the creation of the universe. God simply is not an explanation for everything.

 

Also, she has a goshdarnit song called "God Knows I Tried" on the album, and I don't know about you guys but to me the song sounds very much like she believes in a God. And that very strongly.

[annedauphine 34,587]

Also, she has a goshdarnit song called "God Knows I Tried" on the album, and I don't know about you guys but to me the song sounds very much like she believes in a God. And that very strongly.

I actually completely consider this song as being completely destined to God and it being a litany, a real prayer. Maybe it is because I have a very strong Catholic faith but I can't help to use the words she use in my own prayers. As a believer myself I would be extremely surprised if she doesn't at least believe in the IDEA of God. I'm so interested in reading all your answers and the more I do the more I'm convinced that her interest in metaphysics is but a necessary and capital part of her quest for God, whatever that might be, perhaps not necessarily the Catholic God even though as we discussed it before she does cite in interviews going to the mass and singing at church with pleasure, but maybe even in just the Higher Power that is a very early part of the 12 steps recovery program (2nd one if I'm not mistaken) that she might have been through as an alcoholic, as we do have receipts that she chaired some AG reunions.

[brooklynbaby91 1,357]

I've read on multiple occasions and also seen it in interviews that Lana believes in God, and that, in my view, has not changed at all. Now, I'm atheist, however I think that being Catholic, attending church, saying prayers etc. does not at all contradict being interested in metaphysics or looking at the laws of physics to understand the creation of the universe. God simply is not an explanation for everything.

 

 

This is true, but Lawrence Krauss can be very condescending toward believers and doesn't really attempt to hide that he thinks they're kind of stupid, so that's why I'm surprised that Lana would connect to him and his work.

[strange weather 1,950]

she's definitely spiritual & maybe culturally catholic, but i don't think she's like this religious conservative or anything. at all.

[ILostMyself 171]

I agree with what all of you have said here. @@annedauphine and I had a short discussion on this a while back. When I heard Honeymoon for the first time, in particular GKIT I was really shocked because to me this song left no doubt that Lana believes in a form of God. I always considered Lana to be in a way spiritual, but never really religious as, as some of you have stated, her views on metaphysics and astrophysics, her themes of guns/violence/drugs/sex in her songs as well as her romanticized kitsch representation of Catholic themes (Tropico) seem to contradict this idea. In her songs there are lines like "I am my only God", or "All that's real to me is Marilyn and Jesus". To me, these lines sounded like she consideres her Catholicism a part of her life, however not in the sense of truly believing it, more like using it in her Americana, and ackknowledging it as a way to explain the world.

Also, she is not conservative at all, she is quite the opposite.

 

After all this, I went back and I read and listened to some interviews, and the way she speaks about God in a matter of fact way left no doubt for me that she is indeed religious, in whatever way. Like, there was this interview where she said sth like "I couldn't believe that God would give me such a nice person and then it wouldn't work out." Like she truly means it.

 

This is true, but Lawrence Krauss can be very condescending toward believers and doesn't really attempt to hide that he thinks they're kind of stupid, so that's why I'm surprised that Lana would connect to him and his work.

 

I don't know Lawrence Kraus... But then again, I wouldn't consider Lana to be a "typical" believer. Maybe she doesn't care about this or maybe she feels partly this way too?? I mean we can all just guess obviously, but I think that Lana very much believes in all the scientific and metaphysical approaches on how the universe came into existence, but there is just one point where science can't explain anything anymore (at least not yet?). And that is where her belief in God comes in. She surely believes that God "created" the universe and that God has some influence over people's lives, like destiny, you know.

I think she "connects" with Catholicism so much because it's such a splendid glittering, yet rotten institution (not trying to offend anyone).

[annedauphine 34,587]

I agree with what all of you have said here. @@annedauphine and I had a short discussion on this a while back. When I heard Honeymoon for the first time, in particular GKIT I was really shocked because to me this song left no doubt that Lana believes in a form of God. I always considered Lana to be in a way spiritual, but never really religious as, as some of you have stated, her views on metaphysics and astrophysics, her themes of guns/violence/drugs/sex in her songs as well as her romanticized kitsch representation of Catholic themes (Tropico) seem to contradict this idea. In her songs there are lines like "I am my only God", or "All that's real to me is Marilyn and Jesus". To me, these lines sounded like she consideres her Catholicism a part of her life, however not in the sense of truly believing it, more like using it in her Americana, and ackknowledging it as a way to explain the world.

Also, she is not conservative at all, she is quite the opposite.

 

After all this, I went back and I read and listened to some interviews, and the way she speaks about God in a matter of fact way left no doubt for me that she is indeed religious, in whatever way. Like, there was this interview where she said sth like "I couldn't believe that God would give me such a nice person and then it wouldn't work out." Like she truly means it.

 

 

I don't know Lawrence Kraus... But then again, I wouldn't consider Lana to be a "typical" believer. Maybe she doesn't care about this or maybe she feels partly this way too?? I mean we can all just guess obviously, but I think that Lana very much believes in all the scientific and metaphysical approaches on how the universe came into existence, but there is just one point where science can't explain anything anymore (at least not yet?). And that is where her belief in God comes in. She surely believes that God "created" the universe and that God has some influence over people's lives, like destiny, you know.

I think she "connects" with Catholicism so much because it's such a splendid glittering, yet rotten institution (not trying to offend anyone).

 

Yeah the "I can't believe God would give me bla bla bla" line is from the 2012 Italian Facebook interview it's in my masterpost. I remember this conversation was so fascinating. I really, REALLY would like to understand where the "I am my only God" line comes from. As a believer I would be more inclined to think it is an invitation to find God within ourselves, but very obviously this line probably has completely opposite connotations for anyone else. I think she also is interested in the "romantic" aspect of religion, with lines like "Jesus is my bestest friend", "please Lord when I get to heaven let me bring my man", etc, like she fantasizes about having a relationship with a divinity that is in the same vein as "honouring love even when it is lost". She definitely sometimes uses religious words as part of an aesthetic rather than a honest belief imo. And I 1000% agree with your last statement you said it much better than I would have. I love your last sentence, I'm Catholic and I'm nowhere near offended, it's actually very justly and beautifully said and really, super super Lana.

 

And I think @@strange weather description is very accurate, like the "culturally catholic" part.

[ILostMyself 171]

Yeah the "I can't believe God would give me bla bla bla" line is from the 2012 Italian Facebook interview it's in my masterpost. I remember this conversation was so fascinating. I really, REALLY would like to understand where the "I am my only God" line comes from. As a believer I would be more inclined to think it is an invitation to find God within ourselves, but very obviously this line probably has completely opposite connotations for anyone else. I think she also is interested in the "romantic" aspect of religion, with lines like "Jesus is my bestest friend", "please Lord when I get to heaven let me bring my man", etc, like she fantasizes about having a relationship with a divinity that is in the same vein as "honouring love even when it is lost". She definitely sometimes uses religious words as part of an aesthetic rather than a honest belief imo. And I 1000% agree with your last statement you said it much better than I would have. I love your last sentence, I'm Catholic and I'm nowhere near offended, it's actually very justly and beautifully said and really, super super Lana.

Wow, I love what you wrote! Thank you!

I 100% agree with you! That idea that she wants a "relationship with divinity" is so cool! And the way she talks about Jesus as her "bestest friend" and in the same lines as "Marilyn, Coney Island Beaches, Sparklers and Streamers", just solidifies that! That just proves she's not your typical Catholic, she is much more colorful, freer in her expressions of a belief.

 

The "I am my only God" from Disco is what made me love Lana. I remember listening to that song over and over again, it captivated me so much, the whole song is just fantastic imo! I think that this song and this line goes with her "I'd rather know what God knows" line in Pawn Shop Blues (another one of my favorites). I mean these songs obviously don't sound like she is very religious at all, you could even say that she's disregarding religion or God here, but I feel like that is just 100% Lana. She does believe in a God in the "outside world", a God that "directs" her or lets things happen. However, she must also believe in a "God within one self", like loving onself just as much as anything and anyone else.

"I am my only God" means to me that she wants to be free, unjudged and doing whatever she wants. Like she says in Disco "I do what I like I just don't care". At first I considered this to be rather blasphemous as I haven't heard a religious person "comparing" themself to God (isn't that even forbidden?), but it's not at all. As with all the Catholic / religious references in her songs, it's just the way she expresses herself and I personally love that because I can identify with that as well even though I am an atheist.

As well as the "I'd rather know what God knows". I love that line. It's SOOO Lana.

[LoreleiLee 1,303]

ILostMyself, on 27 Sept 2015 - 04:49 AM, said:

 

I 100% agree with you! That idea that she wants a "relationship with divinity" is so cool! And the way she talks about Jesus as her "bestest friend" and in the same lines as "Marilyn, Coney Island Beaches, Sparklers and Streamers", just solidifies that! That just proves she's not your typical Catholic, she is much more colorful, freer in her expressions of a belief.

 

The "I am my only God" from Disco is what made me love Lana. I remember listening to that song over and over again, it captivated me so much, the whole song is just fantastic imo! I think that this song and this line goes with her "I'd rather know what God knows" line in Pawn Shop Blues (another one of my favorites). I mean these songs obviously don't sound like she is very religious at all, you could even say that she's disregarding religion or God here, but I feel like that is just 100% Lana. She does believe in a God in the "outside world", a God that "directs" her or lets things happen. However, she must also believe in a "God within one self", like loving onself just as much as anything and anyone else.

"I am my only God" means to me that she wants to be free, unjudged and doing whatever she wants. Like she says in Disco "I do what I like I just don't care". At first I considered this to be rather blasphemous as I haven't heard a religious person "comparing" themself to God (isn't that even forbidden?), but it's not at all. As with all the Catholic / religious references in her songs, it's just the way she expresses herself and I personally love that because I can identify with that as well even though I am an atheist.

As well as the "I'd rather know what God knows". I love that line. It's SOOO Lana.

 

I believe this is the result of her rebelious years, when she was younger, passionate, in her formative stage, thinking in black and white terms, and had high ideals, and then those ideals crashed in disillusionment (like it happens to most of us; some become cynics afterwards, and some go through the series of stormy self-doubts, doubts in existence of higher power and review of everything they believed before and end up like even more devoted spiritual persons - I think Lana took the second path).

 

But I am very fond of that nihilistic, individualistic and nietzschean "I am my only god": it is sometimes necessary to radically negate the value or existence of something that is crucially important to us: that is actually our faith put to test through the series of misfortunate events - like the ego crush that needs to occur before the new integrated person with true self is reborn, as a butterfly.

 

Later, she contradicts herself in "Gods & Monsters" singing "God's dead, I said, baby, it's alright with me" and "Me and God, we don't get along", where she acknowledges his (or maybe her?) existance, although reluctantly, yet she hisses in cold fury about their discord, and, at the same time, kills him. But her "God is dead" is insincere, wounded, defiant and bitter. You could sense that deeply inside she still cares, maybe even desperately, despite God's perceived betrayal, so she goes to the other extreme to defend herself from further hurts. She dives into darkness and abandon of decadent life so that her own darkness could not be painfully visible.

 

Maybe her dreams before were huge and sparkling, and life and bitter experience made them broken, so she ascribed that to God's viciousness or negligence, but now, as she matured and realized things happened as they should, she returned to his embrace. So yes, she is a believer, in God and in Love as an ultimate light of life and its greatest, most sublime force.

[ILostMyself 171]

@@LoreleiLee Amazing post!!

 

How could I forget Gods & Monsters?? It's one of my fave Lana songs. And now that you repeat this Nietzsche-an lines, I remember why I thought she wasn't religious at all. I mean "Me and God don't get along" and "God's dead, that's alright with me", at first, sound very very unreligious, even atheist. That's why I was so surprised to all of a sudden hear a "God knows I tried"...

 

I do agree that Lana went through a "rebellious" phase etc. and all you said above that I'm not going to repeat now. However, I don't think she ever NOT believed in God. These lines in Gods&Monsters are super interesting, and I would love to hear her thoughts on this. When did Paradise come out, 2012, wasn't it? There are definitely interviews from that time where she sincerely talks about god. I do believe that she has found her true way now, and is happy now.

 

 

Maybe her dreams before were huge and sparkling, and life and bitter experience made them broken, so she ascribed that to God's viciousness or negligence, but now, as she matured and realized things happened as they should, she returned to his embrace. So yes, she is a believer, in God and in Love as an ultimate light of life and its greatest, most sublime force.

 Amen. You said it.

 

[LoreleiLee 1,303]

Thanks   Yeah, I feel like Paradise was her tempestuous phase, purgatory of sorts, place of turbulent spiritual changes when, after the time of youngster forced atheism she addressed her issues with God again. Like in Bel Air, when she says, "Darling, I'm waiting to greet you, Come to me, baby",  it is like she puts herself in the role/skin of Jesus himself, in celestial realm of puffy clouds with angels and harphs, encouraging her deceased lover to approach her kingdom without fear. And when she sings, "Don't be afraid of me, don't be ashamed. Walking away from my soft resurrection", it is like she is talking to herself, to the pure, innocent, faithful and unspoilt part of her being, in an effort to reconcile with God. And this part always waters my eyes a bit: "Didn't anyone ever tell you It's OK to shine?". It is so powerful message to those who live in self-hatred and self-destruction, and tender try of the ray of light to sneak into the tortured soul to heal it.

 

Yes, there are so many references there

[DeadAgainst 1,514]

Like in Bel Air, when she says, "Darling, I'm waiting to greet you, Come to me, baby",  it is like she puts herself in the role/skin of Jesus himself, in celestial realm of puffy clouds with angels and harphs, encouraging her deceased lover to approach her kingdom without fear. And when she sings, "Don't be afraid of me, don't be ashamed. Walking away from my soft resurrection", it is like she is talking to herself, to the pure, innocent, faithful and unspoilt part of her being, in an effort to reconcile with God. And this part always waters my eyes a bit: "Didn't anyone ever tell you It's OK to shine?". It is so powerful message to those who live in self-hatred and self-destruction, and tender try of the ray of light to sneak into the tortured soul to heal it.

 

Her most complete identification with the White Goddess tbvh

[labionda 52]

I think she's very spiritual not necessarely relgious, she also quoted to love jerry and hester hick books like ''Ask and it is given''.  also her instagram is full of cryptic videos of ralph waldo emerson quotes... She's really into the power of the mind on matter )