Elton John: 'I would ban religion completely'

[Jill Monroe]

This is the latest from CNN:

LONDON, England (AP) -- Organized religion fuels anti-gay discrimination and other forms of bias, pop star Elton John said in an interview published Saturday.

"I think religion has always tried to turn hatred toward gay people," John said in the Observer newspaper's Music Monthly Magazine. "Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays."

"But there are so many people I know who are gay and love their religion," he said. "From my point of view, I would ban religion completely. Organized religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate."

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[Jacob Black]

Sometimes I think that Elton John just says things to piss people off lol.. he is like the senile grandma who is prejudiced and racist and just won't keep her mouth shut.

[Jill Monroe]

i can his point though. in america, the "religious right" has politicized the church so much and uses it to promote agendas (including the discrimination of gays) and the fact that they claim to "speak for God"...it definately leaves a bad taste in my mouth even though i'm a straight woman.

i think religion should be something people practice unto themselves, i dont see why churches are ALLOWED to go to the lengths that TBN, Word of Faith and other "religious empires" are allowed to with their "ministry" and "witness/outreach" efforts. i feel that these things should be kept private and SEPERATE from affairs of state and government.

[Jacob Black]

I think I just may have come to peace with organized religion. I know that God doesn't condemn gay people because the bible is NOT the word of God.. It's the word of God as interpreted by MAN and so therefore I just kind of shrug it off..