82 replies to this topic

[comingback]

Pantheism is the belief that the universe (or nature as the totality of everything) is identical with divinity,^[1] or that everything composes an all-encompassing, immanent God.^[2] Pantheists thus do not believe in a distinct personal or anthropomorphic god.^[3]

[Derek F.]

I was really confused by this article, then I really had to think about what Celine was trying to express.

First, I want to say that I'm a proud Christian. I love God. I love Jesus. I love The Holy Spirit. I personally believe in The Bible and in the Holy Trinity... God The Father, Son (Jesus), and and Holy Spirit. I have personally saw many signs from God in my life. Even though I wouldn't want to be an atheist, I could never be based just on the signs I've seen. This is my belief. Everyone has their own belief, but I really love to find out that other people, especially those that mean a lot to me, share the same beliefs. I first discovered Celine when I was 12. She was the best singer I had heard, and I still feel the same! I thought she sounded like what I would imagine an ANGEL to sound like

I have always believed in God. I grew up in a home where most of my family also did. But I didn't regularly attend church. My family did not, and still does not believe that you have to go to a church to believe in God. Like Celine stated within this article, that is how my family believed. That is what I still believe. However, I do think Church can help connect us with God and teach us more about Him. You just need to do your research about going to the right Church for you, if you feel you want to attend one.
My faith really became more important to me as I was a teenager. I had a tough childhood. I had to grow up fast! I went through some horrible things. I lived in a abusive home. But around 16 years old, I started to feel an appetite to learn more about God. I began to learn about His Son Jesus, and what the Bible explains He did for us. How much He loved and loves us. I believe that Jesus is our Savior, and without Him, we are not saved. The passage John 3:16 in The Bible states: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life." Wow. This passage changed my life. It's one of my favorites still.

At the same time, Celine and her awesome voice and music were helping me and changing my life. As I was going through the hard times, her music was like therapy for my soul. I also loved watching Celine perform and give interviews. As I was discovering God, I was also discovering more of Celine's music and who she is. I realized that the main theme that runs throughout Celine's songs is love. The more I learned about God, the more I realized that is what He is all about. Love.

I really connected with Celine's songs about God and faith over the years. Songs like: Call The Man (about calling to Jesus), Fly (which Celine sings about her niece that passed away in her arms as she sang to her. A song about going to Heaven. And I have the interview which I remember seeing Celine say: "That when her niece passed away in her arms, she put her in contact with Heaven, and that is the greatest gift someone can give you" -from Behind The Music on VH1), O Holy Night (A song about the birth of Jesus), The Magic of CHRISTmas Day (God bless us everyone), Ave Maria (about Mother Mary), Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful) which Celine sings "Glory to God" and "Christ The Lord", The Prayer, I'm your Angel, Prayer (from A New Day Has Come, one of my favorite songs of all time!), God Bless America, Miracle, and New Dawn- That is 12  songs that I can think of where Celine sings about God or Jesus or The Spirit of God, aka The Holy Spirit. All of these songs I love, and helped me not only give me peace, but also grow in my relationship with God.

I was really excited to always think, that although anyone has a right to believe what they want (God gave us free will), Celine believes in God and Jesus like me. She gives him glory. She includes Him in her life. She sings about Him and prayer. She was married in a church. She had Rene-Charles baptized. Her first major comeback from her break to have Rene-Charles was singing "God Bless America" live in New York 10 days after the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. It was the first time she ever left her first child, to go sing "GOD Bless America"!! It is my favorite Celine performance of all time! It was so amazing and inspirational!

Then Celine has sung "Miracle" about Rene-Charles, which has the lyrics "only God creates such perfect love" about the parents love for their child. And she also sang "A Mother's Prayer".

The first time I ever seen Celine in concert, July 4th, 2003, she sang "God Bless America" in A New Day... in Las Vegas! She has talked about God and faith in several interviews.

Then came this interview! It really shocked me at first, and I felt hurt and betrayed the first time I read it! When you first read certain things Celine said, it seemed like all of the years of the songs she sang about God, and the interviews she gave about God, where actually her being fake. It was heartbreaking for me because Celine is my favorite singer, and I feel like I have a connection with her, I especially felt like we had the same beliefs about our faith, and that she had poured inspiration into me about faith through her interviews and songs.

Here is what Celine said that troubled me: “I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God." and “Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble with any religions, but you have to understand that my mom is my hero and she had a tough time with the priests in the old days. My mother finally had 14 children. But after the eighth one, the priest kept knocking on the door and asking her when the next one was coming, because it had been two whole years! But on that particular day, she found strength and she told the priest, ‘I am going to have children when I decide to have children.’ The priest said, ‘Then I banish you from the house of God.’ She replied, ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’m the God in here with my children. This is the house that I believe in.’ and “If you can find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That’s my God. That’s my religion."

I really think Celine still has a difficult time expressing herself in English at certain moments. I think this was one of them. I initially strongly disagreed with what Celine says about believing in yourself is to believe in God. We are not God. The Bible states that God is the beginning and the end. He was here before us. But after thinking about what Celine may have been trying to say, I think and hope that she was saying that she believes God is within us. The Bible states that we are made in the image of God. The Bible also teaches that once we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior, The Holy Spirit: A part of God, lives within us. So maybe that is what Celine was saying?
The part about Celine's mother saying that she's the God in their house, is shocking!!! I'm sure that her mother was just angry and said that in anger, but I think a belief like that is very dangerous. The is only one God, and to think of yourself as a God is upsetting to me. However, that Priest had no right to be that nosy, and demand personal information like that. How dare he say that he banishes Celine's mother from the House of God or their church! No one has the right to do that. And if someone really is a Priest, they should be sharing the love of God, not showing hate like that! So I understand Celine's family not attending church regularly after that. That is too bad. But Celine's family has always celebrated CHRISTmas (truly about the birth of Jesus) so I'm sure they kept their faith. I agree that you don't need to attend church "to find something to hold on to". You can pray and believe in God and have a relationship with Jesus without going to church. However, church can really help you learn more about God. It can be good. You shouldn't let hypocrites that attend church, keep you from going. I believe that there are more good true believers at church then "fake" members. I didn't start attending church regularly until I was 29, but now I try to go once a week, because it helps me and I love my church.

What I did like that Celine said: "For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God." and "“If you don’t believe in something, then you’re a little bit dead.”  I agree with Celine that God is life, and is a part of nature like the air, sunrise and sunset, and the birds, and the children. I believe He is all around us. I believe He is love, real love. but I also believe He is God The Father, and is also in Heaven, and is who wants to change our life and be in communication with us. I don't consider myself religious. I consider myself a Christian. And I believe Christianity is Christ, nothing more and nothing less. So I think Celine is correct about that one part.

I also believe along with Celine that if you don't believe in something, you're already a little bit dead. I just hope that Celine does believe in God and His Son like I always thought she does. I hope that Celine teaches her children about Him. I hope that they can be raised in hope from God, in this crazy world we are living in. I hope that Celine doesn't now consider God to be boxes of leaves, flowers, and branches, because although I believe they are from God, they are not God.

After reading this article again and again, I think that Celine was just trying to express that she believes that God is all around us, that she and her family believe that you do not have to attend church to believe, and that she see's the gestures of love given to her by her children are from God. I hope anyway.

May God bless the members of this forum, their families and friends, and Celine and her loved ones.

[Prima_Donna1]

Derek F.
I totally agree with everything with what you said, and shared the same feelings with you on this article.

[seita]

This interview is really interisting , all of you also  must remember  one of her  song . its called " NEW DAWN " ... i think that song represent her belief in God ...

[browseceline]

Derek F., on 27 January 2014 - 01:39 AM, said:

I was really confused by this article, then I really had to think about what Celine was trying to express.

First, I want to say that I'm a proud Christian. I love God. I love Jesus. I love The Holy Spirit. I personally believe in The Bible and in the Holy Trinity... God The Father, Son (Jesus), and and Holy Spirit. I have personally saw many signs from God in my life. Even though I wouldn't want to be an atheist, I could never be based just on the signs I've seen. This is my belief. Everyone has their own belief, but I really love to find out that other people, especially those that mean a lot to me, share the same beliefs. I first discovered Celine when I was 12. She was the best singer I had heard, and I still feel the same! I thought she sounded like what I would imagine an ANGEL to sound like

I have always believed in God. I grew up in a home where most of my family also did. But I didn't regularly attend church. My family did not, and still does not believe that you have to go to a church to believe in God. Like Celine stated within this article, that is how my family believed. That is what I still believe. However, I do think Church can help connect us with God and teach us more about Him. You just need to do your research about going to the right Church for you, if you feel you want to attend one.
My faith really became more important to me as I was a teenager. I had a tough childhood. I had to grow up fast! I went through some horrible things. I lived in a abusive home. But around 16 years old, I started to feel an appetite to learn more about God. I began to learn about His Son Jesus, and what the Bible explains He did for us. How much He loved and loves us. I believe that Jesus is our Savior, and without Him, we are not saved. The passage John 3:16 in The Bible states: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life." Wow. This passage changed my life. It's one of my favorites still.

At the same time, Celine and her awesome voice and music were helping me and changing my life. As I was going through the hard times, her music was like therapy for my soul. I also loved watching Celine perform and give interviews. As I was discovering God, I was also discovering more of Celine's music and who she is. I realized that the main theme that runs throughout Celine's songs is love. The more I learned about God, the more I realized that is what He is all about. Love.

I really connected with Celine's songs about God and faith over the years. Songs like: Call The Man (about calling to Jesus), Fly (which Celine sings about her niece that passed away in her arms as she sang to her. A song about going to Heaven. And I have the interview which I remember seeing Celine say: "That when her niece passed away in her arms, she put her in contact with Heaven, and that is the greatest gift someone can give you" -from Behind The Music on VH1), O Holy Night (A song about the birth of Jesus), The Magic of CHRISTmas Day (God bless us everyone), Ave Maria (about Mother Mary), Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful) which Celine sings "Glory to God" and "Christ The Lord", The Prayer, I'm your Angel, Prayer (from A New Day Has Come, one of my favorite songs of all time!), God Bless America, Miracle, and New Dawn- That is 12  songs that I can think of where Celine sings about God or Jesus or The Spirit of God, aka The Holy Spirit. All of these songs I love, and helped me not only give me peace, but also grow in my relationship with God.

I was really excited to always think, that although anyone has a right to believe what they want (God gave us free will), Celine believes in God and Jesus like me. She gives him glory. She includes Him in her life. She sings about Him and prayer. She was married in a church. She had Rene-Charles baptized. Her first major comeback from her break to have Rene-Charles was singing "God Bless America" live in New York 10 days after the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. It was the first time she ever left her first child, to go sing "GOD Bless America"!! It is my favorite Celine performance of all time! It was so amazing and inspirational!

Then Celine has sung "Miracle" about Rene-Charles, which has the lyrics "only God creates such perfect love" about the parents love for their child. And she also sang "A Mother's Prayer".

The first time I ever seen Celine in concert, July 4th, 2003, she sang "God Bless America" in A New Day... in Las Vegas! She has talked about God and faith in several interviews.

Then came this interview! It really shocked me at first, and I felt hurt and betrayed the first time I read it! When you first read certain things Celine said, it seemed like all of the years of the songs she sang about God, and the interviews she gave about God, where actually her being fake. It was heartbreaking for me because Celine is my favorite singer, and I feel like I have a connection with her, I especially felt like we had the same beliefs about our faith, and that she had poured inspiration into me about faith through her interviews and songs.

Here is what Celine said that troubled me: “I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God." and “Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble with any religions, but you have to understand that my mom is my hero and she had a tough time with the priests in the old days. My mother finally had 14 children. But after the eighth one, the priest kept knocking on the door and asking her when the next one was coming, because it had been two whole years! But on that particular day, she found strength and she told the priest, ‘I am going to have children when I decide to have children.’ The priest said, ‘Then I banish you from the house of God.’ She replied, ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’m the God in here with my children. This is the house that I believe in.’ and “If you can find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That’s my God. That’s my religion."

I really think Celine still has a difficult time expressing herself in English at certain moments. I think this was one of them. I initially strongly disagreed with what Celine says about believing in yourself is to believe in God. We are not God. The Bible states that God is the beginning and the end. He was here before us. But after thinking about what Celine may have been trying to say, I think and hope that she was saying that she believes God is within us. The Bible states that we are made in the image of God. The Bible also teaches that once we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior, The Holy Spirit: A part of God, lives within us. So maybe that is what Celine was saying?
The part about Celine's mother saying that she's the God in their house, is shocking!!! I'm sure that her mother was just angry and said that in anger, but I think a belief like that is very dangerous. The is only one God, and to think of yourself as a God is upsetting to me. However, that Priest had no right to be that nosy, and demand personal information like that. How dare he say that he banishes Celine's mother from the House of God or their church! No one has the right to do that. And if someone really is a Priest, they should be sharing the love of God, not showing hate like that! So I understand Celine's family not attending church regularly after that. That is too bad. But Celine's family has always celebrated CHRISTmas (truly about the birth of Jesus) so I'm sure they kept their faith. I agree that you don't need to attend church "to find something to hold on to". You can pray and believe in God and have a relationship with Jesus without going to church. However, church can really help you learn more about God. It can be good. You shouldn't let hypocrites that attend church, keep you from going. I believe that there are more good true believers at church then "fake" members. I didn't start attending church regularly until I was 29, but now I try to go once a week, because it helps me and I love my church.

What I did like that Celine said: "For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God." and "“If you don’t believe in something, then you’re a little bit dead.”  I agree with Celine that God is life, and is a part of nature like the air, sunrise and sunset, and the birds, and the children. I believe He is all around us. I believe He is love, real love. but I also believe He is God The Father, and is also in Heaven, and is who wants to change our life and be in communication with us. I don't consider myself religious. I consider myself a Christian. And I believe Christianity is Christ, nothing more and nothing less. So I think Celine is correct about that one part.

I also believe along with Celine that if you don't believe in something, you're already a little bit dead. I just hope that Celine does believe in God and His Son like I always thought she does. I hope that Celine teaches her children about Him. I hope that they can be raised in hope from God, in this crazy world we are living in. I hope that Celine doesn't now consider God to be boxes of leaves, flowers, and branches, because although I believe they are from God, they are not God.

After reading this article again and again, I think that Celine was just trying to express that she believes that God is all around us, that she and her family believe that you do not have to attend church to believe, and that she see's the gestures of love given to her by her children are from God. I hope anyway.

May God bless the members of this forum, their families and friends, and Celine and her loved ones.

I do understand your feeling, but in the end that is what Celine's point of view is. I always thought she is Christian too, but it turns out it is a bit different. But she is now open about it and it does not make her music any less. And all of her songs are written by other people. So I would not turn away from her because she suddenly tells she thinks different about religion. You have your religion, your point of view, she has hers, or not. And if you put strength out of her songs. You should go on, the words are the words that mean something to you, not the singer who is singing it. It is the strength of the song's lyrics that  have a special meaning to you.

If it really went this way, with the priest telling her mum to get more children, yes that could have have resulted in Celine's parents turning away from the church. And maybe that is why Celine was never really brought up with much religion at home? And when you are raised without a religion, you don't know better, that is how you were raised. Does not mean that faith can still come on a later age.

Edited by browseceline, 27 January 2014 - 03:22 AM.

[danger]

I don't know if any of POlish fans wrote anything in this thread. 99% of us are Catholics like ppl in Quebec. Me too. MOst of us  go to the Church once or twice a year and for weddings/ funerals. We do believe in God. Many of us don't believe in Church anymore. PPl found God in everyday life. When you think you're talking to yourself, you talk to God. In my opinion Celine was trying to say  that the Church as an institution is not needed to be a Christian. As for religion itself- it's all made up by ppl...
IN  POland we celebrate  for example  Easter , in our unique Polish Catholic way, Religion  is  very common becouse it;s a part of our tradition. I think she has the same state of mind.

[Aga.135]

Derek F., thank you for a very personal confession. I agree with you in many cases.

But I totally don't agree with Danger. I also live in Poland and I practise a lot (at least once a week). Moreover most of my friends (I would say that would be 40% of people that I know) are practicing Catholics. We're studying medicine and this can also be said about my friends from previous studies. I think we (Danger and I) understand "believing in Church" in a different way. I don't believe in a priest and don't need him to make me happy. BUT he is the only one who can celebrate Mass. That's the reason why I go to church. I believe that something unusual, a real miracle is happening there - transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. God is everywhere but this miricle is possible only in the church. Of course when sb believes it. I don't have to like the priest. I can even not listen to him at all. But I feel great need to be a part of the Eucharist. I'm doing it for God, not for a priest or any other person. It's not a big sacrifice for me - going to church even if there are people I don't like or don't agree with.

Edited by Aga.135, 27 January 2014 - 05:14 AM.

[Lu CelineFan]

Derek F., on 27 January 2014 - 01:39 AM, said:

I was really confused by this article, then I really had to think about what Celine was trying to express.

First, I want to say that I'm a proud Christian. I love God. I love Jesus. I love The Holy Spirit. I personally believe in The Bible and in the Holy Trinity... God The Father, Son (Jesus), and and Holy Spirit. I have personally saw many signs from God in my life. Even though I wouldn't want to be an atheist, I could never be based just on the signs I've seen. This is my belief. Everyone has their own belief, but I really love to find out that other people, especially those that mean a lot to me, share the same beliefs. I first discovered Celine when I was 12. She was the best singer I had heard, and I still feel the same! I thought she sounded like what I would imagine an ANGEL to sound like

I have always believed in God. I grew up in a home where most of my family also did. But I didn't regularly attend church. My family did not, and still does not believe that you have to go to a church to believe in God. Like Celine stated within this article, that is how my family believed. That is what I still believe. However, I do think Church can help connect us with God and teach us more about Him. You just need to do your research about going to the right Church for you, if you feel you want to attend one.
My faith really became more important to me as I was a teenager. I had a tough childhood. I had to grow up fast! I went through some horrible things. I lived in a abusive home. But around 16 years old, I started to feel an appetite to learn more about God. I began to learn about His Son Jesus, and what the Bible explains He did for us. How much He loved and loves us. I believe that Jesus is our Savior, and without Him, we are not saved. The passage John 3:16 in The Bible states: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life." Wow. This passage changed my life. It's one of my favorites still.

At the same time, Celine and her awesome voice and music were helping me and changing my life. As I was going through the hard times, her music was like therapy for my soul. I also loved watching Celine perform and give interviews. As I was discovering God, I was also discovering more of Celine's music and who she is. I realized that the main theme that runs throughout Celine's songs is love. The more I learned about God, the more I realized that is what He is all about. Love.

I really connected with Celine's songs about God and faith over the years. Songs like: Call The Man (about calling to Jesus), Fly (which Celine sings about her niece that passed away in her arms as she sang to her. A song about going to Heaven. And I have the interview which I remember seeing Celine say: "That when her niece passed away in her arms, she put her in contact with Heaven, and that is the greatest gift someone can give you" -from Behind The Music on VH1), O Holy Night (A song about the birth of Jesus), The Magic of CHRISTmas Day (God bless us everyone), Ave Maria (about Mother Mary), Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful) which Celine sings "Glory to God" and "Christ The Lord", The Prayer, I'm your Angel, Prayer (from A New Day Has Come, one of my favorite songs of all time!), God Bless America, Miracle, and New Dawn- That is 12  songs that I can think of where Celine sings about God or Jesus or The Spirit of God, aka The Holy Spirit. All of these songs I love, and helped me not only give me peace, but also grow in my relationship with God.

I was really excited to always think, that although anyone has a right to believe what they want (God gave us free will), Celine believes in God and Jesus like me. She gives him glory. She includes Him in her life. She sings about Him and prayer. She was married in a church. She had Rene-Charles baptized. Her first major comeback from her break to have Rene-Charles was singing "God Bless America" live in New York 10 days after the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. It was the first time she ever left her first child, to go sing "GOD Bless America"!! It is my favorite Celine performance of all time! It was so amazing and inspirational!

Then Celine has sung "Miracle" about Rene-Charles, which has the lyrics "only God creates such perfect love" about the parents love for their child. And she also sang "A Mother's Prayer".

The first time I ever seen Celine in concert, July 4th, 2003, she sang "God Bless America" in A New Day... in Las Vegas! She has talked about God and faith in several interviews.

Then came this interview! It really shocked me at first, and I felt hurt and betrayed the first time I read it! When you first read certain things Celine said, it seemed like all of the years of the songs she sang about God, and the interviews she gave about God, where actually her being fake. It was heartbreaking for me because Celine is my favorite singer, and I feel like I have a connection with her, I especially felt like we had the same beliefs about our faith, and that she had poured inspiration into me about faith through her interviews and songs.

Here is what Celine said that troubled me: “I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God." and “Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble with any religions, but you have to understand that my mom is my hero and she had a tough time with the priests in the old days. My mother finally had 14 children. But after the eighth one, the priest kept knocking on the door and asking her when the next one was coming, because it had been two whole years! But on that particular day, she found strength and she told the priest, ‘I am going to have children when I decide to have children.’ The priest said, ‘Then I banish you from the house of God.’ She replied, ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’m the God in here with my children. This is the house that I believe in.’ and “If you can find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That’s my God. That’s my religion."

I really think Celine still has a difficult time expressing herself in English at certain moments. I think this was one of them. I initially strongly disagreed with what Celine says about believing in yourself is to believe in God. We are not God. The Bible states that God is the beginning and the end. He was here before us. But after thinking about what Celine may have been trying to say, I think and hope that she was saying that she believes God is within us. The Bible states that we are made in the image of God. The Bible also teaches that once we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior, The Holy Spirit: A part of God, lives within us. So maybe that is what Celine was saying?
The part about Celine's mother saying that she's the God in their house, is shocking!!! I'm sure that her mother was just angry and said that in anger, but I think a belief like that is very dangerous. The is only one God, and to think of yourself as a God is upsetting to me. However, that Priest had no right to be that nosy, and demand personal information like that. How dare he say that he banishes Celine's mother from the House of God or their church! No one has the right to do that. And if someone really is a Priest, they should be sharing the love of God, not showing hate like that! So I understand Celine's family not attending church regularly after that. That is too bad. But Celine's family has always celebrated CHRISTmas (truly about the birth of Jesus) so I'm sure they kept their faith. I agree that you don't need to attend church "to find something to hold on to". You can pray and believe in God and have a relationship with Jesus without going to church. However, church can really help you learn more about God. It can be good. You shouldn't let hypocrites that attend church, keep you from going. I believe that there are more good true believers at church then "fake" members. I didn't start attending church regularly until I was 29, but now I try to go once a week, because it helps me and I love my church.

What I did like that Celine said: "For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God." and "“If you don’t believe in something, then you’re a little bit dead.”  I agree with Celine that God is life, and is a part of nature like the air, sunrise and sunset, and the birds, and the children. I believe He is all around us. I believe He is love, real love. but I also believe He is God The Father, and is also in Heaven, and is who wants to change our life and be in communication with us. I don't consider myself religious. I consider myself a Christian. And I believe Christianity is Christ, nothing more and nothing less. So I think Celine is correct about that one part.

I also believe along with Celine that if you don't believe in something, you're already a little bit dead. I just hope that Celine does believe in God and His Son like I always thought she does. I hope that Celine teaches her children about Him. I hope that they can be raised in hope from God, in this crazy world we are living in. I hope that Celine doesn't now consider God to be boxes of leaves, flowers, and branches, because although I believe they are from God, they are not God.

After reading this article again and again, I think that Celine was just trying to express that she believes that God is all around us, that she and her family believe that you do not have to attend church to believe, and that she see's the gestures of love given to her by her children are from God. I hope anyway.

May God bless the members of this forum, their families and friends, and Celine and her loved ones.

Derek, this is your vision of faith and God, Remember that there´s no ONLY ONE true, because if there was, then would not have so many different religions. See, God is not a religion. God is beyond that. And that´s just my opinion, your opinion is other and Celine´s is other. This doesn´t mean she´s fake.

I am going to explain you a vision that buddhists have of God, see if you can undersdant, it´s pretty cool:
We all are pieces of a bigger thing. All together make the whole. I´m sacred. You´re sacred. Everyone is sacred, because I have God inside of me. You have God inside you, each one has God inside. We are creations of God, like all nature. Life is sacred. They say we and God are like the Ocean. Each one of us is a wave, together we make the Ocean (God). That´s why we need to love and respect each other, because we have God inside. God is love. As we have God inside ourselves and we are everywhere (Omnipresence), we can see everything (Omniscience) and we are able to do everything (Omnipotence).

"You believe in me
I'll believe in you
If we believe in each other
Nothing we can't do
If we got love that is strong enough
Love will find a way"

Because love can move mountains!!!!

[NicoNV]

Derek F., on 27 January 2014 - 01:39 AM, said:

I was really confused by this article, then I really had to think about what Celine was trying to express.

First, I want to say that I'm a proud Christian. I love God. I love Jesus. I love The Holy Spirit. I personally believe in The Bible and in the Holy Trinity... God The Father, Son (Jesus), and and Holy Spirit. I have personally saw many signs from God in my life. Even though I wouldn't want to be an atheist, I could never be based just on the signs I've seen. This is my belief. Everyone has their own belief, but I really love to find out that other people, especially those that mean a lot to me, share the same beliefs. I first discovered Celine when I was 12. She was the best singer I had heard, and I still feel the same! I thought she sounded like what I would imagine an ANGEL to sound like

I have always believed in God. I grew up in a home where most of my family also did. But I didn't regularly attend church. My family did not, and still does not believe that you have to go to a church to believe in God. Like Celine stated within this article, that is how my family believed. That is what I still believe. However, I do think Church can help connect us with God and teach us more about Him. You just need to do your research about going to the right Church for you, if you feel you want to attend one.
My faith really became more important to me as I was a teenager. I had a tough childhood. I had to grow up fast! I went through some horrible things. I lived in a abusive home. But around 16 years old, I started to feel an appetite to learn more about God. I began to learn about His Son Jesus, and what the Bible explains He did for us. How much He loved and loves us. I believe that Jesus is our Savior, and without Him, we are not saved. The passage John 3:16 in The Bible states: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life." Wow. This passage changed my life. It's one of my favorites still.

At the same time, Celine and her awesome voice and music were helping me and changing my life. As I was going through the hard times, her music was like therapy for my soul. I also loved watching Celine perform and give interviews. As I was discovering God, I was also discovering more of Celine's music and who she is. I realized that the main theme that runs throughout Celine's songs is love. The more I learned about God, the more I realized that is what He is all about. Love.

I really connected with Celine's songs about God and faith over the years. Songs like: Call The Man (about calling to Jesus), Fly (which Celine sings about her niece that passed away in her arms as she sang to her. A song about going to Heaven. And I have the interview which I remember seeing Celine say: "That when her niece passed away in her arms, she put her in contact with Heaven, and that is the greatest gift someone can give you" -from Behind The Music on VH1), O Holy Night (A song about the birth of Jesus), The Magic of CHRISTmas Day (God bless us everyone), Ave Maria (about Mother Mary), Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful) which Celine sings "Glory to God" and "Christ The Lord", The Prayer, I'm your Angel, Prayer (from A New Day Has Come, one of my favorite songs of all time!), God Bless America, Miracle, and New Dawn- That is 12  songs that I can think of where Celine sings about God or Jesus or The Spirit of God, aka The Holy Spirit. All of these songs I love, and helped me not only give me peace, but also grow in my relationship with God.

I was really excited to always think, that although anyone has a right to believe what they want (God gave us free will), Celine believes in God and Jesus like me. She gives him glory. She includes Him in her life. She sings about Him and prayer. She was married in a church. She had Rene-Charles baptized. Her first major comeback from her break to have Rene-Charles was singing "God Bless America" live in New York 10 days after the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. It was the first time she ever left her first child, to go sing "GOD Bless America"!! It is my favorite Celine performance of all time! It was so amazing and inspirational!

Then Celine has sung "Miracle" about Rene-Charles, which has the lyrics "only God creates such perfect love" about the parents love for their child. And she also sang "A Mother's Prayer".

The first time I ever seen Celine in concert, July 4th, 2003, she sang "God Bless America" in A New Day... in Las Vegas! She has talked about God and faith in several interviews.

Then came this interview! It really shocked me at first, and I felt hurt and betrayed the first time I read it! When you first read certain things Celine said, it seemed like all of the years of the songs she sang about God, and the interviews she gave about God, where actually her being fake. It was heartbreaking for me because Celine is my favorite singer, and I feel like I have a connection with her, I especially felt like we had the same beliefs about our faith, and that she had poured inspiration into me about faith through her interviews and songs.

Here is what Celine said that troubled me: “I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God." and “Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble with any religions, but you have to understand that my mom is my hero and she had a tough time with the priests in the old days. My mother finally had 14 children. But after the eighth one, the priest kept knocking on the door and asking her when the next one was coming, because it had been two whole years! But on that particular day, she found strength and she told the priest, ‘I am going to have children when I decide to have children.’ The priest said, ‘Then I banish you from the house of God.’ She replied, ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’m the God in here with my children. This is the house that I believe in.’ and “If you can find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That’s my God. That’s my religion."

I really think Celine still has a difficult time expressing herself in English at certain moments. I think this was one of them. I initially strongly disagreed with what Celine says about believing in yourself is to believe in God. We are not God. The Bible states that God is the beginning and the end. He was here before us. But after thinking about what Celine may have been trying to say, I think and hope that she was saying that she believes God is within us. The Bible states that we are made in the image of God. The Bible also teaches that once we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior, The Holy Spirit: A part of God, lives within us. So maybe that is what Celine was saying?
The part about Celine's mother saying that she's the God in their house, is shocking!!! I'm sure that her mother was just angry and said that in anger, but I think a belief like that is very dangerous. The is only one God, and to think of yourself as a God is upsetting to me. However, that Priest had no right to be that nosy, and demand personal information like that. How dare he say that he banishes Celine's mother from the House of God or their church! No one has the right to do that. And if someone really is a Priest, they should be sharing the love of God, not showing hate like that! So I understand Celine's family not attending church regularly after that. That is too bad. But Celine's family has always celebrated CHRISTmas (truly about the birth of Jesus) so I'm sure they kept their faith. I agree that you don't need to attend church "to find something to hold on to". You can pray and believe in God and have a relationship with Jesus without going to church. However, church can really help you learn more about God. It can be good. You shouldn't let hypocrites that attend church, keep you from going. I believe that there are more good true believers at church then "fake" members. I didn't start attending church regularly until I was 29, but now I try to go once a week, because it helps me and I love my church.

What I did like that Celine said: "For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God." and "“If you don’t believe in something, then you’re a little bit dead.”  I agree with Celine that God is life, and is a part of nature like the air, sunrise and sunset, and the birds, and the children. I believe He is all around us. I believe He is love, real love. but I also believe He is God The Father, and is also in Heaven, and is who wants to change our life and be in communication with us. I don't consider myself religious. I consider myself a Christian. And I believe Christianity is Christ, nothing more and nothing less. So I think Celine is correct about that one part.

I also believe along with Celine that if you don't believe in something, you're already a little bit dead. I just hope that Celine does believe in God and His Son like I always thought she does. I hope that Celine teaches her children about Him. I hope that they can be raised in hope from God, in this crazy world we are living in. I hope that Celine doesn't now consider God to be boxes of leaves, flowers, and branches, because although I believe they are from God, they are not God.

After reading this article again and again, I think that Celine was just trying to express that she believes that God is all around us, that she and her family believe that you do not have to attend church to believe, and that she see's the gestures of love given to her by her children are from God. I hope anyway.

May God bless the members of this forum, their families and friends, and Celine and her loved ones.

Prima_Donna1, on 27 January 2014 - 02:06 AM, said:

Derek F.
I totally agree with everything with what you said, and shared the same feelings with you on this article.

danger, on 27 January 2014 - 04:28 AM, said:

I don't know if any of POlish fans wrote anything in this thread. 99% of us are Catholics like ppl in Quebec. Me too. MOst of us  go to the Church once or twice a year and for weddings/ funerals. We do believe in God. Many of us don't believe in Church anymore. PPl found God in everyday life. When you think you're talking to yourself, you talk to God. In my opinion Celine was trying to say  that the Church as an institution is not needed to be a Christian. As for religion itself- it's all made up by ppl...
IN  POland we celebrate  for example  Easter , in our unique Polish Catholic way, Religion  is  very common becouse it;s a part of our tradition. I think she has the same state of mind.

Derek, I agree. I am a Christian as well (as I stated earlier). And, as you can see from my original post in the other thread regarding this article, I was shocked too.

She can believe whatever she likes--she has no obligation to believe in anything in order to sell her music and do her job. This is why the article upset me so much at first, because it seemed like ,if she held the belief that I first read that article to mean (i.e. that she did not believe in God or had very different views than a Christian holds), I felt like she lied about something for no reason and had done so for years, in a manner designed only to manipulate. That did not go with the rest of her interviews, statements, or anything at all (meaning, the idea of being so fake, for so long, only for money, was counter to everything she ever said).

One of the reasons I had liked her, and I am entitled to my own opinion on this and this is not about "how dare you feel that way," is that she was a Christian. It seems so rare in the entertainment world for people to say things about God, and stand by it. Singers, who will remain nameless, even recently released songs that mention having faith and specifically reference Christian faith and the Bible, and being born again, only to later do an interview saying they did not synch their beliefs up to Jesus specifically. Well, that's a problem--because Christians, and being born again, means synching up your beliefs to accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. So, was the music a lie, or were they not standing by their faith in order to reach a more worldy audience? Either way, I personally have an issue with it.

But, I quote your response, and reply here again on this issue, because I do feel like those of us who are Christians, can understand her point, to a degree. But, it is really people who are non-practicing Catholics that probably get it the best. Sorry to the others chiming in who do not fall in either camp, this isn't about a moral judgment, just a reflection on a fact that living with a certain belief, in certain political climates, may enable people to have a different world view that comports more to Celine Dion's world view given her beliefs and the political climate she grew up in.

I was, as I said, upset. But, listening to people who are non-practicing Catholics really helped me understand her point (this is why I say, it might help to read the other thread and the opinions of non-practicing Catholics in it). As did reading the article a second time.

I believe Celine Dion is a Christian. I do not say this just because I want to believe it. Frankly, when I first read the article I had zero desire to see her show in Vegas again. Not because she is required to have a belief, but because I felt she was not required to believe anything, but had pretended to have certain beliefs in order to market an image. By all means, tell me you love a perfume you hate, or drive a car you would never own, but don't lie or mislead about something so central to an identity as a religion. I went so far as to show an older person, who is a Christian, her article, just to get their perspective (as this person is only a casual Celine Dion fan). This person understood it right away. They explained the politics of the Catholic church during the time Celine Dion grew up. They understood her point, and thought it was a brave thing to say--it made them respect her even more. They never once took it ot mean she was an atheist, or a non-Christian. Just a Christian who finds God beyond the walls of a church---frankly, all Christians should do this anyway.

I hope and pray I am not wrong about her being a Christian. She does continue to say Thank God for all He has given her in her concert. I do not believe she is referencing a box of rocks or a general idea of "goodness." She has often discussed Heaven, and miracles, and she has always used the word blessed (in fact, in a recent article--I have seriously got to find it again, I will look after work today), she said that she uses "blessed" on purpose, even though some people are not comfortable doing so. It was in that article that she said God is not just Christ the Lord, but he is everywhere, including seeing Him in her own children (It was that Philipines press article; not the best translated thing in the world though, so fair warning).  Look at the stance she took on Quebec charter, saying that just because people have certain beliefs, does not mean that Quebec should remove their crosses, and change their religion. It was another big statement regarding her faith.

It is true that she has also said things like she thanks life, and did so in the LMBTL liner notes. But, she also said thanks to guardian angel moms and dads who watch her kids when she is working.

I do recommend reading the other thread on this, if only for the perspective of non-practicing Catholics. It's difficult for a protestant to understand, because for me, if I disagree with a pastor (not just over a minor thing, but I mean major issues wherein I question their interpretation altogether, and discussing it with them does not help), I can move churches. But, the Catholic church is one giant entity. It is difficult, if not impossible, to be a practing Catholic that disagrees with aspects of the Catholic church--there is simply no where else to turn. It makes sense that so many, not all this is not a blanket statement, stop attending church.

How could Celine Dion keep going to a Catholic church? The Catholic church believes IVF is an ambomination (no idea why. I read the Bible, and that position is just not based in scripture). How can she participate in that, knowing the truth that her children are, as she calls them, miracle children?

This is the danger of a church controlling so much of a life, because when they push too hard, on matters they should not be involved in, it can lead people away from God. I am not talking about standing by the Word, and what it says. I mean, going door to door and demanding certain things only to support the structure of the church system, instead of the Kingdom of God.

Thankfully, this does not appear to be what happened in the Dion family. I will try to post an old Larry King Live interview where she addresses this specifically. He asked her about her faith, and she said she was a non-practicing Catholic (or he asked if she was still a Catholic). She said something like she was raised to pray at home, and believe at home, but the priest had caused issues , they were controlling, so church became their own house. I do not think her mother, who would have had a sense of faith, would have just said "well, I dislike this priest and this policy, time to tell my kids not to believe in God." Saying so is kind of disservice to her mother (I say this myself as a person who first misunderstood the article, and not directed toward anyone else more so than myself).

Her wedding photos show her dad blessing her before she walked down the aisle, yes that is in part social, I get that now--but, it is not devoid of meaning. Her biography talks about the fact she likes gospel music. She sings songs about praying. If that's all she did, I would say, well, might not mean anything, who knows what she believes, etc. But, she has always said she prays, always thanks God, always says she is blessed, and has discussed heaven.

I do not think we were wrong on her beliefs entirely. I think being a Christian is very different, even depending on the denomination. I am a devout, spirit fillled, Christian. One of my best friends prays for me, because is a devot Catholic and she is concerned that as a non-Catholic I am outside of the state of grace. I always tell her, hey we are on the same team--we both accept Jesus. But, it is a very different belief, despite the fact we have the same foundation.

I say this--does Celine Dion accept Jesus? I believe so, based on her own past statements and interviews. Do I understand her point of view? Yes, in light of discussing this article with others, and actually stopping to think through her comments. Will I understand all of it? Probably not. But, if Jesus is her foundation, than why treat it differently? God is with her, and will guide her (as He guides all Christians).

So, I do get your point about the danger of some of her comments. But, I think you are correct in that her thoughts were not expressed well, or at least not clearly. She could have just come right out and side, she does not believe in a god specifically, but does believe in a higher power that is good. She didn't say that. She has never said that. She says the opposite each night in her Vegas show when she thanks God.  Plus, she just said in another article (see what happens when you don't save article, you can't even reference them by name), she was asked about Christmas, and she said she does not celebrate it in a big way anymore, because the meaning of the season is so lost now, and it's all too commercial. So, it means, she does believe in the meaning behind the season.

Like I said, I do believe she believes in God. I do believe she is a Christian (when the foundation is there, it doesn't leave--you can walk away, but God just doesn't give up. He loves us all, even those who choose not to believe in Him--He seeks them out). She was probably raised outside the confines of a set religious system, I do not think it makes her "less" of a Christian. Christianity doesn't really come in degrees---you are or you are not, and it is your faith and walk with God that grows, or diminishes, with time. You can't be more or less saved than someone else.

I think, as I said in the other thread, it is articles like this that fans have to be careful with. Celebrities are asked to explain things that are so personal, and nuances, and ripe for misinterpretation, and given a few lines to do so. This can lead to a very different interpretation than ever intended, and why fans (myself most certainly included), should watch the articles they read.


(forgive the typos, I do not have time to go back and edit them all out right now).

Edited by NicoNV, 27 January 2014 - 06:47 AM.

[Claudette]

I haven't posted on here in ages, simply for the reason that I am extremely busy with university and writing up the final version of my thesis. However, I thought I would give my opinion on this as I was also shocked like many of you after reading this interview. Like Derek F, I am also a proud Christian. So like him, I felt hurt after reading this, especially since (like Derek mentioned) she always gave me the impression that she believes in God like me.

I do agree with some of her points. For instance, I also feel that you don't have to go to church to believe in Him. However, like Derek said, church brings you closer to God. Also agree that if you don't believe in something, you are a little dead.  

What I find very weird is this statement: ''It’s important for people to have something they can touch and believe in.''  I mean this is exactly the opposite of what faith and believing is (regardless of your religion or beliefs). Faith is believing/trusting in something that you cannot see or touch. So to me this is a very contradictory statement. As far as being a Christian, I find this statement very hurtful because we believe that you cannot find God in material things. Yes, God created the leaves and flowers she is clinging too and he is all around us, but it is not God. You cannot praise leaves or pray to them. That is just a little weird for me... Sorry, guys, just how I feel.

P.S. I don't want to step on any toes here, but I am not a fan of the new forum. That is another reason I don't want to post. It is a huge mission. As I'm typing, most of the letters don't come out. I cannot start a new paragraph. The page jumps up and down when I try to scroll up or down. Takes me an hour to post something.

Edited by Claudette, 27 January 2014 - 06:54 AM.

[Lu CelineFan]

And we all Christians, please, let´s remember of our friends here in this forum that are jews or other. Because we are posting statements like if Celine doesn´t believe in Jesus she has no value. I don´t want hurt anybody here, whatever is his/her faith. God is only one!

[québecflower]

Lu Georgia, on 27 January 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

And we all Christians, please, let´s remember of our friends here in this forum that are jews or other. Because we are posting statements like if Celine doesn´t believe in Jesus she has no value. I don´t want hurt anybody here, whatever is his/her faith. God is only one!

we shall not judge....it is written in the Bible i think.   So many good things happened because of the Church, and a lot of bad things also.  a good person with or without a religion is a good person , and at the end, this is what matters.

[gafsa]

I think I do understand what she is tryin to say but i'm not Christian maybe it's better for me to shut my mouth.

Edited by gafsa, 27 January 2014 - 07:34 AM.

[Lu CelineFan]

gafsa, on 27 January 2014 - 07:31 AM, said:

I think I do understand what she is tryin to say but i'm not Christian maybe it's better for me to shut my mouth.

No, you can share your vision and thoughts if you want....feel fre

[smash]

Derek F., on 27 January 2014 - 01:39 AM, said:

I was really confused by this article, then I really had to think about what Celine was trying to express.

First, I want to say that I'm a proud Christian. I love God. I love Jesus. I love The Holy Spirit. I personally believe in The Bible and in the Holy Trinity... God The Father, Son (Jesus), and and Holy Spirit. I have personally saw many signs from God in my life. Even though I wouldn't want to be an atheist, I could never be based just on the signs I've seen. This is my belief. Everyone has their own belief, but I really love to find out that other people, especially those that mean a lot to me, share the same beliefs. I first discovered Celine when I was 12. She was the best singer I had heard, and I still feel the same! I thought she sounded like what I would imagine an ANGEL to sound like

I have always believed in God. I grew up in a home where most of my family also did. But I didn't regularly attend church. My family did not, and still does not believe that you have to go to a church to believe in God. Like Celine stated within this article, that is how my family believed. That is what I still believe. However, I do think Church can help connect us with God and teach us more about Him. You just need to do your research about going to the right Church for you, if you feel you want to attend one.
My faith really became more important to me as I was a teenager. I had a tough childhood. I had to grow up fast! I went through some horrible things. I lived in a abusive home. But around 16 years old, I started to feel an appetite to learn more about God. I began to learn about His Son Jesus, and what the Bible explains He did for us. How much He loved and loves us. I believe that Jesus is our Savior, and without Him, we are not saved. The passage John 3:16 in The Bible states: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life." Wow. This passage changed my life. It's one of my favorites still.

At the same time, Celine and her awesome voice and music were helping me and changing my life. As I was going through the hard times, her music was like therapy for my soul. I also loved watching Celine perform and give interviews. As I was discovering God, I was also discovering more of Celine's music and who she is. I realized that the main theme that runs throughout Celine's songs is love. The more I learned about God, the more I realized that is what He is all about. Love.

I really connected with Celine's songs about God and faith over the years. Songs like: Call The Man (about calling to Jesus), Fly (which Celine sings about her niece that passed away in her arms as she sang to her. A song about going to Heaven. And I have the interview which I remember seeing Celine say: "That when her niece passed away in her arms, she put her in contact with Heaven, and that is the greatest gift someone can give you" -from Behind The Music on VH1), O Holy Night (A song about the birth of Jesus), The Magic of CHRISTmas Day (God bless us everyone), Ave Maria (about Mother Mary), Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful) which Celine sings "Glory to God" and "Christ The Lord", The Prayer, I'm your Angel, Prayer (from A New Day Has Come, one of my favorite songs of all time!), God Bless America, Miracle, and New Dawn- That is 12  songs that I can think of where Celine sings about God or Jesus or The Spirit of God, aka The Holy Spirit. All of these songs I love, and helped me not only give me peace, but also grow in my relationship with God.

I was really excited to always think, that although anyone has a right to believe what they want (God gave us free will), Celine believes in God and Jesus like me. She gives him glory. She includes Him in her life. She sings about Him and prayer. She was married in a church. She had Rene-Charles baptized. Her first major comeback from her break to have Rene-Charles was singing "God Bless America" live in New York 10 days after the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. It was the first time she ever left her first child, to go sing "GOD Bless America"!! It is my favorite Celine performance of all time! It was so amazing and inspirational!

Then Celine has sung "Miracle" about Rene-Charles, which has the lyrics "only God creates such perfect love" about the parents love for their child. And she also sang "A Mother's Prayer".

The first time I ever seen Celine in concert, July 4th, 2003, she sang "God Bless America" in A New Day... in Las Vegas! She has talked about God and faith in several interviews.

Then came this interview! It really shocked me at first, and I felt hurt and betrayed the first time I read it! When you first read certain things Celine said, it seemed like all of the years of the songs she sang about God, and the interviews she gave about God, where actually her being fake. It was heartbreaking for me because Celine is my favorite singer, and I feel like I have a connection with her, I especially felt like we had the same beliefs about our faith, and that she had poured inspiration into me about faith through her interviews and songs.

Here is what Celine said that troubled me: “I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God." and “Look, I don’t want to cause any trouble with any religions, but you have to understand that my mom is my hero and she had a tough time with the priests in the old days. My mother finally had 14 children. But after the eighth one, the priest kept knocking on the door and asking her when the next one was coming, because it had been two whole years! But on that particular day, she found strength and she told the priest, ‘I am going to have children when I decide to have children.’ The priest said, ‘Then I banish you from the house of God.’ She replied, ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’m the God in here with my children. This is the house that I believe in.’ and “If you can find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That’s my God. That’s my religion."

I really think Celine still has a difficult time expressing herself in English at certain moments. I think this was one of them. I initially strongly disagreed with what Celine says about believing in yourself is to believe in God. We are not God. The Bible states that God is the beginning and the end. He was here before us. But after thinking about what Celine may have been trying to say, I think and hope that she was saying that she believes God is within us. The Bible states that we are made in the image of God. The Bible also teaches that once we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior, The Holy Spirit: A part of God, lives within us. So maybe that is what Celine was saying?
The part about Celine's mother saying that she's the God in their house, is shocking!!! I'm sure that her mother was just angry and said that in anger, but I think a belief like that is very dangerous. The is only one God, and to think of yourself as a God is upsetting to me. However, that Priest had no right to be that nosy, and demand personal information like that. How dare he say that he banishes Celine's mother from the House of God or their church! No one has the right to do that. And if someone really is a Priest, they should be sharing the love of God, not showing hate like that! So I understand Celine's family not attending church regularly after that. That is too bad. But Celine's family has always celebrated CHRISTmas (truly about the birth of Jesus) so I'm sure they kept their faith. I agree that you don't need to attend church "to find something to hold on to". You can pray and believe in God and have a relationship with Jesus without going to church. However, church can really help you learn more about God. It can be good. You shouldn't let hypocrites that attend church, keep you from going. I believe that there are more good true believers at church then "fake" members. I didn't start attending church regularly until I was 29, but now I try to go once a week, because it helps me and I love my church.

What I did like that Celine said: "For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God." and "“If you don’t believe in something, then you’re a little bit dead.”  I agree with Celine that God is life, and is a part of nature like the air, sunrise and sunset, and the birds, and the children. I believe He is all around us. I believe He is love, real love. but I also believe He is God The Father, and is also in Heaven, and is who wants to change our life and be in communication with us. I don't consider myself religious. I consider myself a Christian. And I believe Christianity is Christ, nothing more and nothing less. So I think Celine is correct about that one part.

I also believe along with Celine that if you don't believe in something, you're already a little bit dead. I just hope that Celine does believe in God and His Son like I always thought she does. I hope that Celine teaches her children about Him. I hope that they can be raised in hope from God, in this crazy world we are living in. I hope that Celine doesn't now consider God to be boxes of leaves, flowers, and branches, because although I believe they are from God, they are not God.

After reading this article again and again, I think that Celine was just trying to express that she believes that God is all around us, that she and her family believe that you do not have to attend church to believe, and that she see's the gestures of love given to her by her children are from God. I hope anyway.

May God bless the members of this forum, their families and friends, and Celine and her loved ones.

Derek F, you can be so proud of yourself for writing this. I too am a Christian, and would have said something similar to what you have said, but you wrote it even better. From your first word to the very last, i agree with you 100%. I was also shocked by a couple of things she said, that i even felt a little bit, like is that our Celine saying that? But we cannot judge anyone for how they feel, or what they believe in. We all have our own beliefs. I feel that i need and want to go to Church. We go every Sunday, have Bible Study every Wednesday night at somebodys house, and the minister also comes, so we understand everything better. I also hope and pray that Celine does believe in God. It would also be nice if this topic does not turn into anything ugly. Argueing about religion can be very nasty. But we are just giving our own thoughts, so thats ok.

Sharon

[Bell]

Such an interesting discussion on here. As I already mentioned, I share Celine's point of view. I don't mean to be offensive to people who are very religious (not only Christians) but I myself am not. Of course, I fully agree that everyone is free to believe in whatever they like. I find a significant difference between faith and religion. For me, faith is a very good thing, people are literally lost if they don't believe in anything. Religion, on the other hand, may not be such a good thing (judging from my own experience). It can be manipulative. Some people may sometimes use other people's faith to take advantage of them, and religion is the excuse. I'd never define (and thus limit) myself with a specific religion but I do have faith. Just like Celine, I believe that you don't need to go to church (or any other specific place) in order to find/feel/comunicate with God (or however you call what/who you believe in).

[JFin95]

I personally have no problem understanding her point either. I'm Christian myself too (although I'm not very religious, meaning I don't pray or go to church etc.) but I agree with most of her opinions. I'd say she believes in God, but she doesn't feel all the praying etc things meaningful, and instead of those things she can find spiritual(I don't know the right term sorry) things in everyday life and in ordinary things.. Buut this is just my opinion and I of course respect all of your opinions, just wanted to share mine

[LukeD]

pat200, on 26 January 2014 - 12:39 AM, said:

sad she totally forgot barbra's inspiration on her...she never mentions her anymore and let's face it, streisand is her ultimate female singer. to name ne-yo is just ridiculous, and to mention janis ian just cause of one song she does of hers is too.

Chances are she mentioned these singers because she chose their songs to sing in the show. I think the answer was not generic, we all know Barbra ranks higher...!

[Del]

québecflower, on 26 January 2014 - 09:31 AM, said:

it was like that in quebec at that time...Church and government were really close. It was a mather of increasing the french population or the number of catholics, believe it or not. In the beginning of the sixties , it began to change.

I believe that in most French communities across the country the priests encouraged large families and what the priest said would be the rule. I know it was like that in my community when my grandparents were having children.  Things have changed a lot since then.

[c4n4d4]

Regardless of where you stand on religion and God versus Celine should not impact if you are a fan of her's in my opinion. You are a fan of an artist for their voice, talent, and music, not their religious or political views. Yes if they happen to agree or align with your beliefs then that's dandy but to say that now that you know she is not a "devout" catholic or christian who goes to church every sunday and ect. that you have lost some of your love or admiration for her doesn't really make sense to me.

[Aga.135]

^ I think most people here want to say that it doesn't matter if she's practising or not. But we thought she was always an honest person. And this interview may be understood as denial of her earlier statements.

[LukeD]

Aga.135, on 27 January 2014 - 05:03 PM, said:

^ I think most people here want to say that it doesn't matter if she's practising or not. But we thought she was always an honest person. And this interview may be understood as denial of her earlier statements.

Νοt to sound like a hater, but the fact that Celine has been using pre-recorded tracks for a portion of her concerts the past 20 years shows she is not a saint...! I do believe she is a great person with a good heart but I would never consider her to be 100% honest. What I see is that she's always been a canny businesswoman and it wouldn't surprise me if she recorded her big English Christmas album because she wanted to have one in her discography and as part of her legacy, not because she's religious. I also noticed the contradictions you and others noticed between her current statements and previous recordings ('New Dawn', 'Ave Maria' and so on) and I think this is because she is not always recording songs she relates to. She is relying on songwriters. Therefore, she has tons of love songs she doesn't really relate to and I guess same thing happens with her spiritual songs.

Edited by LukeD, 27 January 2014 - 05:50 PM.

[c4n4d4]

Aga.135, on 27 January 2014 - 05:03 PM, said:

^ I think most people here want to say that it doesn't matter if she's practising or not. But we thought she was always an honest person. And this interview may be understood as denial of her earlier statements.

To say that you all believed she was a devout follower of Christianity like some claim to have believed she was/is based on certain songs in her discography is a poor example of her proving those were her beliefs. She doesn't writer her own music and like Luke said her music doesn't always portray her exact life, for instance look at songs like "This Time" besides you don't have to be a Christian or religious to record a song that could have some religious backing too it. To simply say she doesn't believe that you need to attend church to be with god is not her dissing the concept of church or religion she is simply saying she doesn't feel the need to go to church to be with god that she can find and sees god in all around her. I was raised catholic and grew up going to church and even sunday school as a child now I don't practice at all, this doesn't mean I don't believe in God but simply that I believe that you don't need a church or a priest telling you how to have a relationship with god.

[NicoNV]

c4n4d4, on 27 January 2014 - 06:07 PM, said:

To say that you all believed she was a devout follower of Christianity like some claim to have believed she was/is based on certain songs in her discography is a poor example of her proving those were her beliefs. She doesn't writer her own music and like Luke said her music doesn't always portray her exact life, for instance look at songs like "This Time" besides you don't have to be a Christian or religious to record a song that could have some religious backing too it. To simply say she doesn't believe that you need to attend church to be with god is not her dissing the concept of church or religion she is simply saying she doesn't feel the need to go to church to be with god that she can find and sees god in all around her. I was raised catholic and grew up going to church and even sunday school as a child now I don't practice at all, this doesn't mean I don't believe in God but simply that I believe that you don't need a church or a priest telling you how to have a relationship with god.

You have a valid point, Which is why, if you read my post, I said that if it had stopped at her music then I would have had no idea her beliefs. But, those of us who believed she is a Christian, based our opinion on years of interviews and several different biographies. The issue wasn't her beliefs per se, of course I want her to be a Christian, but that isn't required for her music. The issue was as Aga.135 phrased it, which is that her interviews and biographies would have been misleading (and as I had said earlier, there was no reason to mislead on this issue, so it would have seemed quite purposeful, and upsetting to mislead on something so central to a person in order to sell some albums). But, as I also said, this wasn't consistent with her character in any other demonstrated aspect at least. Hence, the upset. However, I came to understand her point, as did most of us who replied).

But, regardless, I think we all came to the same conclusion--which is the very point you made (and several of us had discussed prior) which is that she is a Christian, she just doesn't practice her faith in a church and she sees God everywhere, and that is how she has a relationship with God--not through the Catholic church structure.  And also that doing so certainly doesn't make you less of a Christian. I think church is great, but I also recognize that not all Christians attend church.  Again, I say thanks because as a Catholic you saw her point right away, where those of us who are not Catholic, seemed to miss it at first. So, thanks for replying and offering your point of view!


Also, I vote we all get points for discussing a very sensitive topic and doing so like adults. It's almost like this converstion didn't occur on the internet.

Edited by NicoNV, 27 January 2014 - 06:59 PM.

[c4n4d4]

NicoNV, on 27 January 2014 - 06:58 PM, said:

You have a valid point, Which is why, if you read my post, I said that if it had stopped at her music then I would have had no idea her beliefs. But, those of us who believed she is a Christian, based our opinion on years of interviews and several different biographies. The issue wasn't her beliefs per se, of course I want her to be a Christian, but that isn't required for her music. The issue was as Aga.135 phrased it, which is that her interviews and biographies would have been misleading (and as I had said earlier, there was no reason to mislead on this issue, so it would have seemed quite purposeful, and upsetting to mislead on something so central to a person in order to sell some albums). But, as I also said, this wasn't consistent with her character in any other demonstrated aspect at least. Hence, the upset. However, I came to understand her point, as did most of us who replied).

But, regardless, I think we all came to the same conclusion--which is the very point you made (and several of us had discussed prior) which is that she is a Christian, she just doesn't practice her faith in a church and she sees God everywhere, and that is how she has a relationship with God--not through the Catholic church structure.  And also that doing so certainly doesn't make you less of a Christian. I think church is great, but I also recognize that not all Christians attend church.  Again, I say thanks because as a Catholic you saw her point right away, where those of us who are not Catholic, seemed to miss it at first. So, thanks for replying and offering your point of view!


Also, I vote we all get points for discussing a very sensitive topic and doing so like adults. It's almost like this converstion didn't occur on the internet.

The idea that based on previous interviews that she had been misleading about her faith till this point though can easily be explained as just a change of mindset regard religion due to lifestyle, changes in her life, ect. In an interview from 1999 she could have made a comment about how she is a devout follower of her faith, but throughout the years and changes that have occurred in her life she may no longer view religion and church as she did at another point of her life. Somebody brought up IVF and mentioned how in the eyes of the Catholic church its wrong, well that is true especially a few years ago when it was first becoming well-known and used, so for instance prior to her pregnancy Celine may have been more devout and more pro-church and organized religion, but with all the negativity that the church was spewing about children and pregnancies as a result of IVF may have turned her off to the concept of an institutionalized church and religion. So she may not have been misleading or being dubious with her remarks over the past years of her beliefs, they may have just changed and evolved since then leaving us with this interview where she states how she currently views faith and God.

[chocolatechip15]

This is such an interesting discussion -- I also think it's so great that we're discussing a controversial topic like religion so respectfully and reasonably (especially considering the attacks that started over silly topics like music videos).

I do not think at all that Celine has lied to or manipulated her fans about her religious beliefs. I truly believe that Celine is a genuine, open person -- sure, she's savvy about the music business and careful not to touch on controversial topics, in general -- but I think her essence, her personality, is true and genuine, and that's why she connects to so many people.

I think we also have to recognize that people's religious beliefs and feelings can change over time -- and that doesn't mean that what one said previously is lying. I also think it's really hard to understand someone's views on something as complicated as religion on the basis of a few piecemeal, possibly out-of-context quotes.

I also think that Celine has rarely given any details about her religious beliefs.  In For Keeps, she said, "Rene wants me to tell people I'm a believer, because it's true, but he wants me to stick to 'yes,' 'no,' fluffy answers, not talk too much."  I think Celine has pretty much followed this advice throughout her life -- she has always tried to avoid anything at all controversial that might alienate people.

I also think it must have been important to her to get married in a church -- because, if you remember, Rene had to get his first marriage annulled in order to be able to marry Celine in a Catholic church. (His second marriage was only a civil one).

[PuraVida]

Anyone know which concert the author and Celine referred to as being particularly electric?!?!

Also, we all know her influences. This was just a spur-of-the-moment answer to an article...notice almost all of them are in her show currently. Barbra Streisand is her ultimate idol, she has stated that dozens of times. Freddy Mercury is probably her biggest male singing idol. Now, let's get off of it.

Also, who are all of these idiotic voices convincing Celine not to sing certain songs? She knows what people want to hear, it's her show, her talent, her artistry....now put your dumb, greedy, Vegas minds to something else and leave her intuition and talent alone!

Edited by PuraVida, 27 January 2014 - 08:22 PM.

[mebe]

danger, on 27 January 2014 - 04:28 AM, said:

I don't know if any of POlish fans wrote anything in this thread. 99% of us are Catholics like ppl in Quebec. Me too. MOst of us  go to the Church once or twice a year and for weddings/ funerals. We do believe in God. Many of us don't believe in Church anymore. PPl found God in everyday life. When you think you're talking to yourself, you talk to God. In my opinion Celine was trying to say  that the Church as an institution is not needed to be a Christian. As for religion itself- it's all made up by ppl...
IN  POland we celebrate  for example  Easter , in our unique Polish Catholic way, Religion  is  very common becouse it;s a part of our tradition. I think she has the same state of mind.

I think you are right. I think the same.  I was raised catholic and I used to go to church every week with my parents.  But nowadays, I only go once a year on Christmas Eve or when there is a funeral/ wedding... I believe God is everywhere and we do not need to go to church to prove that we believe in some form of god. Religion has been created by humans...no religion is perfect...I think that Celine was trying to say that.
And i don't understand why some people think that Celine has not been honest to herself in this interview.  She always said that regarding religion.  She is still catholic and religious traditions are still part of her....thats why she can sing songs with references to god or whatever...and also because she likes those songs for sure.  Just because you dont go to church does not mean that you are not allowed to record a Christmas album....come on...Don't over analyse this interview...

[Bell]

LukeD, on 27 January 2014 - 05:44 PM, said:

she is not a saint...! I do believe she is a great person with a good heart but I would never consider her to be 100% honest.

Well, who is? You're right. I mean, it's normal. Celine is a normal person just like everybody else. She is not perfect. Nobody is, nobody can  be perfect even if they try.

[Derek F.]

I want to thank many of you for your kind words, and I agree that we are doing a great job at staying respectful and kind to each other regarding our beliefs! I would like to add onto my previous comments.

I want to say that I think Celine is a huge inspiration to millions of her fans (including me) around our world! If we were just casual fans, we wouldn't be members of this forum right? Celine has even been voted in several polls as a inspiration over the years. She has won several fan voted awards over her career, and has sold millions of CD's and concert tickets, we can see Celine's an inspiration! Celine is free to do and believe what and in what she wants. But Celine has spoken in biography's and in interviews over the years that she's an "open book" with her fans and that she wants to be honest with her fans. I do believe that with Celine wanting to "be real" with her fans (which is something I have admired), and with her being an inspiration to so many, that comes with a responsibility to express yourself honestly through your music that you are recording and releasing to your fans. I believe even if you usually don't write your own songs (like Celine), you still should select songs that you want to express yourself through that are being true to yourself and who you are, like Celine desires to be to her fans.

Over the years as I have listened to and watched Celine sing and perform her chosen songs, I have seen how she seems to believe in every word she sings. Whether she sang about her life, love, our world, and God. Celine seems to wear her heart on her sleeve. She sings with so much emotion! That is a reason I love her so much! I love to see the passion she sings with! Celine has given some awesome performances of song about God and Jesus over the years. Her performance of "O Holy Night" on her first CBS special in 1998 was just amazing! And like I had said, her emotional, raw performance of "God bless America" was the best performance I've ever saw Celine give! If Celine didn't believe what she was singing, then why would she pick these songs and perform them with so much passion if she is being honest and real?

Here's something else I forgot to mention... Celine's first two albums of her career had a Christian theme! Her very first album ever was called La voix du bon Dieu (In English- The good Lord's voice)!! I agree and believe that Celine's voice is blessed by The Lord! Her second album was a French CHRISTmas album! Then in 1983 Celine released a second Christmas album. I love, love, love this! seems that Celine would only do this if she wanted show that she has faith in God. Then came the many Christian songs Celine has released over her career and the English Christmas album These Are Special Times. If Celine was wanting to be real to her fans, then wouldn't she want to give her fans songs that she believes and that express her emotions and thoughts? I think Celine does. I have watched Celine give so many interviews over her career, and she has never seemed fake.

Yesterday, on the way to work, I listened to Celine sing "O Holy Night" and I cried. I cried for many reasons. The song is beautiful. The lyrics are amazing. They give glory to God and Jesus. Celine sings with so much emotion! This is my favorite Christmas song. Over the years, listening to Celine's version has brought me closer to Jesus. Celine's believable performance of the song made me relate to her. I cried because I hope that this was really the case. That Celine believes what she sings. That when she recorded this, she meant it. I pray that Celine still does. I hope that nobody is hurting her faith in God lately. I hope that someone is not encouraging her to give up on her faith. Celine is my favorite celebrity. My favorite singer. Someone I look up to. Someone I respect. I have trusted that Celine sings what she believes. I have had so many great memories with my family and God over the years with Celine's songs. If that's not personal, I don't know what is? That is why I cried.

I hope this doesn't sound silly, but along with my belief in God, I believe in Heaven. Since I always thought Celine is a Christian like me, I always thought I would be able to meet her in Heaven, hug her, and tell her how much she means to me! It would hurt me to think that I wouldn't be able to do that. I have seen Celine in concert three times and each time I have tried to meet her, but was not able to. I have tried to meet her many other times also. I hope I can sometime meet her also in my life here, but it's so hard! I have believed that meeting her in Heaven will be just awesome! I hope I can.

Again, I think that Celine is right about not needing to attend church to believe in God and Jesus. Church can be good, but it's not required. I think the concept of religion actually can keep people away from God. I think what is important is just having a real belief in God, and His Son, and having a relationship with them. I believe that is what God craves. A connection and relationship, A trust in Him. Not just finding him on Sundays in Church, but everyday in our lives, no matter where we go. However, Church can help us with bonding with God and learning about His nature. His love. His forgiveness. His empathy. His interest in us and our lives.

I hope Celine IS still a Christian. That she still believes. That she will record and perform more songs about God. That nobody ever encourages her to give up on her faith. I hope Celine raises her boys to believe and to be Christians. I really hope that Celine will give another interview soon, to expand on her beliefs and if she considers herself not religious, but instead a Christian that has accepted Christ as her Savior.

May I give a Bible passage that I wish I could give Celine also, this particularly relates to that we don't need a high priest to answer to, but can have true freedom in Jesus:
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16

Thanks again to everyone for being respectful. Thanks for your feedback. May God and His Son bless and be with you, your families, Celine and her family!