Bono is the frontman of the Irish rock band from Dublin, U2, and has been active since 1976. The multiple Grammy awarded musician was born to a Catholic father and a Protestant mother.
But what religion does he believe in?
Growing up, the religious differences went beyond his home due to the violence in Northern Ireland, but he later embraced the Christian faith during his 20s.
Let’s discover more about Paul David Hewson, aka Bono’s religious practices.
Early Life
Born on May 10, 1960, Bono is the son of Iris and Brendan Robert “Bob” Hewson and has an older brother, Norman. His mother was a member of the Church of Ireland, and his father was a Roman Catholic.
Being of different beliefs, his parents originally agreed to have the best of both worlds to raise his brother as Anglican and him Catholic. Despite the initial plan, he would attend services in his mother’s church along with his brother.
The singer went to primary school at Glasnevin National School and would later attend Mount Temple Comprehensive School, a multi-denominational school.
Tragically, his mother died when he was only 14 years old, and he would later dedicate songs like “I Will Follow” (1980), “Mofo” (1997), and “Tomorrow” (1981) in memory of her.
Forming U2
Bono and his schoolmates David Evans aka “The Edge,” Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton formed U2 with their shared interests in rock music and Christianity, influencing their music style and lyrics.
There was also a point in the band’s career when the frontman considered joining a Christian fellowship.
U2’s story began in 1976 when drummer Larry Mullen placed a ‘musicians wanted’ ad at Dublin’s Temple Mount School, and on September 25, 1976, “This odd group of people convened in my kitchen in Artane.” And the rest is history.
They first called themselves Feedback and would frequently rehearse in Larry’s kitchen with Bono on vocals, The Edge on guitar, Larry on drums, and Adam on bass guitar. The four teens were punks and were inspired by David Bowie, The Ramones, and The Clash.
Bono’s expression of faith
Bono shared in an interview with CNN’s Larry King which aired in December 2002 that as a child, he learned that religion is often the enemy of God.
He believed that the religion is the building after God has left it. Holding on to religion has rules, regulations, traditions, and thought that God is interested in people’s hearts.
In an interview with God Inspirations in 2014, the singer revealed that he looked to the scriptures for poetic truth and the history of Jesus. When asked if he prayed, he said that he did and prayed to Jesus Christ and that his prayers were to get to know the will of God.
The way he and his family pray is very simple, like being on a bed, gathering the children, and reading the scriptures, not even regularly.
Sometimes they would go to church on Sundays, or when the service had ended, they would go in as a family for peace and quiet and pray for people they knew who were struggling or going through something like an illness.
Hewson shared that the question of who Jesus was a defining question. One is not let off easily by just saying he was a great thinker or philosopher.
“It was either he was the Son of God, or he was nuts!” the singer stated, adding that he found it hard to believe that millions of people’s lives after 2000 years were touched and inspired by some ‘Nutter.’
He believes Jesus is divine, rose physically from the dead, and has no problem with miracles. He prays to the risen Jesus with promises that will come true, showing the unshakeable faith of the rockstar.
Respecting Other’s Faith
Though the superstar musician has a deep-rooted Christian faith, he also believes in respecting others’ beliefs. He spoke with Deseret News about how we must remain respectful to those who may find believers of Jesus to be ridiculous.
To him, Psalms are powerful as they’re gospel and songs of praise and that they are also the blues.
He believes it is important for Christians to be honest with God and that God is much more interested in who you are than who you want to be. He also mentioned that Christians can be too edgy at times.
“You’ve gotta be very careful that grace and politeness do not merge into a banality of behavior, where we’re just nice, sort of ‘death by cupcake.’” He added that politeness and manners are very important, demonstrating that we can live together with those who have different faiths.
This is evident when in 2022, the Irish songwriter participated at the Benedict XVI Great Hall in the Pontifical Urban University, where he and the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, launched the Scholas Education Initiative.
Fatih-fueled songs by U2
Here are some faith-inspired tracks of the band, you can listen to: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987), which might have been based on Philippians 3:7-14;
“Gloria” (1981), which is off their October record where the chorus is from the Latin hymn; “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,”
“Yaweh” (2004) from their album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb which got them nine Grammy Awards.