Katy Perry has had a challenging relationship with Christianity and churches, and Brian Welch of Korn has shared his thoughts on her experience.
On Instagram, Welch reposted a clip from Perry’s interview talking about growing up with strict Christian beliefs. She mentions asking many questions but not always receiving answers. “I grew up with a lot of born-again Christian beliefs. It was like, ‘Do as I say,’ no ifs, ands or buts. I have so many questions, I ask all the questions in the world, and [they] have gotten me to where I’m at now. The curiosity sometimes wasn’t allowed because you had to have faith,” Perry said.
She also shared how she didn’t always feel safe in church. “I used to sing this song in church called ‘Come As You Are,’ and I feel like sometimes the church does more judging than loving. That’s why it doesn’t feel safe for me sometimes. If I was to come as I am, how would I be accepted? Because this is who I am.”
Perry also reflected on her belief in a higher power, saying she wrote the song ‘By The Grace of God’ because she believes in something bigger than herself. “I wrote that song ‘By The Grace Of God’ because I do believe in something much bigger than me and I call that God for me. I’ve been given this gift [of music], but I know that God has his hands on me and I know that sometimes I go through things and I think they’re just too intense. I can’t handle them. then he swoops in and he shows me that it’s his grace that brings me through it.”
Welch, who was baptized after leaving Korn in 2005, agreed with Perry’s experience. “So true about so many churches, but there’s good ones out there, just like everything else in this world, a mixture of good and bad,” he wrote in the caption of his post.
Welch also shared his own journey with Christianity. He mentioned having a spiritual experience, feeling something from another dimension enter his life. He believes it was Christ working in him. However, Welch admitted that he became too obsessed with Christianity at one point, similar to his previous addiction to drugs. “I had an experience with something from another dimension. And it wasn’t the religion — going to church and being a good boy — it was, like, I felt something come into my house, and I can’t explain it to this day. But I believe that it was Christ doing something in me. So that was real — that was very real.”
The rocker added, “But yes, I think I went too far with it. And I got obsessed with it, just like I was obsessed with the drugs. I believe I did, for sure. And I had to come out of that and find normalcy, because there’s nothing worse than a freakin’ irritating religious person just shoving it down your throat — there’s nothing worse than that.”
He added that people don’t need to wait until death to experience God’s presence.
