Slayer guitarist Kerry King doesn’t believe in God and he doesn’t make it a big deal.
In a new interview with Moshpit Passion, the rocker discussed how heavy metal today has more songs about religion and the occult than over 40 years ago. The rocker said it was more taboo when it first came out, but it no longer is as it used to be. He added that he didn’t believe in God but would never question people who did:
“I think a lot of people are just born into their beliefs — they come down from their parents, their friends, whatever. And I don’t believe in God or the devil — I don’t believe in anything; I’m an atheist — but I like to put options on the table for those people that may never question what they believe or why they believe it.”
King added:
“I don’t care if you believe in God — good on you; have fun with that; that’s a good story — but I just like to throw things on the table and say, ‘Hey, have you ever thought of a different perspective? Have you ever thought of all the preachers that get arrested for fondling little boys?’ This world isn’t perfect. So I just put things out on the table and hopefully get people thinking about their own life and figure things out for themselves.”
How Religion Affects Songwriting
King’s personal philosophy doesn’t really affect his songwriting but he loves to ‘get into anything’ instead.
In a 2016 interview, King discussed songwriting and how Slayer’s lyrics came to life. The rocker said religion was the ‘funnest’ thing to make fun of and explained how different philosophies affect his lyrical inspiration:
“I can get into anything I write about. I can write about serial killers; I can be a f*cking Satanist. I’m not a Satanist, I’m an atheist, but I write the best satanic lyrics on the f*cking planet. And it’s great entertainment. And religion is the funnest thing to make fun of.”
You can see the interview below.