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Nevertheless, singer Lee says that religious perceptions of the band are not accurate. "There are people hell-bent on the idea that we're a Christian band in disguise, and that we have some secret message," she says. "We have no spiritual affiliation with this music."

Moody also says: "I'm not ashamed of my spiritual beliefs, but I in no way incorporate them into this band."

Hmmm. That's odd, considering Moody's statement in a 2000 interview with Stranger Things Magazine: "The message we as a band want to convey more than anything is simple—God is Love. He is a just God, but a gracious God."

He added in that interview: "We hope to express in our music that Christianity is not a rigid list of rules to follow only out of fear of an unseen deity who will strike you down at any given moment if you fail. I am a Christian. I still have fears. I still have pain. I still have sorrow. I wouldn't be alive if I didn't. The beautiful thing about my relationship with God is that he understands all that and he has shown me what life is really for. We write songs about things that happen in life. All of our songs are not about rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes it rains. Who can we help if we won't even talk about it?"

Wind-up's Meltzer also notices a change in Evanescence's rhetoric. He says the band once wanted the album in the Christian market, despite Moody's apparent surprise that it is there. "The decision to release Fallen into the Christian market was made subsequent to discussions with and approval by the artist," Meltzer wrote in his statement. "Obviously the band has had a change in their perspective, as well as changes within the band itself as it relates to new band members. Wind-up deeply regrets this situation."

Clergy sex abuse:

• Victim begins vigil at cathedral | Man plans an 8-day fast to protest Cardinal Mahony's handling of sex abuse cases. (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Few priests face expulsion | Dioceses withhold full punishment for sex abuse (Detroit Free Press)
  
  
• Lawsuit: Church failed to protect 23 abuse victims | Nearly two dozen victims of alleged sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Rockville Centre filed a $300 million lawsuit against the accused abusers and the church hierarchy on Monday (Associated Press)

Politics and law:

• Catholic leader wants Bush to be tried | Says international court should prosecute president as war criminal (WorldNetDaily)
  
  
• 'State, church need to work together' | President Mugabe yesterday called for unity between the State and the church and deplored some sections of the clergy bent on demonizing the Government abroad without first seeking dialogue. (Herald Reporter, Zimbabwe)
  
  
• Politics and religion join the fray in Shiite slum | In Saddam city, who is shooting whom, and why, is one of the mysteries clouding this war-damaged and dysfunctional city. (The New York Times)
  
  
• LDS Church: No thumbs up or down are given to the legislature | How accurate is this depiction that the LDS Church influences outcomes at the legislature (The Salt Lake Tribune)

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April (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47