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Add the andPOP Facebook Application(andPOP) - To some U2 is merely rock and roll; to others U2 is religion - literally.
A number of Episcopal churches in the U.S. has reportedly been incorporating music by the Irish band into their communion services. The U2Charist (a clever combination of the band and the Eucharist communion) mixes the rock songs into a church service with matching slides.
The first U2Charist was held in York Harbor, Maine on July 31, 2005, at the church of Reverend Paige Blair, an Episcopal priest who came up with the idea, reports USA Today.
Rev Blair told the paper that the U2's music had inherent Christian messages.
She went on to explain: "Bach and Handel were the popular music of their day, and they had trouble getting played in church. The Methodist hymn writers once wrote contemporary music. Are we worshiping Bono? Absolutely not. No more so than we worship Martin Luther when we sing 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.'"
A key part of the U2Charist is also an offering for Bono's campaign against poverty and global AIDS.
The service has spread to 150 churches in 15 U.S. states.
