Former KORN Guitarist: 'I Hate Religion But I Love God'

Former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has posted the following message on his HeadToChrist.com web site:

"I want to clear the air about why I left KORN and how I feel about them. I left KORN because I lost every bit of the love that I had inside my heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. All the love leaked out of me completely.

"My decision to leave KORN was hard in early 2004 to think about, but at the end of 2004 it was quite simple, actually. I wanted to learn how to be the best dad that I could be to my beautiful little girl.

"Right before I quit KORN, I caught my daughter walking around my house one day singing songs about sex and death that came from my band. I wasn't having that anymore. When you have a 5-year-old daughter singing 'All Day I Dream About Sex', and 'Dead Bodies Everywhere' etc., it's going to have an effect on you as a parent. Also, I was sick and tired of being a slave to the ol' mighty buck at the expense of my family, my music, my happiness, my health, and my morals.

"I loved money more than everything in my life. Money was my god and it was going to kill me if I didn't get my life in the correct order it needed to be in. I played Mr. Angry for too long. I wanted to feel love again in my heart.

"I'm not an angry Christian. I'm not better than anyone. Christians are supposed to despise the principalities that hurt the people in the world, not despise the people in the world. I think some Christians and non-Christian people are very confused about that.

"I left KORN because my child was starting to imitate her dad. I left KORN because i wasn't happy anymore. I left KORN because I was supposed to leave KORN. I would still be in KORN right now if I was meant to be.

"After I left, Jesus healed me from a major alcohol and drug addiction, and most of all a broken heart.

"I feel like some people want me and my former bandmates to not get along like it's some kind of battle between good and evil. Words in magazines get all twisted around. It's lame! The stuff that was said in some recent interviews that I did wasn't said in the context that it was written. I did say a couple things a few months ago, but I've apologized for them and I've moved on.

"I love all my brothers in KORN. I was just as much of a whiny rock star as they were. The lifestyle made us that way. I heard that those guys are closer than ever now. That makes me happy and sad at the same time. I'm happy because they are happy, but I'm sad because I'm not there with them in the happiness. All I know for sure is that I love Jesus and my baby girl with all my heart.

"My brothers in KORN were my family for over 10 years. I miss them and I'm sorry for anything that was said that may have hurt them. Any negativity you may read about is negative gossip. No negative press can ever take away the love that I have for my brothers.

"My new music is all about truth and love. It's very intense. My actions to my fans will speak love, because my love is shown through actions, not just words. I'm here to speak and sing life into the world to whoever chooses to listen. I'm so sick of anger and negativity. When you're angry for too long, it eventually knocks you down so hard that you won't have any energy to get up. My purpose in life is to reach out my hand to any UNTOUCHABLE out there that is tired of just existing in this jacked up world. I want to breathe life into the people that have been rejected by parents, teachers. siblings, churches, friends, foes, or just society at large. Anger serves its purpose, but then what's next? I found a different solution to heal the pain that life brings.

"Anger comes from hurt. Anger doesn't heal the hurt. The only thing that anger does is shove the hurt way down deep inside of you so that you build up a wall around you that will keep all the love out. My way is PURE LOVE. My way is HOPE.

"We were all born into selfishness, but the spirit inside of you can be intensified and overflow you with love and peace. The holy spirit can take away all of your pain, if you let it. It doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. Come with me and be a part of a new revolution.

"I'm not trying to drag anyone to church or shove religion down anyone's throat. I hate religion. I love God. I did the church thing and I'm not about the whole 'dressing nice on a Sunday and then hit the strip clubs on Monday' life. In my opinion, a lot of Christians are just as messed up as atheists or more. A lot of Christians think that they're better than people in the world. Like they're more 'special to God' because they are called Christians. That's not the truth. God loves all of us the same. No matter who you are or what you've done. A lot of Christians in the past have totally given God a bad name. They make him seem like he's all about a bunch of rules when all he wants to do is have a personal relationship with each of us and pour his love into our hearts. The whole purpose of what the holy spirit is all about is summed up with one word: LOVE.

"Anyway, my spirit lives inside me, not in a building on Sunday morning. My spirit is my heart. I've learned how to pull heaven down here to earth and I feel it inside of my body everyday. I have the peace that surpasses all human understanding.

"Some of the finest intellects in the world will miss out on the hidden miracles that are offered from the highest power above if their minds are closed. A lot of smart people or people with hardened hearts think that if they can't make sense of things with their minds, than it's not worth thinking about at all. I feel very sad for people like that because they are missing out on magical life. But like i said, I'm not here to shove my beliefs down anyone's throat, I'm just here to love the world. Expect to feel something you may have never felt inside your soul when you hear my new music.

"I love you all."