Elton John has attacked religious organisations for inciting hatred towards gay people in an interview with Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears.
The singer said he believed that religion should be banned and that it lacked compassion.
He added: “I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays.
“The reality is that organised religion doesn’t seem to work. It turns people into hateful lemmings and it’s not really compassionate. From my point of view I would ban religion completely, even though there are some wonderful things about it.”
The singer also praised artists like Antony & The Johnsons and Rufus Wainwright for being open about their sexuality.
He told The Observer Music Monthly Magazine: “Music is now the one artform [where] people [feel] comfortable coming out, especially in Britain – not so much in America; you lead the way there.
“[With] Antony & The Johnsons, Scissor Sisters and Rufus Wainwright you have three major talents that have come out and said: ‘We’re gay and we don’t have a problem with it and nor should anybody else’, which is fabulous. All three of those acts have made fabulous music, and they are all different from each other.”