Here's something interesting. James Hetfield has revealed a bit about his spirituality. Longtime Metallica fans know that Hetfield's parents were both Christian Scientists, who didn't believe in modern medicine or medical treatment.
Hetfield watched his mother die from cancer for refusing treatment, and that anger stayed with him for a very long time, even making its way into early Metallica songs. But it seems once Hetfield got sober (he considers himself "reborn straight edge"), he found a new appreciation for spirituality.
In a recent interview with France's Clique, Hetfield was asked if he believed in God:
"I believe in a higher power, yes. I don't know… he, she, it… whatever… I see it everywhere. It is everything to me. And if I choose to see it, it makes me feel better. If I think I can do better [laughs], it never works. [Laughs]"
When the interviewer followed up asking if this higher power saved him in his life, Hetfield responds:
"I believe so. I believe that a higher power, whatever it may be… Sometimes I think it's… 'Oh, it's my father coming back to help me,' or my mother, or somebody, or Cliff . It's all one anyway. So if I choose to see it… It shows up in my wife a lot. She will say, 'What are you doing? Don't do that.' That used to make me angry. 'Don't tell me what to do.' But, okay, I understand that something is here helping me. Something is saying… If I choose to hear it, then I choose to hear it. Sometimes I don't. But it's everywhere."
As somebody who considers themselves an atheist, I have no problem with this, nor is it really any of my business. Spirituality is something that is immensely personal, and it seems its gotten James to a great place in his life.
