quote:

Originally posted by Black Wings:
I think he said in one of the interviews with Hy Bender in The Sandman companion that growing up as a Jew, he felt kind of detached from his religion and saw it all as story material - that's what I *think* he was saying. He didn't say it like it was a bad thing either, he seemed very grateful for that. I wish I could remember exactly where he said it, but I just flicked through the Companion and couldn't find it straight away.

What you are looking for is on pages 105-106. It starts on the bottom half of page 105.

"I'd say that the most important factor was my growing up a Jewish kid in a Church of England school. That had a big impact n me, because it made me feel like an outsider. In a sense it made me view everything as myth."

As he and the interviewer go on through to 106, he says that when he was asked if he had some religious beliefs he said "Yes." He then expanded by adding that he likes the idea of belief itself, whether one is religious or not, in any facet.

Yeah, I just read this part today and remembered this question. Yay.

Page 154 of The Sandman Companion is also relevant:

Hy Bender : What about Eve's tale concerning Adam and his three wives?

Neil Gaiman: That's a story which has haunted me since age twelve, when Cantor Meir Lev taught it to me during my bar mitzvah lessons. The cantor happened to be an expert on Jewish Talmudic, Mishnaic, and Midrashic apocrypha, and I found it all fascinating and pumped him for information; so by the age of thirteen, I knew more arcane Jewish lore than most adults.

Now, it's of course possible that Neil was a Scientologist during some stage of his childhood and also studied for his bar mitzvah between the ages of twelve and thirteen. But we know that he wasn't exclusively a Scientologist.

I get a clear impression that Neil is at the least a rather esoteric reader, but I suspect more. I spot hints of Kabbalah, Theosophy and obscure forms of Tantrism in his writings. Scientology is unsophisticated and provincial by comparison. It seems that Neil is too spiritual to get caught up in dogma. That will put you on the outside of almost any religion with “True Believers”. I also suspect he has had some experiences that if he talked about them others would think him a little bonkers. His spiritual musings are all over his books. Trying to make sense of his inner life has unleashed his imagination. Again not a good way to make you popular with organized religion. Some things are just better kept private. He says what he wants to say, thinly veiled in his work. I think he has tasted of the Ancient Mystery, which would explain his madness.

Sincerly;

The Holiest of Gods Whores,
Namo

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Jumping in waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay late on this discussion, hehe...

Everyone's thoughts on this thread are interesting, and most seem true in one way or another. I guess all I've got to add is that after reading his books and listening to him talk, and above all watching him interact with people, I know two things about Neil. One, that he's tolerant, no matter how silly people get. And two, that he's a true gentleman and a good man. And between these things, that's enough.