Pharrel Williams replaces 'God' with 'Universe' to bridge gap between science and faith

Singer and producer Pharrell Williams suggested that replacing the word "God" with "universe" can help bridge the gap between religion and people whose faith lies in science.

The "Happy" singer collaborated with gospel musician Kirk Franklin on the song "123 Victory Remix" and shared his thoughts on science and religion as the two promoted their latest project on the Beats 1 Radio show, the OTHERtone.

Williams believes science holds a key for understanding a person's grasp of or disbelief in religion. He said beliefs are connected in certain departments of the brain and that though this doesn't mean there's anything wrong with their brains — people who don't believe in religion simply don't have this part of the brain where religion falls under.

"I'm just saying certain people chemically on a chemical level ...they wouldn't believe no matter what it is that you've told them," said Williams. "But I think a cool way to bring people together is to say, 'look you don't have to look at it in a faithful or religious way. Read it as a text,'" he added.

The 43-year-old, who won 10 Grammy awards, then suggested, "Replace the word God with 'the universe' and It starts making more sense to you."

Williams asserted that he personally experienced and have seen the power in the word "God" but argued that it's important to understand each other's differences of opinion in order to bridge that gap.

William's recent statements seem like a far cry from what he said two years ago when he denounced people who get to see the stars in the sky and still profess not to believe in God and described them as "arrogant and pompous."

"I believe in God but I also believe in the universe...and I believe in that innate ability to make decisions and to exercise our feelings as human beings," he told Stylist magazine two years ago.