These 8 celebs are much more religious than you think
As a celebrity, every step you take is monitored. What you do, when you do it, how, why, where, and especially with whom. Chappell Roan recently pressed us hard (and rightly so) on this.. That’s why many stars prefer to keep their faith close to themselves and hardly talk about it in the media. Yet, there are also celebrities who openly come out about it. These eight stars belong to that last group.
Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt, whom we know from Marvel or Passengers, is not exactly subtle about his faith. The actor lovingly shares Bible quotes and his views on his faith on Instagram. He is also a guest on podcasts where they talk about his beliefs, with his fame as a perspective. Moreover, Pratt was for years a prominent face within Hillsong Church; the church that has now become almost as famous for controversy (anti-LGBTQ+ practices and allegations of sexual misconduct) as for celebrity visitors.
Selena Gomez
In an interview in 2021, Selena said: “I am very spiritual... I believe in God, but I am not religious.’ She prefers to keep her beliefs low-key: she wants to talk about it, but faith has a bad reputation according to her. It is said that the singer and actress was also a member of Hillsong Church, but stopped attending services when the long list of scandals came to light.
Mark Wahlberg
You might not say it, but Ted actor Mark Wahlberg is Catholic. It is even said that he asked the Pope for forgiveness for the jokes in the movies about the living teddy bear. Mark starts every day with prayer and reading the Bible and really tries to attend church every day. He does not want to impose his faith on his children, but hopes that they will end up there on their own. That the four think: ‘Well, if it works for dad, maybe it will work for us too.’.
Kristin Chenoweth
We know Kristin from her success on Broadway as Glinda from Wicked, but she has also been a Christian her whole life. The star clearly speaks out about what she thinks of the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community by Christianity. She finds it absolutely unacceptable. When she received the Vanguard Award, she said in her speech: “Jesus preached love. Not just tolerance, but acceptance.”
Stephen Colbert
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert was raised Catholic and sometimes talks about it with his world-famous guests. For example, he debated atheist Ricky Gervais (you know him from the British The Office) about his view on God. However, there was a time in his twenties when Stephen turned away from his faith: “I was more or less convinced that I had been wrong all along, that I had been taught something that wasn’t true.’ But when he was 22 years old, a stranger on the street gave him a pocket Bible. He opened it, read it, and felt ’immediately lighter.“ Now we are here.
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey you know from his Tequila brand Pantalones or from Interstellar. And from both. But people who attend the same non-denominational church in Texas as he does know a whole different side of him. Someone who believes that there are “many great truths” in the Bible. And a man who is “spiritual, not religious.”.
Julia Roberts
Maybe that radiant smile of Julia Roberts comes from her faith in one of the oldest religions in the world: Hinduism. She discovered that this religion was for her when she was in India for the Eat Pray Love shoot. Decades later, she still believes and goes to a temple near her home with her husband and children. Additionally, she called for Diwali to be made a holiday like Christmas, due to the universal message behind the celebration.
Richard Gere
How cool is it to say that you are friends with the spiritual leader of the religion you believe in? Richard Gere from Pretty Woman can really say that. He is a Buddhist and friends with the Dalai Lama. And the story goes that if you have questions about meditation, Richard is always more than willing to talk about it.
