Actor Chris Pratt is opening up about his religious views and affiliation to Hillsong church.
During his speech at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2018, Pratt said, âGod is real. God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do.â
âMaybe it was hubris. For me to stand up on the stage and say the things that I said, Iâm not sure I touched anybody,â he told Menâs Health.
Pratt said âReligion has been oppressive as f*** for a long timeâ and that he didnât know that he would âkind of become the face of Religionâ when heâs not really a religious person.
âI think thereâs a distinction between being religiousâadhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real Godâand using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred. Whatever it is. The evil thatâs in the heart of every single man has glommed on to the back of Religion and come along for the ride,â he continued.
James 1:26-27 says, âIf anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this personâs Religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.â
Pratt also received backlash for allegedly attending Hillsong church which has been called âinfamously anti-LGBTQ.â
The actor now says he never went to Hillsong and doesnât know anyone from that church, but at the time he didnât want to throw the church âunder the busâ, according to Menâs Health.
âNothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone,â Pratt previously wrote on his Instagram Story, according to People.
He wrote, âMy Faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or any group of people. My values define who I am. We need less hate in this world, not more. I am a man who believes that everyone is entitled to love who they want free from the judgment of their fellow man.â
