The "Jurassic World Dominion" star has spoken out for the first time about the backlash he had received for his Christian faith.
Actor Chris Pratt, who rose to global fame for his role as Peter Quill in Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" has finally spoken out about the criticism he had received over his faith in God as a Christian. The 43 year old actor recently made the cover of a popular health magazine for men, where he set the record straight about his links to the controversial Hillsong Church and explains how his faith in God has less to do with man-made religion and his spiritual journey with the Savior, Jesus Christ.
In a conversation with Men's Health magazine for its July/August issue, Pratt, who is known by many to be a Christian, said that he is "not a religious person" and that he believes religion has been "oppressive," the Christian Post reported. The "Jurassic World Dominion" star also denied every going to Hillsong Church.
"I've never actually been to Hillsong. I don't know anyone from that church," Pratt declared. But the backlash he received for being Christian goes beyond being linked to Hillsong Church.
Christian Actor was Criticized by LGBT Actor
Back in 2019, Pratt casually spoke about his Christian faith with talk show host Stephen Colbert. According to CNN, Pratt talked about how he was inspired by his pastor to complete a 21-day fast. The story was tweeted by The Hollywood Reporter, to which Elliot Page, the transgender actor formerly known as Ellen Page, replied, "Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?"
Page added, "If you are a famous actor and you belong to an organization that hates a certain group of people, don't be surprised if someone simply wonders why it's not addressed."
Page's unprovoked verbal attack on Pratt caused the "Jurassic World Dominion" actor to speak out on Instagram, writing that he goes to "a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone." At the time, Pratt attended Zoe Church in Los Angeles.
Now, however, Pratt clarified to Men's Health that he does not attend Zoe Church exclusively. He added that his daughter and third child, who was born in May, was baptized in a Santa Monica Catholic church, where his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger attended services when she was younger.
Pratt said that when the allegations about him attending Hillsong Church first came out, he refused to speak out because he did not want to "throw a church under the bus." The actor and father of three labeled religion as "oppressive as f--- for a long time" and was baffled at the fact that he became "the face of religion" in the mainstream media.
"I didn't know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I'm not a religious person," Pratt admitted. He argued further that there is a "distinction" between being religious and using religion "to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred."
Actor was the Subject of Baseless Hate
Back in 2018, Pratt was honored with the Generation Award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards. Despite claiming to be "really not a religious person," the actor gave an acceptance speech riddled with biblically-infused advice, including the words "God is real." He would also oftentimes talk about God or Scripture on his social media posts.
This is why to this day, Pratt is accused by mainstream media outlets such as the Daily Beast as making "one of the most shocking rebrands of 2022" by claiming that he was not a religious person, "after years of telling the public otherwise." The media outlet described Pratt as "Republican-adjacent."
Pratt's criticism goes beyond him denying that he is a "religious person," as it also dates back to November 2021, when he took to social media to praise Schwarzenegger and thank her for giving him a "beautiful, healthy daughter." Many people on the internet, including mainstream media outlets, took it as a dig towards his former wife, Anna Faris, and their son, Jack, who was born prematurely and had several health issues, PEOPLE reported.
Pratt admitted that he "cried" about the backlash he received following his Instagram post. He admitted that it "bothered" him that his nine year old son would one day read the narrative mainstream media created out of his post, which was that it was an insult to Faris and their son. He remarked that he "hated" how the blessings in his life was "a real burden" to other people close to him. The actor instead shared that his son, Jack, has a good relationship with his two step sisters, Lyla Maria who was born in August 2020 and Eloise Christina, who was born in May.
Related Article: 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Director James Gunn Defends Chris Pratt From Those Mocking His Christian Faith
