Chris Pratt responds to controversy over his links to anti-LGBTQ church

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Jurassic World trilogy star Chris Pratt told Men’s Health in a new cover article that he isn’t nearly as devoted as people believe and fiercely slammed organised religion for its history of well-documented faults. “Religion has been oppressive as fuck for a long time,” he continued. “I didn’t know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I’m not a religious person.”

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“I believe there is a difference between being religious — following man-made conventions, frequently taking the awe meant for who I believe is a very real God — and using it to dominate people, take money from people, harm children, steal land, and justify hatred. Whatever it may be. The evil in every man’s heart has clung to the back of religion and come along for the journey.”

“I never went to Hillsong,” he responded when asked about claims that he visited Hillsong Church, a megachurch notorious for its anti-LGBTQ sentiments. “I’ve never actually been to Hillsong. I don’t know anyone from that church.” According to the report, Pratt’s public association with religion appeared to derive from one of his “nine rules,” which he referenced when accepting an award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2018. “God is real,” he stated. “God loves you, God wants the best for you.  Believe that; I do.”

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“Perhaps it was foolish for me to step up on the podium and speak the things that I said,” Chris Pratt told Men’s Health. “I’m not sure I ever reached anyone.” Previously, the actor faced increased criticism for his apparent association with the Hillsong Church, which has long been vilified for its anti-LGBTQ sentiments. In 2019, Elliot Page seemed to criticise Pratt on social media after the actor discussed religion on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

“If you are a renowned actor and you belong to an organisation that dislikes a specific set of people, don’t be shocked if someone just asks why it isn’t addressed,” Page said on Twitter at the time. ” Being anti-LGBTQ is wrong; there are no two sides. It causes significant harm. Completely finished. Love to everyone.” At the time, Pratt responded, saying, “It has lately been stated that I belong to a church that ‘hates a specific group of people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.’ That could not be further from the truth.” 

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“I am a man who thinks that everyone has the right to love whoever they choose without fear of being judged by their fellow man.” According to the report, the actor sobbed after receiving anger for complimenting his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger for giving birth to a “healthy” child. “A lot of articles came out saying, ‘That’s so cringeworthy.'” I can’t believe Chris Pratt would express gratitude to her for a healthy daughter when his first kid was delivered prematurely. That’s a jab at his ex-wife,'” he remarked.

“And I’m like, This is fucked up.  My son will read it one day. He’s nine years old. It’s also etched in digital stone. It truly angered me, dude. I sobbed about it. I was thinking, I hate that these blessings in my life are such a burden to those close to me.”

Meanwhile, Chris Pratt’s new Amazon series The Terminal List starts on July 1, and he returns to the big screen as Marvel’s Peter ‘Star-Lord’ Quill in Thor: Love and Thunder, which opens on July 8.