Chris Pratt has responded to the controversy over attending an anti-LGBTQ church, but I have a feeling his words won’t resolve the issue.
Late last week, Ellen Page pointed out on Twitter that the Guardians Of The Galaxy star is a member of an infamously anti-LGTBQ church. Chris Pratt talked about belonging to the Hillsong Church while on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The thing is, the Hillsong Church is known for supporting conversion therapy and teaching that homosexuality is a sin.
That said, the church does welcome LGBTQ people, but no LGBTQ church members can take leadership roles.
With Pratt as their new target, Twitter users then brought forth more stories of the actor such as his hunting history and his past behavior on the Parks & Rec set.
With the internet’s rage in full swing, Pratt has now reached out to address the issue… kind of.
Through a post on his Instagram Story, Pratt alleges that his church is LGBTQ-friendly. He also remarks how “we need less hate in this world,” and how he’s a man focused on love.
You can read his full message below:
“It has recently been suggested that I go to a church which “hates a certain group of people” and is “infamously anti-LGBTQ”. Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everybody”.
“Despite what the Bible says about divorce, my church community was there for me every step of the way, never judging, just gracefully accompanying me on my walk.” the actor added. “They helped me tremendously offering love and support.
“It is what I have seen them do for others on countless occasions regardless of sexual orientation, race, or gender.
He continued: “My faith is important to me, but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesperson 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.
“Jesus said, “I give you a new command, love one another.” This is what guides me in my life. He is a God of love, acceptance and forgiveness. Hate has no place in my or this world.”
In terms of LGBTQ issues, Chris Pratt is in the wrong here. While not being anti-LGBTQ himself, he directly supports an anti-LGBTQ establishment by donating to it. That organization then supports and practices anti-LGBTQ actions.
But Chris sees the Hillsong Church as being LGBTQ-inclusive. Perhaps, Chris Pratt isn’t looking at the whole picture and its fine details. Instead, he sees that the Church accepts LGBTQ members. Perspective may be the issue here (and one that leads to complicity).
From our perspective, the church welcomes LGBTQ people with limitations while simultaneously harming us in its practices. As such, the people of the internet, and Ellen Page, are within their right to question Pratt on his connection to said church. And I’m sure they won’t stop with this response.
Though, it would be remise of me not to mention the growing mob mentality behind Twitter. While it’s great that Twitter has amplified the power of the people, it’s also scary how individuals keep getting singled out by a wave of anonymous profiles.
But perhaps, that’s an issue best left for a separate article….
A LOT of celebrities attend
A LOT of celebrities attend Hillsong. Why is he being singled out?
Honestly, its just a timing
Honestly, its just a timing kind of thing. Pratt mentioned Hillsong during his interview with Colbert. Ellen Page, who's still riding off of her own Colbert interview and the good favor it gave her with gay twitter users, then pointed out Hillsong's anti-LGBTQ actions. Then Twitter users honed in on him. I started to touch on this with my last comment about mob mentality, but I think I'll write up a longer article about the idea in the near future.
Though, I remember that Justin Bieber got into a little trouble a year or two ago for his connection to Hillsong.
You’re a great writer and I
You're a great writer and I love you! Thanks for the hard work!
Thank you 🙂
Thank you 🙂