Chris Pratt denies embattled church ties: ‘I never went to Hillsong’

nypost.com:

scandal-ridden institution notorious for alleged anti-LGBTQ views and gay conversion therapy among other high-profile controversies.Pratt, 43, denied the allegations during an interview with Men’s Health for its June cover story, saying that he has never been to the church nor does he know anyone from the house of worship, which once attracted the likes of Justin Bieber.“I never went to Hillsong,” said the “Jurassic World” star, who has been the subject of several controversies in the past months.“I’ve never actually been to Hillsong.

I don’t know anyone from that church.”In 2019, “Umbrella Academy” star Elliot Page was one of the first people to slam Pratt over his supposed ties to Hillsong after the “Avenger” star appeared on Stephen Colbert to talk about his faith. “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,” tweeted the actor, who came out as a trans man in 2020. “Being anti-LGBTQ is wrong, there aren’t two sides.

The damage it causes is severe. Full stop. Sending love to all.”Pratt later responded on Instagram saying that the allegations were not true.“It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone,” the actor said.Pratt told Men’s Health that attacks on his faith started after an acceptance speech at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards, where he said: “God is real.