Chris Pratt denies going to controversial Hillsong Church after Elliot Page accusations

msn.com:

Chris Pratt has insisted he has never been to Hillsong three years after Elliot Page accused him of attending an ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ+’ church. The Terminal List star, who actually no longer wants to be referred to by his first name, asserted that he has no connections to Hillsong as he shed light on his religious beliefs. ‘I never went to Hillsong,’ Pratt said. ‘I’ve never actually been to Hillsong.

I don’t know anyone from that church. ’It comes after The Umbrella Academy star Elliot called on Pratt to address Hillsong’s attitude towards LGBTQ+ people after he spoke about his ‘spiritual side’ on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

According to the actor, he began being targeted with criticism for his religion after he spoke about his relationship with God during an acceptance speech at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in 2018, when he told the audience: ‘God is real.

God loves you. ’In an interview with Men’s Health, he continued: ‘Maybe it was hubris. For me to stand up on the stage and say the things that I said, I’m not sure I touched anybody. ‘I didn’t know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I’m not a religious person. ‘I think there’s a distinction between being religious – adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God – and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred/’Pratt added: ‘The evil that’s in the heart of every single man has glommed on to the back of religion and come along for the ride.