Chris Pratt Defends His Church Against Ellen Page’s ‘Anti-LGBTQ’ Claims
WESTWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 02: Chris Pratt attends the Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” at Regency Village Theatre on February 2, 2019 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
Chris Pratt is denouncing claims made by actress Ellen Page that his church is homophobic and “infamously anti-LGBTQ.”
On Monday, the Guardians of the Galaxy star took to Instagram Stories to say “nothing could be further from the truth.”
“It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates a certain group of people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said, “I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone. Despite what the Bible says about divorce, my church community was there for me every stop of the way, never judging, just gracefully accompanying me on my walk. 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.”
Pratt, 39, finalized his divorce from actress Anna Farris last year. He is now engaged to Katherine Schwarzenegger, who reportedly shares the same faith as Pratt.
According to Vox, the unnamed congregation is Zoe Church. Last week, during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Pratt spoke about participating in a 21-day religious fast called The Daniel Fast, inspired by his pastor.
STUDIO CITY, CA – FEBRUARY 20: Actress Ellen Page visits ‘The IMDb Show’ on Feburary 20th 2018 in Studio City, California. The episode airs March 1st 2018. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)
Ellen Page then responded to his comments with a series of Tweets criticizing the church, noting “his church is infamously anti lgbtq.”
Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too? https://t.co/meg8m69FeF
— Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) February 8, 2019
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. Being anti LGBTQ is wrong, there aren’t two sides. The damage it causes is severe. Full stop. Sending love to all
— Elliot Page (@TheElliotPage) February 9, 2019
Pratt later added that his faith is central to his life, but that he speaks for himself.
“My faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or group of people,” he said. “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 judgement of their fellow man.”
“Jesus said, ‘I give you a new command, love one another,'” he added. “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.”
