Chris Pratt denies Ellen Page's claim the church he attends is 'anti-LGBTQ'
Chris Pratt has denied that the church he attends is anti-LGBTQ, after actress Ellen Page slated him on social media.
Pratt attends the ‘Christian megachurch’ Hillsong, founded in Australia and which has branches all over the world.
However, its founder Brian Houston has previously been criticised for taking an anti-gay stance, not allowing gay men and women to hold leadership positions, and saying in a 2015 blogpost that that church ‘does not affirm a gay lifestyle’.
Replying to a tweet from The Hollywood Reporter, which promoted a story about Pratt discussing his faith on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Juno actress replied: “Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?”
Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too? https://t.co/meg8m69FeF
— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) February 8, 2019
Page, who married her partner Emma Portner last year added in a later tweet: “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.”
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
— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) February 9, 2019
Pratt has responded, saying that Page’s claim is wrong, and that his church opens its doors to ‘absolutely everyone’.
In a lengthy post to his Instagram Stories, he said: “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. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone.
“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.”
He goes on to say that while the bible frowns on divorce, the church was ‘never judging’ when he split from wife Anna Faris.
“My faith is important to me, but no church defines me or my life, and I am not a spokesman for any church or any group of people.”
Others who have attended the church include the likes of Kendall Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens, Nick Jonas, and Justin Bieber and new wife Hailey Baldwin.
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