Is Morgan Freeman a Christian?
Introduction
For actors, getting typecast as the person to play a certain role can be annoying.
For some actors, such as the famous Alec Guinness, it can be damaging to their career and their self-worth.
Having enjoyed a wonderful acting career before playing Obi-Wan-Kenobi, Guinness found himself reduced to nothing more than ‘that Jedi’ for much of his later career – something he found hugely irritating.
Some actors, though, manage to avoid being typecast as ‘that’ guy – take Morgan Freeman, for example.
He has played everyone from super inspector Alex Cross to taking on the role of God himself.
With that in mind, many assume that Freeman must be a religious individual.
After all, why would you keep on signing up to play God if you were not someone of faith?
This has become a common question around his career, then.
What faith does Morgan Freeman follow?
Given that he often plays the Christian version of God, is Morgan Freeman a Christian?
Let’s look at what information exists on his religious choice.
Is he a Christian? It is hard to say
One of the most interesting insights into Freeman’s career is his versatility.
He has been someone who has managed to play just about every kind of person you could.
From comedic roles to taking on more serious roles to playing police detectives, Freeman has been there and done it all.
It would be hard to find a kind of individual that he has not played, but one of his most recurring roles has been that of God himself.
You would assume that to return to such a role so regularly that he must have some kind of faith.
In the past, Freeman spoke of his interesting views on whether or not there even is a God.
In a discussion about God (which, given his acting roles in the past, seems a logical discussion point), Freeman said: “It’s a hard question because, as I said at the start, I think we invented God. So, if I believe in God, and I do, it’s because I think I’m God.”
Has his career changed his views on religion?
An interesting topic that has come up has been regarding his career choices.
Having worked on The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, a role he was arguably chosen for due to his prolific playing of the deity, Freeman was asked if his views on religion and God had changed as he explored his program. However, he said that his views on religion did not shift because he took part in the show.
So, is Morgan Freeman a Christian?
No, he is not.
Freeman’s religion is very much different from what one would expect.
The fact he has worked on so many different religious-based contents would often mean that the views of the individual shift.
It is only natural that working around one specific topic on such a regular basis would bring about a sense of change in thinking.
If you were to surround yourself with one topic for so many years, it would only be expected that you might find your belief system shifting to adapt. However, Freeman’s religious mind has not been shifted simply because he took on the role of God on more than a few occasions.
What religion does he follow, then?
However, his actual religion is not that of Christianity: he is a Zoroastrian.
In the past, Freeman was clear that this was his chosen religion.
He spoke about the topic on the YouTube channel Iranian Renaissance.
It is a highly intriguing video and explains his reasons for seeing Zoroastrian thinking as the religion that ties in best with what he believes in.
For many, that might seem odd: for an American man to fall in with an Iranian religion. However, when one examines the thought process behind this religion, it is easy to see how it pairs up with the various comments made by Freeman on the topic across his career.
What is Zoroastrianism, the religion that Freeman follows?
So, while Morgan Freeman is no Christian, he is a follower of one of the oldest organized forms of faith on the planet today.
It is based on the ancient teachings of Zoroaster, a prophet from years ago.
The religion, based in Iran, is seen as one of the most respected religions in the world.
Despite its deep respect among the religious community, Zoroastrianism is quite unknown to many.
Given that it is primarily seen as an Iranian religion, it is not a religious belief that has spread too far into Western culture.
As an individual who thrives on curiosity, though, Freeman is one of many Western believers of Zoroastrianism.
The primary tenet of Zoroastrianism is about the duality of good and evil and how in Zoroastrianism, it is believed that, eventually, good will triumph over evil.
The ‘God’ of this religion is Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom.
This is an uncreated deity, a well-meaning deity.
Unlike other major religions, Zoroastrianism strongly focuses on factors like free will and judgment once we have died.
It also has quite a unique consideration when it comes to things like angels and demons.
Indeed, many believe that the unique concepts of Zoroastrianism have influenced other religions and philosophies that humanity has followed in the past.
Zoroastrianism goes back millennia, with many believing that its first innovations come from around the 2nd millennium BCE.
Its first recorded mentions are in the 6th century BCE, but it stretches back much further than this.
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So, is Morgan Freeman a Christian?
So, is Morgan Freeman a Christian? No. He might have played versions of the Christian God and spent many years in religious-based media, but he is not a Christian. Instead, he follows one of the most unique and intriguing religions in the modern world.
It might not be a recognized religion in terms of the mainstream, but it is a massive religion outside of Western societal circles.
With close to 120,000 Zoroastrian followers in the world, it is by no means a small religion.
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.
Florence
Monday 6th of May 2024
I think when you think and becomes like God there is fear of God in you