Brad Pitt was recently asked by German magazine Bild if he believed in God. Pitt smiled and answered: “No, no, no!” Then, asked if his soul was spiritual, he once again said: “No, no, no!” Adding: “I’m probably “20 percent atheist and 80 percent agnostic.” With that, the shrieks of millions of women who dreamed of a storybook church wedding with Mr. Pitt could be heard crying out across the planet.
The comment is sure to cause a few ripples from the man who once played the son of a preacher man in the spiritual A River Runs Through It. What’s more, Pitt advises there is no use thinking about God or a higher power — we’ll find out when we get there, he says. Umm, get where Brad? The Beverly Hills Hotel in the sky? It never ceases to amaze to hear celebrities speak out about religion – or a lack thereof. In a business where vainglory is king, perhaps it is not surprising many in Hollywood are said to lack religion. Que Sera Sera — free country, right?
Pitt’s charity work after Katrina has been widely applauded, but how does a soul become so adrift in the face of such good works? Through his Make It Right Foundation, he has undoubtedly spent many hours of hard work toiling over ways to rebuild New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Much of the work seems highly concentrated in green architecture, a luxury to most. But hey, if he can make it affordable to those who desperately need a roof over their head, so be it (worth noting: he seeks stimulus funds to build these designer homes). And, in a funny twist, the name of the first neighborhood to receive the fruits of all this labor is an embodiment of Christianity itself… the “Holy Cross” section in the Lower Ninth Ward.
Pitt might look even closer around New Orleans, his “second home” and the place where he feels a deep connection to the people. The city is a melting pot of religion so profound and powerful, it would take a thousand Katrinas to eclipse. Perhaps he would be surprised at the ways residents in the Lower Ninth Ward have turned to religion and community churches as an unorthodox way of fighting crime in neighborhoods that struggle for survival. Perhaps he should visit an African-American congregation on Sunday morning and listen to the bustling choirs (if your soul is still unmoved, you need to check your pulse). Or, he could always find some rowdy Creoles or a few Voodoo Queens to really shake up his spirit.
If he’s still searching after all that, can’t he find a spark of spirituality in the innocent eyes of one of his six children — adopted or biological? As a parent, the purity of mind, body and spirit of a child is often miraculous and can move the soul quite unexpectedly. Pitt, and his wife Angelina Jolie, have traveled the world finding children — scooping them from war zones, disease and poverty — giving them opportunities in life they never would have dreamed possible. Still running on empty Brad?
Oh well, there’s always Deities-R-Us! Look, I don’t have an ax to grind with Brad Pitt — I enjoy many of his films — and I’ve just written a book singing praises of his extensive charitable work with Jolie. My only point is this: it’s a curious case indeed when one can’t find a little spirituality in leading such a charitable life.