Future Christians? Keep praying.

Katy Perry: (Singer), Katy is the daughter of two Christian pastors. Her hits include "Ur So Gay", Quote: "Yes, I said I kissed a girl. But I didn't say I kissed a girl while f---ing a crucifix." ---> (Source: http://www.mtv.com)

Lady Gaga : (avant-garde singer), grew up Roman Catholic and thrives on controversial issues including her video called Judas in which she plays Mary Magdalene. In the video she claims to be in love with Judas. ---->

Lyrics: 'I want to love you,/but something’s pulling me away from you/Jesus is my virtue, and Judas is the demon I cling to….I’m just a holy fool,/ oh baby he’s so cruel,/ but I’m still in love with Judas, baby.' --->(Source: www.dailymail.co.uk)

Kim Kardashian: Los Angeles socialite / business owner who claims to be a Christian but rumor has it has a sex tape out on the Internet featuring herself and her former boyfriend.

Beyonce: former Destiny's Child singer / actress who claims to be a devout Methodist. "While her sexy dance routines have been criticised by some, Beyonce is confident God isn't offended by her 'shaking her booty'. After meeting Prince Charles in a charity concert in London she denied any contradiction between her raunchy approach and personal faith. She said, 'I honestly believe he wants people to celebrate their bodies so long as you don't compromise your Christianity in the process.' (Source: www.crossrhythms.co.uk)

Mel Gibson: This Australian born Catholic actor is most famous for his Road Warrior movies, the Lethal Weapon films series and most recently the independent film Passion of the Christ. In 2010 and 2011 he has had bouts of drunkenness and failed relationships. (Source: Hollywood versus the Bible)

Marilyn Manson (Brian Hugh Warner): Singer. In his fuming autobiography, The Long Road Out of Hell, shock musician Marilyn Manson reveals how years of false teaching about the return of Christ—and the apocalyptic conspiracy theories that enhance such teaching—left him feeling abused, cheated, and eventually caused him to reject Christianity. He, like so many within the church today, endured pounding lecture upon lecture about receiving the Mark of the Beast during these “last days.” “Those that don’t receive the mark, the number of his name (666)” warned Ms. Price, Manson’s Friday-night teacher at Heritage Christian School during the early 1980s, “will be decapitated before their families and neighbors.”

Then, as today, the Goth protagonist was told that the mark was concealed as the Universal Product Code that appears on everyday items in your grocery store, which, with the help of blatantly false reporting, works out to be the same demonic numbers, 666. All this was presented as fact—not opinion and never speculation—drawn straight from the Bible. Writes Manson, “They didn’t need proof; they had faith.”

Nightmares soon visited his 12-year-old mind. “I was thoroughly terrified by the idea of the end of the world and the Antichrist. So I became obsessed with it, watching movies like . . .A Thief in the Night, which described very graphically people getting their heads cut off because they hadn’t received 666 tattoos on their forehead.” (Source: http://www.mtio.com/articles/aissar47.htm). Article by Paul Coughlin.
An observer at a Manson concert wrote the following:
"... the concert was filled with blasphemous acts such as: tearing a Bible in half and yelling out that we shall not be suppressed by the fasciousness of Christianism any longer." (Manson's Beautiful People by Nicole H., Gulf Coast American Family Association Website) (Source: www.spotlightministries.org.uk)

Alec Baldwin: actor / political activist. Bolden was born Roman Catholic. Appeared in the film The Hunt for Red October, The Ghosts of Mississippi, Nuremberg, multiple appearances on Saturday Night Live and is currently on the TV series 30 Rock. The impact that Roman Catholicism has had in his life is unknown and speculative. He is the brother of actor Stephen Baldwin who has become a Christian.

George Clooney: actor. Best known for ER and one of the Batman films. George Clooney stated, I don't believe in heaven and hell… I don't know if I believe in God. All I know is that as an individual, I won't allow this life-the only thing I know to exist-to be wasted.” (Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Jim Carrey: actor and comedian. In discussing his recent movie about God (Bruce Almighty) Jim Carrey stated, we've always tried to humanize him in some way. He's probably just a shaft of light in the doorway or something like that…” Jim Carrey says he's more spiritual than religious and doesn't abide to a specific religious faith. (Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Tom Cruise: actor / Scientologist. Tom Cruise was asked, “what is Scientology? Did you grow up in the faith?” He answered, “different faiths. Different faiths. And what drew me to it (Scientology) - it was so practical and it just made sense to me, and things that I wanted to figure out in my life…” Cruise has described Scientology as “an applied religious philosophy that you used your life to help you… it's something that helps an individual find out who you are.” (Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Bill Maher: comedian, TV host, producer. When asked the question, is there a God? Bill Maher replied, “I think there is… I'm not an atheist. There's a really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn't believe in religion. Religion to me is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don't need. But I'm not an atheist, no I believe there's some force. If you want to call it God…”

“I don't believe God is a single parent who writes books. I think that the people who think God will book called the Bible are just childish. Religion is so childish...” (Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Kathy Griffin: Standup comedian / My Life on the D List.
Fox News contributor / religion correspondent Lauren Green wrote, “In case you haven't yet heard, on Saturday night (2007) at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Kathy Griffin won a trophy for her show, "My Life on the D-List." Griffin is sort of the female Rodney Dangerfield. Her gimmick is that she's an entertainer who doesn't get a lot of respect. When she accepted her long-awaited award, she said: "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."
Now I could have been mildly insulted at that and turned the other cheek, as the founder of Christianity taught. But then she went on to say "Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now."
Needless to say, she offended me and millions of other Christians.
I don't know what went through her mind and why she would think that was cutting edge or even funny. But first, I want to actually show you that, in fact, Kathy Griffin is wrong. Jesus had everything to do with her winning that award.”
(Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296683,00.html)

Seth MacFarlane: creator/voice actor of Family Guy, American Dad and other animated series on Fox.

"Do I have that much contempt for Christianity? I guess maybe I do." -- Seth MacFarlane

"I'm still a man of science, not God." -- Seth MacFarlane

(Source: http://www.squidoo.com/CelebrityAtheists#module149556085)

Oprah Winfrey: talk show host and owner of network. Oprah Winfrey said, “one of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there was only one way. Actually, there are many diverse paths leading to what you call God.”
(Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Apparently Oprah Winfrey has never read John 14: 6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John Travolta: actor and Scientologist. As far as what happens after death, Travolta explained, “I think that the body ends and you have the spirit to go on. It's up to you what you're going to do. It could be (reincarnation) and that is what you choose to do. You want to get back in another body or if you just want to hang out, whatever you feel like.” (Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Arnold Schwarzenegger: actor / politician/ bodybuilder. Ray comfort writes, although his mother took him to church every Sunday, he (Arnold) rebelled at age 18 or 19. Schwarzenegger recalls, “I thought the whole thing was absolutely absurd. When you get older, and especially of children,… all of a sudden you start thinking back to what your parents taught you and what you rebelled against. And suddenly it makes sense and you teach it to your kids. And a couple of years they will rebel. It's the same cycle.”

When asked about his belief in God, Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I believe in God and I believe, therefore, in the opposite: the devil and evil forces. Everyone has their own interpretation of that. Some people think the devil-they take the D away and you have evil. Is there something up in the clouds? Probably not. But we, as people, are much better off if we do believe in good and evil.”

(Source: What Hollywood Believes by Ray Comfort).

Kurt Cobain (1967 – 1994): Lead Singer of the grunge band Nirvana. As a teenager he lived with a Christian family (The Reeds) but then drifted into Buddhism and Jain. Kurt had numerous drug and health problems. Committed suicide with a shotgun. (Source:
www.mahalo.com/answers/what-do-you-know-about-kurt-cobain). If only Kurt had reached out to Jesus Christ for healing and medical attention just think of the impact he would have had on the music industry for Christ.

George Carlin (1937-2008): Actor, Comedian. Attended the Catholic Corpus Christi School and lost his faith due to their failures as an ever increasing liberal / progressive institution, “…by eighth grade, many of us had lost the faith. Because they made questioners out of us, and they really didn’t have any answers.” (Source: 7Dirty Words by James Sullivan). In and out of drug and alcohol rehab numerous times Carlin despised faith and expressed it in his work for decades. He died of heart failure at age 71. If only those of the Corpus Christi school have been able to answer George Carlin's questions from an apologetics perspective. Just imagine George Carlin's comedy and its impact on winning people to Christ.

Jeff Conaway (1950 – 2011): Actor best known for popular film Grease, and television series’ Taxi, Babylon 5 and Celebrity Rehab. Appeared on an Entertainment Tonight (type) show and discussed his conversion to Christianity. Shortly afterward fell into addiction through pain pills. He overdosed, developed pneumonia and his life support was pulled. (Source: eonline.com). Jeff was a talented actor. Who knows what he could have done for multiple faith-based theater groups that needed his talent and direction.

Walt Disney (1901-1966): “Thus, whatever success I have had in bringing clean, informative entertainment to people of all ages, I attribute in great part to my Congregational upbringing and my lifelong habit of prayer.” This giant of animation and theme parks died in 1966 of lung cancer. Unfortunately the Disney company has long-strayed from these sentiments of its founder and own networks that feature anti-Bible documentaries. (Source: DisneyDreamer.com). If Walt could've lived into the 70s who knows how his direction could have changed the current anti-faith Disney stance.

Chris Farley (1964-1997): Actor / Comedian. Best known for his roles on Saturday Night Live and Tommy Boy. Was an overtly devout Catholic, never missed a Mass, but battled weight, depression and addiction issues. Chris died after a drug binge with a Prostitute in Chicago’s John Hancock building. Chris was set to play the lead role in a film about the doomed silent star Fatty Arbuckle. Chris’ heart for faith could have propelled him into impacting the comedy industry towards a more faith friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately we'll never know.

Peter Jennings (1938-2005): ABC News Anchor for forty years plus. Jennings created the impressive JFK assassination documentary Beyond Conspiracy. Although Jennings believed that religion was largely under-reported (Peter Jennings: A Reporters Life by Kate Darnton, p. 179…) and tried to increase its visibility he failed.

Jennings work contributed largely to an increase in anti-faith sentiments and strained the beliefs of some historically uniformed Christians via his two ABC specials The Search for Jesus and Jesus and Paul: The Word and the Witness. The vast majority of the historical scholars interviewed were clearly liberal / progressive thinkers and denied basic beliefs of Christianity (Judas was fictional, Jesus had an identity crisis, no burial / resurrection etc.) ---> (Karen Armstrong; James Strange; Marcus J. Borg; Daniel Schwartz; Paula Fredriksen; N.T. Wright; John Dominic Crossan; Father Jerome Murphy O‘Connor; Marvin W. Meyer; Arthur J. Dewey; Luke Timothy Johnson; John Shelby Spong; Father Edward Dillon; Robert Funk; Pamela Eisenbaum; Reverent Calvin O. Butts III; Albert Baumgarten; Elaine Pagels; E.P. Sanders; Rodney Stark; Alan F. Segal; Rev. Robin Griffith-Jones; Richard A. Horsley; Ed Reinhart).

A few conservative scholars such as Ben Whitherington III and Paul Maier were included. (I’m pacified how about you?).

Though I believe Peter Jennings had the best of intentions concerning faith he needed to balance out his programs with equal time towards conservative and liberal opinion concerning biblical issues. Peter Jennings, raised an Anglican, died of Lung Cancer at age 67.

Sam Kinison (1952-1992): Comedian, Actor, Former Preacher.

Quotes…

"It all goes back to Jesus... he's got to be up in heaven freaking out all the interpretations of things they say he said. He didn't even know he was the son of God. As soon as he was born, as soon as he could speak the language, his mother said, you are the son of God. When you were born the Angels came, and the star stood in one place, the wise men brought gifts, and the whole world waiting for you to come and do great things.' "Sam replied in a sweet voice of a baby: "really? Me? Are you sure?'

"Everyone but Joseph. Joseph walking around going, 'yeah, you better be the son of God, I tell you that. You had better be him, little Mister. And you better be the only son of God!'

Sam spoke here is Joseph, a jealous husband, talking to Mary."You understand what I'm saying, honey? I have problems with running a (censored) family full of God's kids. Okay? Sure it was God, right? Did he have any ID? He just said he was an angel and you guys went in the garden? Last time I take a (censored) job out of town? I'll tell you that.'Talk about a test of the guys faith, man. He's going to work, and these (censored) (censored) are working next to him: "hey, Joseph, how the son of God, pal? Hee hee he.' And Joseph comes back home to Mary: now I'm not saying you're lying, honey, but you don't know the kind of (censored) I go through at work. So let me make sure I got this straight. An angel came... and visited you in the garden... and did you? Am I getting this right?" (Source: Brother Sam by Bill Kinison).

Sam Kinison entered the ministry after the death of his father when he was 18 years old. In the pulpit Sam stated that there was no hell, only a heaven. Apparently Sam only joined the ministry as the next in line. His true spiritual connection with Christ is unknown although behind the scenes he gave to many struggling ministries - but this tells us nothing about his spiritual state prior to his death just that he was generous. Later on Sam went into the comedy clubs and became a comedian, famous for his raw yelling routine, and became an actor. Sam was in and out of rehab and was married multiple times. In the television documentary The Dark Side of Comedy one interviewee stated that at one point in his career Sam was laying in bed in his own vomit. While driving with his fiancée in his Trans Am (clean and sober) he was killed when a truck driven by a drunk teen veered into his lane. How ironic.

If Sam Kinison had lived who knows what impact he could have had. Sam could have developed a true faith and could have impacted a new and unique brand of clean comedy.

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962): the future blonde beauty born Norma Jeane Mortenson (Marilyn Monroe) lived with a Christian family, the Bolenders, beginning in 1929. Some of her biographers have speculated that Ida and (Albert) Wayne Bolender were cruel to their foster kids but that is not the case says Marilyn’s foster sister Nancy Jeffrey who grew up in the Bolender home. Admittedly Ida was a disciplinarian but never cruel. Norma Jeane lived with the Bolenders for seven years with at least five foster siblings and was happy until her mentally disturbed mother (Gladys) came and took her away to live with her. Marilyn Monroe never settled in one place for very long and had no family life to speak of except when she was very young living with the Bolenders. This probably led in large part to her many relationship insecurities. Later on Norma Jeane's name was changed to Marilyn Monroe, she was married at least three times (one being to baseball legend Joe DiMaggio) and she became a movie star with 20th Century Fox. Plagued by the fear of inheriting mental illness Marilyn Monroe fell into drug addiction. She died alone in her home after an overdose. (Source: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborelli).

If Marilyn Monroe had lived and stayed with her foster family who knows what Marilyn's life would be today. She would probably still be alive with a faith-based family background and perhaps a Hollywood career that could branch out into faith-based projects.

Elvis Presley (1935 – 1977): Elvis was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley and he would become a music legend. Elvis grew up listening to Southern Gospel (the Blackwood Brothers) and never lost his love of it. While in Hollywood prior to a recording session or a film scene he would sit down with his Memphis Mafia and sing gospel songs, prior to one session Elvis stormed out when executives complained. Sometimes those gospel sessions would last all night. Later, Elvis hired a group to follow him around from city to city for that expressed purpose. Although Elvis had a prescription drug problem and dabbled temporarily in Eastern mysticism he never lost his first love for Christianity. Prior to his death Rex Humbard and his wife met with Elvis backstage, they prayed together and Elvis wept. Elvis Presley never considered himself “The King.” At Notre Dame University concert a large banner was held up in the audience that said, “Elvis you’re the King” and Elvis pointed his finger at the group holding the banner and said, “No, Jesus Christ is the King.” Undoubtedly Elvis had a terrible prescription drug problem that led in part to his death at Graceland but it is also believed that Elvis died of a heart attack. Apparently his mother's family medical history included heart attacks by men in their 40’s and 50’s.
(Sources: He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley and Down at the End of Lonely Street by Peter Harry Brown).

I have no doubt that Elvis Presley would have more than likely branched out into gospel music full-time. Elvis never liked doing the hits but he did them because that's what the audience expected from him but he did incorporate gospel songs into his performances.

Freddie Prinze (1954-1977): Comedian, Actor. The New York born “Looooking Goood” Freddie Prinze (Pruetzel) shot to the top of the comedy profession, a feat that would take others decades to achieve. As a child he struggled with asthma and became gravely ill until God healed him via Oral Roberts' ministry. Years later his mother would write a book called The Freddie Prinze Story in which she stated that at one time Freddie wanted to go into the ministry. He is best known for his popular television series Chico and the Man and his appearances on the Tonight Show and in comedy clubs. Freddie struggled with an addiction to fame, pills and handguns. Freddie Prinze shot himself in his apartment as he sat across from his business manager Dusty Snyder in 1977 shortly after his breakup with his wife in which she had custody of their son. Freddie died the following morning. (Source: The Freddie Prinze Story by Maria Preutzel and John Barbour).

If Freddie Prinze had lived and decided to leave the acting profession perhaps he would have been a counselor to the stars concerning depression and drug abuse. Perhaps he would've been behind the scenes as a director. Perhaps Freddie would have gone into the ministry and used all of his talents to benefit the next generation of talent.

Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991): the creator of Star Trek grew up in a Baptist church. According to Gene Roddenberry his mother was very religious and they went to church every Sunday. In The Humanist (April 1991, page 6) he stated, “I guess I was around 14 and emerging as a personality… I listened to the sermon, and I remember complete astonishment because they are talking about things that were just crazy. It was communion time, where you eat this wafer and are supposed to be eating the body of Christ and drinking his blood. My first impression was, “this is a bunch of cannibals…’ I guess from the time it was cleared to me that religion was largely nonsense-largely magical, superstitious things.” Gene Roddenberry is obviously clueless about the idea of transubstantiation in that the wafer and wine are merely symbolic. During the beginning stages of Star Trek it was brought up by some that the Enterprise should have a chaplain on the board and Gene Roddenberry replied, “No, we don’t.” Gene Roddenberry died of heart failure.

Some who've grown up in the church for whatever reason decide faith is not for them. It seems to me that Gene Roddenberry didn't research the issue of Communion / transubstantiation in order to understand the concept, he simply walked away. With Gene Roddenberry's talents as a writer he could have encouraged an entire generation of faith-based writers to write fantasy and sci-fi from a faith perspective.

John Lennon (1940-1980): Raised by his aunt and uncle this future Beatle would grow into an angry adult. Soon after John and his estranged mother Julia began to develop a strong relationship his mother was struck and killed by a drunk off-duty policeman in an automobile. John's father was away from the family most of the time as a seaman. During the rise of the Beatles John impregnated his girlfriend Cynthia and they were married. Once the Beatles became internationally popular John had no time for Cynthia or their son Julian because he was always on the road or in the studio. In February of 1966 John Lennon gave an interview to the London Evening Standard in which Maureen Cleave asked John his views, if any, on organized religion. John said, “Christianity will go. It will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that. I write now be proved right. We are more popular than Jesus now. I don't know which will go first - rock 'n roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary.” Later on while John was high he would claim to be Jesus Christ (The Love You Make by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines and The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz). Later on John would marry Yoko Ono and have a son named Sean. In 2011 it was reported that John Lennon prior to his death in 1980 converted to Christianity in 1977 and he had correspondence with Oral Roberts. John Lennon was shot and killed by a mentally deranged fan named Mark David Chapman after an evening recording session outside of his apartment in New York City. John Lennon was 40 years old.

If John Lennon was converted in 1977 and he maintained his faith don't be surprised to see him sitting under a tree with an acoustic guitar in heaven rewriting the lyrics to Imagine.