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Even before the infamous Oscars slap in the face, Will Smith was probably the most famous movie star in the world. Starting out as a rapper turned comedian on the hit NBC sitcom The prince of Bel-Airhis ridiculous likeability catapulted him to stardom and a career as a top man.
Fame is a strange animal and for some reason the more famous you are the more people want to know every detail of your life, sordid or not. Example: Many people are curious about Smith’s religious affiliations and whether he is tied to a specific religion or not. Let’s find out.
Is Will Smith a Scientologist?
There is a persistent rumor that Smith is a Scientologist who comes from several different places. First, there are claims that Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith ran a secret school of Scientology. Many teachers affiliated with the now closed New Village Leadership Academy said it was “essentially a school of Scientology”.
One of the school’s founders, Jacqueline Olivier, said that while there were no explicit instructions for teaching religion, many teachers were followers. Olivier also said that she had been asked to participate in “technology study” courses based on Scientology.
“There were pictures of L. Ron Hubbard on the walls. And in the study technology book there was a picture of [Hubbard] and a whole mini-biography of his life, and that was the first thing [kids] had to say clearly – above all. I mean, it was total Scientology. There is no doubt,” Olivier said.
Pinkett Smith has vehemently denied these claims.
“All I can say is this is not a Scientology school,” Pinkett Smith said in Ebony magazine. “Now, if you don’t trust me and question my integrity, that’s a whole different matter. It’s downright wrong to think that I would bring families to this educational institution and then try to get them to convert to a religion.
It happened around the same time former Scientologist Leah Remini said she spotted Jada at the Scientology center. Jada responded by saying yes, she studied religion but that doesn’t mean she follows it.
“I’ve prayed in mosques all over the world…but I’m not a Muslim,” Jada tweeted. “I have read the Bhagavad Gita… but I am not a Hindu…. I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth…but I am not a Buddhist…. I studied Dianetics and appreciate the merits of Study Tech…but I’m not a Scientologist.
“We were never Scientologists…” Smith said on an appearance on Red table discussion.
Is Will Smith a Christian?
Smith has been quite open about his Christian faith. He invoked God quite heavily in his Oscar acceptance speech after slapping comedian Chris Rock in the face after a prank at his wife’s expense.
“Richard Williams was a fierce advocate for his family. At this time in my life, right now, I am overwhelmed with what God is calling me to do and be in this world,” he said. More late in the speech he said “Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, he said to me, ‘At the highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.
In an interview with The pos christianyouSmith said her faith played a huge role in her life.
“You can’t get where I’m going if you don’t love the Lord, you can’t sit like I sit, move like I move if you don’t love the Lord. You would see a lot of other repercussions,” Smith said.
Where does Will Smith’s faith come from?
The independence day The actor said there was one special person who instilled his faith in him: his grandmother.
“My grandmother was really my connection to God. She was my spiritual teacher, she was that grandma at church, the one who had the kids doing the Easter presentations and putting on the Christmas plays and her kids and grandkids had to be first. She was the most spiritually certain person I have ever met in my life. Even to the point that when she was dying she was happy, like she was really excited about going to heaven.
