10 Celebrities Who Grew Up Mormon

Fairly a number of celebrities have revealed that they had been raised in a religious Mormon family, the place they had been taught to abstain from many issues seen as sinful, like alcohol, tobacco, medicine and same-sex relationships. Whereas most of those stars have now taken completely different paths and left these beliefs prior to now, they nonetheless view their Mormon upbringing as an essential a part of who they’re.

Discover out what these stars needed to say about their Mormon childhood…

Amy Adams was raised within the Mormon church till her dad and mom obtained divorced when she was 11-years-old. Trying again, Amy says she was too younger after they left to have actually developed a “sturdy spiritual pull in direction of the church” and for her, it felt extra like they had been leaving a group.

“I grew up as a Mormon and that had extra of an affect on my values than my beliefs,” she advised The Telegraph. “I’m afraid I’ll at all times really feel the burden of a lie. I’m very laborious on myself anyway. Spiritual guilt carries over, too. You possibly can’t actually misbehave with out feeling badly about it — not less than I can’t…What I nonetheless really feel and depend on from that sort of educating, is how one can deliver a variety of pleasure to the folks round you by being optimistic and hopeful.”

Musician Benson Boone grew up as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints however admits he by no means actually resonated with the faith. Trying again on his youthful years, he says he by no means had the identical experiences as different folks within the church.

“Rising up, lots of people at church would speak about these experiences that they’ve had and these private revelations and emotions and voices,” he advised Rolling Stone. “I by no means felt it as bodily current as they did, and so I used to be at all times confused and annoyed. I used to be at all times scared to deliver that as much as folks as a result of I simply didn’t need to settle for that, like, I wasn’t feeling what everybody else was feeling.”

Benson admits that he struggled along with his ideas till lastly opening as much as a good friend who really felt the identical approach. He now doesn’t need to be restricted to only one faith and has his “personal opinions” gathered from varied religions and beliefs.

Katherine Heigl was raised Mormon whereas rising up in Connecticut. Trying again, she says her dad and mom discovered the faith whereas they had been coping with the lack of her older brother, who was killed in a automotive accident. Katherine was simply seven-years-old on the time her dad and mom transformed and has optimistic recollections of the church. Whereas she not considers herself part of faith, she introduced some practices into her grownup life, like her choice to not reside along with her husband Josh Kelley earlier than they obtained married.

“That [Mormon] construction and self-discipline was actually good for me,” she advised Good Housekeeping. “I had a childhood that was a childhood. I listened to my dad and mom. I revered the principles.”

When Jewel was born in 1974, her dad and mom had been working towards Mormons and her father Antz was attending Brigham Younger College. After commencement, the household moved to Alaska and Jewel was raised in a spiritual family till her dad and mom divorced when she was eight-years-old. After her mom moved away from the household, her father was left to boost Jewel and her two brothers, and issues modified drastically. When Antz ultimately obtained one other girl pregnant out of wedlock, he was excommunicated from the church.

“I grew up in a really conventional Mormon household. However all the pieces modified when my mother left. My dad began ingesting and being bodily abusive, so like hitting us, and that’s what brought on me to maneuver out [at 15],” she advised Folks. “He was in a variety of rage and a variety of yelling.”

David Archuleta grew up in Utah and was part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He even took a hiatus from the music business to go on a mission journey to Chile. However as an grownup, David says he started to have a “religion disaster” whereas determining his sexuality and his involvement within the church — and it led to despair and suicidal ideas.

“Within the church, they are saying homosexuality is a sin, it’s of the satan. I’d assume, ‘Oh, my gosh, I don’t need to be of the satan. So let me maintain praying and fasting and making an attempt to be obedient,” he advised NBC Information. “I believed ending my life can be higher than changing into evil for permitting myself to fall in love with the identical intercourse.”

Shortly after popping out as queer, David started the method of making an attempt to reconcile his id with the church’s beliefs. After having many conversations with church leaders about faith’s views on the LGBTQ group, he and his mom ultimately determined to depart in 2022.

“Now, I simply need to present those who I left the church and I’m completely satisfied,” David mentioned. “Quite a lot of instances, if you’re in a extra closed-off group, folks attempt to make you are feeling like should you depart, you’re not going to be completely satisfied. However I’m happier the place I’m. I’m quite a bit happier.”

Ryan Gosling was raised in a small city in Canada and his household had been working towards Mormons. Within the early 2000s, Ryan referred to as himself “spiritual however nondenominational” and acknowledged that being Mormons was nonetheless a fantastic sense of delight for his mom and sister. However wanting again later in life, Ryan shared that his household weren’t as religious as they was.

“We had been introduced up fairly spiritual,” he advised The Guardian. “My mom admits it. She says, ‘You had been raised by a spiritual zealot.’ She’s completely different now, however on the time, it was part of all the pieces – what they ate, how they thought.”

Siblings Derek and Julianne Hough, together with many different Dancing With The Stars professionals, had been raised in Utah as part of the Mormon religion. Whereas Derek and Julianne are not working towards Mormons, Julianne appears again fondly on that point in her life. She says she remembers household nights and spending time with the various different youngsters who had been a part of the church.

“It’s what it was. I didn’t know any completely different. I cherished the social facet, that was sort of how I used to be often known as a child — going into church and sitting on all people’s lap and giving all people hugs at, like, three. I used to be the little greeter,” she shared on the Armchair Knowledgeable podcast.

Julianne added that she recollects downsides to the faith as nicely, together with the overarching attempt for perfectionism. Girls particularly had been made to “observe the principles and obey and do all the pieces” to make it possible for your “household is one of the best and most excellent so as to serve God and your husband as a result of he’s the one answerable for offering.” Julianne ultimately left the faith.

Eliza Dushku grew up within the Mormon church the place politician Mitt Romney really served as her bishop. As of 2012, she says she doesn’t take into account herself to be “very Mormon,” significantly due to the faith’s stance on the LGBTQ+ group — however she is grateful for her upbringing within the church.

“There’ll at all times be that a part of me that’s Mormon,” she advised The Salt Lake Tribune.

Panic! on the Disco frontman Brendon Urie was raised in “a really, very strictly spiritual family” as a part of the Mormon religion however started rebelling when he was an adolescent. Trying again, he says he needed to sit down along with his dad and mom when he was 16 and inform them that he had been going wild with out their information — partying, doing medicine and going to strip golf equipment. Whereas he walked away from the religion, he says there “is a lot instilled in [him] from rising up Mormon” and it nonetheless influences his music.

“I nonetheless use a variety of good values from rising up within the Church, and there was a way of group. However you had been additionally being closely judged by those who needed to look down on you for not being as nice as they’re,” Brendon mentioned. “And that’s not the sense I get once I’m touring and simply in music generally. So assembly followers and interacting with different bands has grow to be a brand new faith to me, one which’s overwhelmingly stunning and enlightening.”

Think about Dragons singer Dan Reynolds grew up in a “actually conservative” Mormon family. He even attended Brigham Younger College and served a mission in Omaha, Nebraska. However he not considers himself part of the Mormon religion and admits that he “at all times struggled” with faith. Trying again, he says he spent his 20s and early 30s “actually indignant” at faith, as he felt he’d “been duped.”

“There’s clearly components of the Mormon faith that I really feel fairly strongly are dangerous, particularly to our homosexual youth,” he advised Folks. “At instances I really feel fairly remoted from my household, however I additionally love them and am near them and see them, and there’s no animosity there. I’m on a special path. I’ve to like myself sufficient to observe my fact.”

He continued, “[I] noticed a variety of the hurt that got here from it for me personally, nevertheless it additionally appeared to work extremely nicely for my household, and so they’re all wholesome, completely satisfied people. As I’ve gotten older, I am not indignant about it anymore. If one thing works for somebody, that’s actually fantastic and uncommon, and I don’t need to mess with it.”