In releasing new movie, Mark Wahlberg openly shares his faith
By Bianca Smith
March 9, 2020
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Actor Mark Wahlberg has been open about his
faith over the years, speaking up for God in the tough industry that is
Hollywood.
Of all of the Hollywood stars, Wahlberg is
perhaps the less ‘Hollywood’ of them all. A tough guy with a checkered past, he
is not the type of celebrity who would take too much notice of what other
people think.
Hence, when he sat down for an interview
with the “Today” show, he was happy to share about his prayer life and why he is so outspoken
about his faith.
“I will not hide the fact that I love the Lord and I want to be committed to serving the Lord, but I also don’t jam it down anybody’s throat,” he told host Harry Smith.
“But it’s better to never have known God
than to deny God. I mean, that’s not a good look. That’s not a good look.”
Doing the PR rounds for his new movie, the
Netflix-released Spenser Confidential, Wahlberg spoke openly about his daily
prayer life and devotional practices.
“That’s the most important thing: I take a
day off, I take two days a week off from the gym now,” he said. “I don’t take a
day off from getting on my hands and my knees and reading my prayer book and my
daily devotionals and, first of all, expressing the gratitude that I have for
all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me.
“And of course, asking for the
strength and guidance to be able to use the talents and gifts that God’s given
me to help others and inspire and know what right is and to do so … to be the
best husband I can be, best father I can be.”
The actor started his career as Marky Mark,
from his career as frontman for the group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, with
whom he released the albums Music for the People (1991) and You Gotta Believe
(1992).
He has been criticized for past behavior
though. A committed Catholic, Wahlberg openly supports same-sex marriage, despite
the church’s opposition. In September 2015, he apologized to Pope Francis about
the crude jokes he made in the film Ted, and in October 2017, in a public
interview conducted by Catholic Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, stated that
he has sought forgiveness from God for portraying a porn actor in Boogie Nights.