The Church of Satan Sent Praise Christian Bale's Way — but What Is the Actor's Own Religion?
"I think [Moses] was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life," he said.
Published June 14 2024, 12:35 p.m. ET
“Thank you, Satan," Christian Bale said in 2019 at Golden Globes Award which prompted the Catholic League to write a scathing about the actor. Since then, his religion has been a topic of conversation and confusion.
Christian, known best for his role as Batman, doesn't shy away from controversy and speaking his mind. A look at his views on faith explain more about his life.
What is Christian Bale's religion?
The actor's comments were simply more nuanced as he was thanking the devil for giving him some ideas on how to play former vice president Dick Cheney in the movie Vice. In fact, he meant the comment more as a diss toward the politician, calling him "absolutely charisma-free and reviled by everybody."
Christian's acceptance speech may have bothered some, but the Church of Satan was ecstatic. "To us, Satan is a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism, and it serves as an external metaphorical projection of our highest personal potential,” the church tweeted.
“Bale’s Dark Knight era Batman is the best Batman ever," they added.
The Church of Satan recognizes the biblical figure as more of a concept, empowering individuals to "be their own god," according to their website. In fact, they're atheists at their core.
However, Christian has never publicly committed to the Church of Satan nor indicated that he is under the same beliefs. On the other hand, he also hasn't really said much about his religion in general.
He's been critical of some messages and stories in the bible, too. He read the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran in preparation for his role in 2014's Exodus where he played Moses which led him to have a negative few on the biblical figure.
"I think the man was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life. He's a very troubled and tumultuous man who fought greatly against God, against his calling," he said in 2014, according to the Huffington Post.
He also admitted to not being raised surrounded by religion or set view points on faith. "I always pictured Jesus as Neil Diamond when I was younger. My upbringing was not a religious one, but an inquisitive one. My father was best friends with the bishop and fascinated by religion. I would come back from church, and my dad would put on Neil Diamond," said Christian, according to BreatheCast.
He added: "So, I would always picture Neil Diamond with a big white beard, standing in a tunic and preaching to masses of people... I do go to church on occasion, but I don't adhere to any particular religion. His [Jesus'] basic message of encompassing all people was a great one."
All of his comments over the years bothered the Catholic League so much they even slammed him further on their blog, writing: "This guy has some real issues. In 2008, he was accused of assaulting his mother and his sister, the kind of thing even Satanists would be reluctant to applaud. It now becomes obvious why he was chosen to star in the 2000 movie, American Psycho. That was a natural for him. What’s next is anyone’s guess."
