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Actor Russell Brand on Why He Believes Google Searches for Prayer Spiked

Photo via Russell Brand on Facebook

Actor Russell Brand on Why He Believes Google Searches for Prayer Spiked

By Tess Farrand, Associate Content Editor

British actor and comedian Russell Brand said that he believes Google searches for “prayer” have spiked because people are longing for a “sacred experience.”

“We are looking for a sacred experience,” Brand said. “We’ve been forced into a monastic corner.”

As of this writing, Brand’s video has over 200 shares on Facebook.

Despite his assertions, Brand’s video seems to be more spiritual than anchored in Christianity. The video even includes obscenities.

The Christian Post reported, “Although thought to have been a newly converted Christian after his recovery from drug and alcohol and his 2017 book, titled Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions,  Brand shared in 2019 that he is a Perennial and embraces all religions.”

“I suppose a lot of us are getting confronted with a different type of reality all of a sudden ain’t we?” Brand asked rhetorically on the video.

Consider what God tells the Israelites in Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV), “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

The “sacred experience” Brand refers to can only be eternally satisfied in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The HOP actor concluded his 6-minute video by sharing how he prays. Though he did acknowledge God, he didn’t pray in Jesus’s name.

At one point, Brand found solace in the Christian life.

Relevant magazine followed Brand’s journey to Christianity:

“My route to spirituality comes through addiction, so it comes from desperation and fear and this sort of defeat, destruction, annihilation of self in a very humiliating way, I suppose,” he explains. “So, I had no choice but to embrace spiritual life, but now I am grateful for this. It makes sense of my life.”

Brand realized that cultivating a spiritual life could help free himself from the strongholds of addictions by treating the root causes of the pain he’d attempted to dull with drugs. And being raised in the U.K.—a traditionally Christian country—he turned to the Christianity. He began implementing spiritual practices every day.

“Because I come from a Christian culture, a lot of the language of prayer that I use is Christian,” he explains. “I say the Lord’s Prayer every day. I try to connect to what those words mean. I connect to what the Father means. I connect to what wholeness means to me. I think about the relationship between forgiveness and being forgiven and the impossibility of redemption until you are willing to forgive and let go.”

Hopefully Brand’s awareness of Christian foundations like the Lord’s prayer will redirect his gaze back to solely Jesus.

As people continue to seek and search on the Internet, pray that the Holy Spirit would guide them to the truth of Jesus Christ.

*Editor’s Note: Many of Brand’s movies like GET HIM TO THE GREEK and ROCK OF AGES contain lewd content and plenty of foul language. However, the actor has also used his comedic talents in the family-friendly DESPICABLE ME movies. It’s so important to exercise discernment so that you and your family have a well-rounded awareness of what you choose to watch, including movies that feature Brand.

Posted by Russell Brand on Saturday, February 29, 2020

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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.