Actor Alan Ritchson Defends Christianity Following Viral Satanist TikTok
By Movieguide® Contributor
Actor Alan Ritchson recently defended Christianity in an Instagram video after a well-known TikToker declared that God doesn’t answer prayers.
Jessie Jarma created a TikTok video criticizing Christians who believe God answers prayers.
“There’s a video making its rounds where a girl on TikTok confidently eviscerates a Christian for believing in prayer and ultimately concludes that God is evil,” said Ritchson. He then played Jarma’s video, which began with a clip of a woman declaring that God answered her prayer.
Jarma, a Satanist, said, “I live in the Bible Belt, and I see people talk like this all day long on the internet. For one, God cannot answer prayers because that would be interfering with free will.”
She went on to express that, even if God did answer prayers, she believes that would be a problem because people continue to suffer, concluding that “God is evil.”
While her video received many views, Ritchson was more concerned that people in the comments did not question Jarma’s point—God interferes with free will by answering prayer.
The HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE star exclaimed, “But that’s not only theologically unsound. It’s…the point.”
“The point of prayer is to build a relationship with this all-powerful, all-knowing deity who desires to interfere with our lives,” the REACHER star added. “I pray all the time that God interfere with my life in a way that aligns the path that I walk with his will.”
Ritchson explained that when people pray, God does not treat them like puppets, forcing them to abide by his rules. Rather God wants to bless people by helping them follow Him.
The actor quoted Jeremiah 33:3, which reads, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Ritchson addressed Jarma’s claim that God picks who he blesses.
“That’s a bigger conversation, but that’s exactly right. God will enter into an individualistic relationship with us. There’s also a corporate body, church relationship,” he said.
“Basically, this comment is referring to the pain and suffering that lives in the world, the problem of evil,” the actor said. “But it is also God’s free will to decide when to intervene with the problems that we see in the world.”
Jessica Lea with Church Leaders reported, “The truth is, said Ritchson, that we all look for meaning and purpose in many places, but God is the source of abundance and life. ‘God can’t help but bring life and abundance,’ he said. ‘It is the nature of God.’ And ‘prayer helps draw us to that place where he can give us the things that we truly, deeply desire.’”
Movieguide® previously reported on Ritchson’s new movie ORDINARY ANGELS:
ORDINARY ANGELS will tell the “incredible true story of a struggling hairdresser who single-handedly rallies an entire community to help a widowed father save the life of his critically ill young daughter,” said the Kingdom Story Company.
In the winter of 1994, the town of Louisville was shut down when a catastrophic winter storm dumped two feet of snow when only two inches were predicted. The storm killed two people; ORDINARY ANGELS tells the story of how a child’s life was saved.
The movie will star Hilary Swank (MILLION DOLLAR BABY, LOGAN LUCKY) and Alan Ritchson (REACHER, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE) and will be directed by Jon Gunn (THE CASE FOR CHRIST).
