Answer: No
Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
New York Jets quarterback and founder of itsAaron.com, Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American Football Player for the New York Jets of the NFL. Rodgers who’s currently 39 was born in December 1983 in Chico, California.
Rodgers started his football career playing for his college team, Butte Community College in 2002. Due to his good sports and academic records, Aaron Rodgers was transferred to the University of California, Berkeley where he played for the California Golden Bears and had a good record.
Rodgers is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and because of his magnificent skills, he was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2005 by the Green Bay Packers where he played for over 15 years.
Rodgers has had a good run in the NFL right from his days with Green Bay Packers till his recruitment into New York Jets in 2023. The quarterback has an impressive number of awards and career highlights including; 10x Pro Bowls, Super Bowl Champion(XLV), 4x NFL Most Valuable Player, 4x First Team All-Pro, NFL Completion Percentage Leader(2020), and Bart Starr Award(2014) amongst others.
Apart from his football career, Rodgers also makes frequent media appearances. His feature in a commercial for State Farm Insurance as their spokesperson, appearances in an episode of The Office (2013), an episode of Game of Thrones (2019), and on Pat McAfee’s radio program are some of the many TV appearances he’s made.
Aaron Rodgers is known to be very vocal about anything he believes in and often criticizes what he feels is not right. He is very expressive of his views including his personal and religious beliefs. Rodgers has linkages with Christianity and this has made fans ask questions about his Christian status. This article will provide relevant information on the status of Aaron Rodgers as a Christian.
Is Aaron Rodgers Religious?
Aaron Rodgers was raised in a religious home and had disclosed he participated in some religious activities, even though he was mostly forced by his parents to attend. Aaron attended a non-denominational church with his parents and was part of the church’s religious organization for youths, YoungLife. The athlete revealed that as he grew up, his beliefs shifted, and he had a lot of questions to ask about religion.
Aaron Rodgers recently revealed that he “is not religious at all” and has never been, even when he was forced to attend religious events. When he appeared for an interview on “Pretty Intense” in 2022, a podcast owned by his ex-girlfriend, Danica Patrick, speaking on the podcast, he made some revelations about his religious life and spirituality. In his words;
“Ultimately, it was that rules and regulations and binary systems don’t resonate with me,”
He added, “I don’t think it’s very welcoming — religion can be a crutch. It can be something that people have to make themselves feel better. And because it’s sort of binary, it’s us and them. It’s saved and unsaved. It’s heaven and hell. It’s enlightened and heathen. It’s holy and righteous and sinner and filthy. I think that makes a lot of people feel better about themselves. They say, ‘Oh, I’ve got Jesus and I’m saved and I’m going to heaven and there’s only 144,000 of us going even though there are seven billion people on the planet. “
In a 2017 interview with ESPN, Rodgers reiterated that the reason he turned away from religion was because he had a lot of questions to ask, but there never seemed to be an answer. He tried to relate his experiences to those who grew up in an organized religion like him. In his words:
“I remember asking a question as a young person about somebody in a remote rainforest because the words that I got were: ‘If you don’t confess your sins, then you’re going to hell.’ and I said, ‘What about the people who don’t have a Bible readily accessible? I think in people’s lives who grew up in some sort of organized religion, there comes a time when you start to question things more.”
Rodgers is friends with Rob Bell, an author and preacher that published a book that questions the traditional teachings about Hell “How to Be Here.” Rodgers endorsed the book and told ESPN that,
“Listing all how Rob has positively impacted my life would take up too much space; so I’ll simply say that he has inspired me to live life with a deeper level of appreciation and to love people with a greater awareness of our connectivity”
Aaron Rodgers started feeling unconnected to religion during his high school days. He disclosed that he found a different path to spirituality which he considers more fun and meaningful. Rodgers’ opposing views of religion and negative comments are seen as a slap in the face to his family who are religious and extremely committed to Christianity. Also, Aaron has been in an estranged relationship with his family for years and many assume religion has been a significant cause of the feud.
Does Aaron Rodgers believe in God?
Aaron Rodgers’ drift from organized religion and faith has raised questions about his beliefs. Rodgers also started questioning religion in high school and has even questioned the existence of God. Rodgers admitted that he was involved in some Christian activities and upheld Christian principles while growing up, but at a point, he began questioning these teachings and principles, one of which was the existence of God.
In the interview with Danica Patrick, he said, “I don’t know how you can believe in a god who wants to condemn most of the planet to a fiery hell. Like what type of loving, sensitive, omnipresent, omnipotent being wants to condemn most of his beautiful creation to a fiery hell at the end of all this?”
Rodgers had an issue with the teaching that non-believers are going to hell and this fueled his drift from God and Christianity. Aaron Rodgers has questioned people’s belief in a God that “wants to condemn most of the planet to a fiery hell” and this is proof that the quarterback does not believe in God.
Is Aaron Rodgers a Christian?
Christians believe in one God, his son Jesus Christ who was sent to die out of love on the cross for humans as an atonement for sins. They believe in the Trinity, the Holy Bible, prayer, communal worship, and other pillars and principles of the religion.
Rodgers who has never shied away from expressing his views had disclosed that he was raised in a Christian home and his parents were sheer believers in the religion. His parents, Darla and Edward Rodgers made him attend church frequently but according to Rodgers, he didn’t enjoy doing this except for being a part of the church’s youth organization. With the Youth organization, Rodgers met people who loved sports like him and they embarked on volunteer activities which were the things that interested him more in the group.
Rodgers attended a non-denominational church with his family and had imbibed some Christian principles. He attended church every Sunday and studied the Bible which he described as a beautiful piece of work. While sharing a story with ESPN Magazine in 2017, he said, “The Bible opens with a poem. It’s a beautiful piece of work, but it was never meant to be interpreted as I think some churches do”
The quarterback however ditched his religious beliefs as he grew up. According to him, he got exposed to certain things and learned other beliefs that made him question his own beliefs. He said in an interview that most Christian rules, systems of belief, and regulations did not resonate with him.
ET news reported in 2020 that some practices in the church made him lose faith in the religion. According to Rodgers, “Church on Sundays was more like, ‘Make sure you dress a certain way, don’t bring that person, this person’s going to get looked at strangely if they show up,'” he says. “I think, again, it’s very black and white in a binary sense, but I don’t think it’s very welcoming.”
He said in the Pretty Intense Podcast, “I think in people’s lives who grew up in some sort of organized religion, there comes a time when you start to question things more, It happens for some at an early age; others, you know, maybe a little older. That happened to me six or seven years ago.”
Aaron Rodgers has outrightly stated that he does not believe in Christianity or any other form of organized religion and is on a personal journey to spirituality, so we do not consider him a Christian.
Is Aaron Rodgers Baptized?
Rodgers accepted Christ when he was young and went to church frequently, all thanks to his parents. The family went to a nondenominational church, but there is no public information on if Aaron Rodgers was baptized or not.
What did Aaron Rodgers say about Jesus Christ?
As someone who grew up in a devoted Christian home, Rodgers is expected to make some statements about Jesus Christ who is the central figure of Christianity. However, the story has been different for Rodgers who ditched Christianity at an early age. He has revealed that he no longer believes in Christian teachings and principles and we’ve not found any public comment he made about Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Aaron Rodgers was born and raised in a Christian home but the New York Jets’ quarterback has long denounced Christianity. He has clearly stated that he longer believes in any form of organized religion and is on a personal spiritual journey. However, his new belief has not affected some positive attitudes he learned from the church. Rodgers was a member of a youth group in their church and joined other group members to carry out religious activities. Today, the quarterback still carries out humanitarian and charitable activities. He is the founder of itsAaron.com, a charity that creates awareness for people and organizations that are changing the world. He is also a supporter of MACC Fund and Raise Hope for Congo charitable efforts amongst others.
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