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.
Popular American actress, comedian, and one of the pioneers of early television in the United States, Betty Marion White was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1922. Betty was recognized as one of the first women to work in front and behind the camera, producing and starring in many television shows and series.
Betty White’s pre-eminent career lasted for about seven decades and was one of the oldest careers in the American entertainment scene. White is notable for her vast body of work and was the first woman to produce a Sitcom. She was the producer and also a character in the Sitcom, “Life with Elizabeth” which aired from 1953-1955. Other notable works by the actress are; The Golden Girls (1985-1992), The Golden Palace (1992-1993), Hot in Cleveland (2010-2015), The Betty White Show (1952-1977), and a host of others.
Betty White was married thrice and her final marriage to Allen Luden lasted till he died in 1981. Betty didn’t remarry afterward and had no children of her own except the three stepchildren Luden had with his first wife.
Before she died in 2021, White in the course of her career had a plethora of awards including; five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Daytime Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy, two Viewers for Quality Television Awards, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. Betty White was named the first and only woman to receive an Emmy in all performing comedic categories.
Since her death, there have been an increasing number of people trying to find out what Betty White believed in. This article will explore various sources to provide an answer to the question: Is Betty White a Christian?
Is Betty White Religious?
By way of definition, The Free Dictionary defines a religious person as someone who manifests devotion to a deity. He or she is a member of a religious institution or belongs to a community where members hold common beliefs and publicly express those beliefs.
A religious person is in alliance with a particular religious group and follows the principles and laws of that group. The beliefs of a religious person are usually predefined and they are required to sternly uphold those beliefs. In today’s society, people are labeled religious because they have been able to fulfill the outward and materialistic requirements of their faith.
Once a person strictly carries out certain rites, upholds laws, and participates in activities like frequently going to church or praying in a mosque, society tags such a person as “religious,” even when these actions occur without inward devotion or faith in the religion.
Betty White was identified as “spiritual” rather than religious because she attended Unity Church, a “spiritual” philosophical movement that has its root in the “New Thought Movement” and is a mix of spiritism, Christianity, and some Eastern religions. The movement was popular in the late 19th century.
Does Betty White believe in God?
After her death, various tittle-tattle filled the air and media space. Some assumed that the nonagenarian had gone to be with God while others claimed that she was an unbeliever and won’t be going to heaven.
Betty White was said to be a member of the Unity Church, a branch of Christianity that holds a pantheistic view of God. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, Pantheism means showing or holding a belief in many or all gods, or the belief that God exists in and is the same as all things, animals, and people within the universe.
Pantheists believe that the universe as a whole is God, that there is no God but combined substance, forces, and laws that are manifested in the existing universe. Unlike Christianity which believes God created the universe, Pantheism holds the belief that the universe is equal to God, the divine being, and is uncreated. Pantheism does not recognize a personal God, but all gods available in the universe.
Since Betty White believes in the theology of the Unity Church, this means that she does not believe in one God but in every supernatural being or god in the universe.
Is Betty White a Christian?
Several reports reveal that Betty White was born to Christian parents but practiced her faith at Unity Church which is also a Christian-based faith. Unity Church, initially known as the Unity School of Christianity is rooted in the “New Thought Movement” and blends Christianity with spiritism, positive thinking, and some other Eastern religions.
Unity was popular in the late 19th century and some people still hold beliefs in the religion to date. Unity Church was founded by Charles and Myrtle Filmore in 1889 in Kansas City, Missouri, and has a projected membership of one million people worldwide.
Unity Church believes in diversity and is free of any racial, gender, creed, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or origin bias. While Christianity outrightly forbids any sexual orientation apart from heterosexuality, Unity welcomes it. This backs up the reason Betty White was an ardent supporter and advocate of LGBT rights. In 2010, she publicly stated:
“If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”
Betty also fought for racial equality and this buttresses the fact that she upholds her religious beliefs. The Unity church holds worship services and partially practices baptism and communion unlike in Christianity where baptism and communion are sacrosanct. Unity church does not refer to the atonement of Jesus Christ and to Jesus Christ as the son of God, Saviour, or Messiah. The church teaches that the spirit of God lives in Jesus Christ just as it is in everyone on earth.
Contrary to Christian churches, the church does not believe in the Holy Spirit and postulates that heaven and hell are not places but a state of mind. Unity churches believe in the divinity of Jesus and that he is a great example of God in physical form. The five basic principles of the Unity Church are;
- God is all there is and present everywhere. This is the force of love and wisdom that underlies all of existence.
- Human beings are divine at their core and therefore inherently good.
- Thoughts have the creative power to determine events and attract experiences.
- Prayer and meditation keep us aligned with the one great power in the universe.
- It is not enough to understand spiritual teachings. We must live the Truth we know.
The Unity church describes itself as a positive practical Christianity that teaches members the effective daily application of the principles of truth and promotes a way of life that brings prosperity, longevity, good health, and happiness. The movement has no dogma, rites, or creed but believes that every religion is good in its approach to God.
Unity is a diversified religious group and Betty White was a part of this moment. She supports some views that oppose Christian beliefs and has been identified as a member of the Unity Church and as such we do not think she is a Christian.
Is Betty White Baptized?
There are no reports of Betty White being baptized nor did the comic actress disclose any information on her baptism. Also, she belongs to a church where baptism is not considered sacrosanct. Many Unity churches do not practice baptism, so there is every tendency that Betty White was not baptized.
What did Betty White say about Jesus?
As someone that did not make a lot of comments about religion, Betty had not publicly said anything about Jesus Christ. There are no interviews, events, or other gatherings where she commented on Jesus, so we do not have any information on this. As someone who was not a devotee of Christianity, it might be rare for her to have acknowledged or made statements about Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Betty White had a well-deserved popularity because apart from being one of the pioneers of early television programming in the US and starring in a myriad of television series in her over 60 years career, the actress had supported about 30 charities, ranging from the American Heart Association to the Red Cross, Special Olympics, Morris Animal foundation among others.
Before her death, Betty White attributed her long life to consistently drinking vodka and eating hot dogs. She came under attack by a lot of Christians who believe that God is the giver of life for this comment and after her death, many judged that the actress will not make heaven because she belonged to a congregation that did not believe in the existence of heaven and hell and did not conform to many Christian tenets. Betty White did not identify with pure Christianity, rather she belonged to another movement the “Unity Church” and because of this, we do not consider the actress a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove