Carrey has struggled with depression, and in the past has said (among other things),
- “I’m a Buddhist, I’m a Christian, I’m a Muslim, I’m whatever you want me to be. It all comes down to the same thing. You’re in a loving place or you’re in an unloving place, if you’re with me right now you cannot be unhappy, it’s not possible.”
But what about this more recent video? Has he encountered Christ? Or is he speaking from a Buddhist perspective? (I say he is speaking as a Buddhist.) His claim about suffering leading to salvation (grace) is very Biblical (see here). Here is Jim discussing the issue at HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES:
BTW, Father Gregory Boyle could be a fan of THOMAS MERTON… another “taboo” in my mind’s eye.
…Jim Carrey was raised a Catholic. He later switched to Presbyterian and attended church in early 1990s. He has been connected to Kabbala, Scientology, Christianity, and Transcendentalism.
But Jim Carrey has been opaque about his religious beliefs. Recently he has spoken about God and faith. In particular, he focused on forgiveness. Demonstrated by a speech he gave at HomeBoy Industries, a rehabilitation program for convicted felons. The speech has been seen 184,000 times.
He mentioned God, but his message was about forgiving oneself in order to be able to have a full life. He does not preach nor mention a particular denomination while giving the speech. He also talked about God in a short video he made about painting. He mentions searching for God and how it influences his art.
This led to several groups claiming that he was clearly demonstrating a deep faith in Christianity. But let’s not get carried away. He has mentioned Jesus as an inspirational figure, but he has also used Buddha and the works of Eckhart Tolle, a famous New Age philosophy as significant figures in his personal and spiritual journey. “I’m a Buddhist, I’m a Muslim, I’m a Christian. I’m whatever you want me to be. It all comes down to the same thing.”
[….]
He mentioned God, but his message was about forgiving oneself in order to be able to have a full life. He does not preach nor mention a particular denomination while giving the speech. He also talked about God in a short video he made about painting. He mentions searching for God and how it influences his art.
This led to several groups claiming that he was clearly demonstrating a deep faith in Christianity. But let’s not get carried away. He has mentioned Jesus as an inspirational figure, but he has also used Buddha and the works of Eckhart Tolle, a famous New Age philosophy as significant figures in his personal and spiritual journey. “I’m a Buddhist, I’m a Muslim, I’m a Christian. I’m whatever you want me to be. It all comes down to the same thing.”
It empowers groups to claim to have an A-list celebrity as a member. It creates visibility and appeals to a particular faith. But an individual’s faith is a deeply personal issue. We should not put labels on someone because it is convenient. It disregards their understanding and does not properly acknowledge an understanding. Respect for an individual is what Jim Carrey speaks about. Shouldn’t we listen a little better?
Here is more of Jim Carry trying to convince one mind through his mind that no mind’s exist”
Jim Carrey explains to the tee the Buddhist philosophy as proposed by ALAN WATTS in this following explanation of the above: