Angelina Jolie was born in Los Angeles to two actors, one of which is Academy Award-winner Jon Voight.
Jolie's mother is a devout Catholic[1] but Jolie does not subscribe to any particular faith or denomination. In fact, if one were to describe Jolie's religious beliefs, they might say "meta-religious" or "multi-denominational." More than once, Jolie has acknowledged the importance of religion to many individuals (not her though) and pointed out that, for some, religion is very useful, saying:
I respect all religions. What I don't respect is when people use religion to attack others. I've met people across the world, in the middle of nowhere, who are just trying to survive and all they have is religion. In some way it helps them, and I wouldn't take it away from them. There are also people who use it to hate and kill. I don't consider them religious people.[2]
Jolie and husband Brad Pitt have decided to raise their many children with the same attitude. Jolie said:
Brad and I are raising our children to respect everyone. We have a bookshelf in the house that has the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, everything. We will take our children to church, temple, Buddhist ceremonies, Mosques, teaching them about all faiths. Whatever religion they choose, the choice will be theirs.[3]
Political ambiguity
Politically, Jolie is just as on the fence as she is religiously. Surprisingly, she's not a knee-jerk liberal Democrat like most of her Hollywood counterparts. In 2008, she gave both parties a fair shake, saying:
I think people assume I'm a Democrat. But I'm registered independent and I'm still undecided. So I'm looking at McCain as well as Obama.[4]
Even after a few years of Obama, Jolie still gives him mixed reviews and has expressed frustration in some of his foreign policy.[5]
However, it would seem that Jolie's concerns transcend partisan U.S. politics. She is well-known for her humanitarian efforts and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. She frequently travels to locations struck by disaster of political strife whether its genocide in Darfur or earthquakes in Pakistan, donating time and money to these unfortunates.[6]
One gets the feeling that this is her real passion and the blockbuster films and glitzy red carpet appearances are just a means to an end for her. She really seems to care, so good for her.
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