Bear Grylls was born in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland and grew up in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England.
Grylls is a very devout Christian, an Anglican from the Protestant corner of Ireland. He speaks openly of his faith, often giving motivational presentations to rather large crowds.[1] He describes his faith as the "backbone" that runs through his many, often dangerous, activities. He said:
For me, [my faith is] very unreligious, and it's not heavy. It's like finding home.[2]
For Grylls, a relationship with God is a very simple thing. He laments that people try to make it too complicated, or become intimidated by theology or ritual. He said:
…some people are just scared, and they go, 'Oh, God just wants me to be religious,' but actually He just loves us. He just wants us to be with Him.[3]
Grylls has been heavily involved with a worldwide organization called Alpha, which hopes to invite people to low-pressure meetings to discuss theological questions in the context of Christianity.[4] Grylls often promotes and speaks at Alpha events.[5] And if you follow him on Twitter, you'll notice quite a few Bible verses.
Family politics
Grylls is the son of the late Michael Grylls, a long-serving British Conservative Party member of parliament, who was a champion of right-leaning economics and staunchly loyal to Margaret Thatcher. Toward the end of his career, he was implicated in what would come to be know the "Cash-for-questions" scandal, in which Grylls and his cohorts were accused of skimming money off of payments made by business owners to meet with politicians.[6]
But a man's father's politics are not necessarily his own and Bear Grylls has made a few political statements of his own–perhaps most notably as the Chief Scout for the British Cub Scouts. The organization has taken some flak over not living up to its so-called "inclusive" philosophy and requiring a profession of faith to become a member.[7]
Beyond that, Grylls has championed various environmental causes, from circumnavigating Britain on a jet ski fueled by garbage to owning his own wildlife reserve off the coast of Wales.[8] But even this doesn't come without its critics, with some pointing out that Grylls' stunts and nature shows are all for the profits of large corporations.[9]
One gets the feeling Grylls doesn't get too deep into the details–whether it's the theology behind his faith or the motivation behind his causes. He once said:
I never wanted to be very smart or very rich, I just wanted to follow my dreams and have loads of fun.[10]
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