CM Punk, whose real name is Phillip Jack Brooks, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
Professional wrestlers like Punk have stage personas–an act they put on for the fans. The line between the real person and the act is sharper for some than others. For CM Punk, that line is blurry.[1] The reason I state this is because all the information we have about Punk's view on religion is from his stage act, but I think we can still use it as a decent, if not completely accurate, judge of what he believes in his real life.
The Straight Edge Movement
He joined the Straight Edge Movement in his youth and subsequently adopted its philosophies as the crux of his stage act.[2] The hallmarks of the movement are abstinence from drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and promiscuous sex.[3] It might not be a religion, but it's just as much a way-of-life, or even more so, than many religions.
Punk has stated on several occasions that there is no God,[4] making him full bore atheist. While antagonizing the crowd at one of his shows, Punk stated,
On Sunday, when you all go to church and you pray to that God that I know doesn't exist. . . I choose to live by the X [by the Straight Edge Movement] because it's a symbol against your poisonous society.[5]
Punk's preachy attitude with the microphone and willingness to "save" members of the audience has angered some Christians. They don't appreciate the wrestler acting like a savior–a position Christians generally like to leave to Jesus alone.[6] But if he's stopping people from drug abuse and promiscuous sex, isn't that something the Christians would support? Or, maybe it was the whole "God doesn't exist" thing that pissed them off.
The human race is embarrassing
Punk is decidedly liberal. He voted for Obama in 2008,[7] and he had no kind words about the 2012 Republican National Convention. He posted this on his Twitter feed while in Australia:
I'm stoked to be in Sydney and nowhere near the RNC to hear how they intended to limit the rights of women and destroy the education system.[8]
He's also a big supporter of gay marriage–and he's not going to beat around the bush about it. He posted this harsh, but genuine comment on Twitter:
Making same sex marriage illegal is the same as having segregated drinking fountains. Embarrassing. The human race is embarrassing.[9]
But after a follower commented that "homos make me sick," Punk told him to kill himself. That might have been one of those moments when he wished the first thing that popped into his head wasn't broadcast to the whole world. Oops. He later apologized to the follower and to all of his fans, but made it clear he wasn't backing down on his position on gay marriage.[10]
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