George Clooney

---
name: "George Clooney"
relatedPeople:
  - "seth-macfarlane"
  - "al-pacino"
  - "robert-redford"
  - "robert-de-niro"
date: "2012-02-27"
sources:
  - sourceTitle: "The Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Political Activist"
    sourceUrl: "http://usliberals.about.com/od/celebrityactivists/a/GClooney.htm"
  - sourceTitle: "Interview: George Clooney"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/397/440/2440/3/16"
  - sourceTitle: "George Clooney."
    sourceUrl: "http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/George_Clooney"
  - sourceTitle: "Transcripts"
    sourceUrl: "http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/16/lkl.01.html"
  - sourceTitle: "George Clooney – Address to the United Nations Security Council on Darfur"
    sourceUrl: "http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/georgeclooneyunitednations.htm"
summaries:
  religion: "Clooney was raised a Catholic, but has since proclaimed himself an agnostic, bordering on atheism."
  politicalViews: "Clooney is a proud liberal and has lent his star power to many causes. He's spoken out against war, poverty, environmental issues, and more."
---

George Clooney was raised in Georgetown, Kentucky in a devout Catholic family.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fusliberals.about.com%2Fod%2Fcelebrityactivists%2Fa%2FGClooney.htm" title="The Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Political Activist">[1]</a>

Clooney speaks highly of his Catholic roots, saying:

>I used to go to confession every week….I grew up with a great sense of structure and respect.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.exacteditions.com%2Fexact%2Fbrowse%2F397%2F440%2F2440%2F3%2F16" title="Interview: George Clooney">[2]</a>

Clearly, Clooney has outgrown his childhood religion and now, has no problem telling the world he's an Agnostic. In fact, some quotes indicate that Clooney might be more of an atheist:

>I don't believe in Heaven and Hell. I don't know if I believe in God. All I know is that as an individual, I won't allow this life — the only thing I know to exist — to be wasted.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.celebatheists.com%2Fwiki%2FGeorge_Clooney" title="George Clooney.">[3]</a>

Still, he's very careful to stress that he has no problem with those with religious beliefs, saying:

>Whatever anybody believes as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else, it's fair enough, and works, and I think, is real, and matters. I don't happen to have those beliefs, as much, you know, I don't believe in those things.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Ftranscripts.cnn.com%2FTRANSCRIPTS%2F0602%2F16%2Flkl.01.html" title="Transcripts">[4]</a>

## Celebrity superhero to the rescue

Politically, Clooney has been very active throughout his career. He calls himself a liberal and wonders why society has turned on liberals, saying:

>I'm a liberal. I'm confused when that became a bad word…the liberal movement morally, you know, has stood on the right side of an awful lot of issues. We thought that blacks should be allowed to sit at the front of the bus and women should be able to vote, McCarthy was wrong, Vietnam was a mistake.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fusliberals.about.com%2Fod%2Fcelebrityactivists%2Fa%2FGClooney.htm" title="The Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Political Activist">[5]</a>

Clooney was so disturbed by genocide efforts in Darfur that he addressed the United Nations Security Council about it, hoping for more intervention.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americanrhetoric.com%2Fspeeches%2Fgeorgeclooneyunitednations.htm" title="George Clooney – Address to the United Nations Security Council on Darfur">[6]</a>

It's not surprising Clooney turned his fame as an actor towards political causes. His father was a journalist who went after corrupt politicians in his time. Clooney said:

>My dad, who went after OPEC for raising gas prices and Gerald Ford for pardoning Richard Nixon, believed it's your responsibility—not just your right—to question authority.<a class="source-citation" href="#http%3A%2F%2Fusliberals.about.com%2Fod%2Fcelebrityactivists%2Fa%2FGClooney.htm" title="The Politics of George Clooney, Actor and Liberal Political Activist">[7]</a>

Fact about the Religious Beliefs of George Clooney

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