John Terry was born and raised in East London, England.
Terry doesn't appear to be religious at all. Considering he's British, there's a good chance of some Anglicanism in his family–somewhere–but he's not letting on.
That doesn't mean he's not scrutinized by the Anglican Church. Amidst infidelity scandals, The Archbishop of Canterbury commented woefully on John Terry, saying:
Clearly, a lot of people think there isn't a problem there and that's a pity because adultery is adultery. It's a shame that we lost that sense that faithfulness matters. I'd like to see it back.[1]
No word from Terry himself on whether or not such a condemnation from the top of his country's religious hierarchy even matters in the slightest to him–so non-religious it is.
Race politics and England's good name
The majority of Terry's political involvement is in regards to his comments on the soccer field (or "the pitch," I believe they call it?). Apparently, Terry called a black opponent, Anton Ferdinand, a "fucking black cunt." A lengthy and embarassing investigation and court case ensued, with Terry ultimately admitting he did, in fact, utter the aforementioned phrase and apologizing.[2]
The backlash was swift and biting, with politicians of every stripe–from Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron to Labour MP Clive Efford and a range of politicians and social critics in between–condemning Terry and his remarks.[3] Efford said:
There is no place for racism in football, just as there is no place for racism anywhere else in society.[4]
Of course, Terry apologized profusely, even though the courts cleared him of any crime as they were unable to determine with any certainty if the comments were made as a question, joke or out of hatred.[5] And Terry even wore an anti-racism armband during a football match. But most press outlets, politicians and fans thought it was a weak and useless attempt at reconciliation.[6]
But… he's really good at football, so…
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