Liv Tyler was born in New York City and grew up in Portland, Maine.
Tyler's form of spirituality is entirely inclusive and has more to do with the concept of a Higher Power and an awe of the natural world than it does a set of religious principles. After stating that she felt "quite strongly" about her own spirituality, she said,
I'm not a religious person but I consider myself a spiritual person. I definitely have some kind of belief in something bigger than myself. I almost feel like it's the universe and the earth and mother nature and that feeling when you go to the beach or stand on top of a mountain and look around and go, 'God this is not about me.' I feel quite clear about that in my own heart.[1]
She sounds like a pantheist, or maybe a Unitarian Universalist. She seems interested in the fact that everyone relates to the universe in a different way, and that although our spirituality may differ in the details, we're all looking for the same thing.
I find it interesting and humorous to see how people feel about things. . . . That idea that we all have, or I think most people have, some relationship with something bigger than ourselves, whether we call it God or whatever it is to us. There's that feeling all the time where you're sort of looking up or out or for answers or for guidance or for help from something.[2]
However you want to classify Tyler, she seems pretty open to new ideas and concepts of spirituality. I wonder how she feels about atheists? My guess is she's cool with that too.
Controversy by Accident
Her political beliefs are harder to pinpoint than even her spiritual beliefs. She appears to be mostly non-political–and maybe that's because she isn't interested in divisiveness. The only thing she said about her political upbringing was that "half of my family is Republican, half is Democrat."[3]
She's involved in some charity work, all of which is as non-political as it gets. Her role as an ambassador for UNICEF[4] certainly doesn't lend itself to one side of the aisle or the other.
However, in support of AIDS awareness in Africa, she was part of a controversial campaign featuring the pictures of both white and black celebrities dressed in African garb with the words "I Am African." The purpose is to point out that all of us have DNA that can be traced back to that continent, and therefore we should all have a stake in finding a solution to the AIDS epidemic there. Critics say it is disrespectful of African culture and an insincere attempt for rich people to show they care.[5] My guess is that Tyler wasn't interested in entering the debate about race and culture politics, and just (sincerely) wanted to help out.
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