For most people, our religion was given to us right when we are born. We were brought up according to our family’s faith and beliefs. Despite the spiritual upbringing from birth, others found other religions that brought them peace and caused their spiritual awakening. Here are several celebrities who have converted to other religions:
Madonna: Christianity To Judaism
Madonna was born and raised as a Christian but later converted to a special Kabbalah cult. The celebrity also took a Jewish name, Esther.
Nargis Dutt: Islam To Hinduism
Nargis Dutt, a Muslim, fell in love with the famous actor Sunil Dutt. The actor came to her rescue when a fire broke out in a movie set. Soon after, they fell in love and then got married to each other. Nargis was still called Nargis Dutt after her marriage to Sunil Dutt, even after she had changed her religion. Nirmala Dutt was Nargis’ Hindu name.
Tom Cruise: Christianity To Scientology
Tom Cruise took to the Church of Scientology in the early period of his career, but he was first raised as a Christian. The celebrity star was on the rise in the early 1990s when he first involved himself with the Church of Scientology. It was widely believed that Cruise’s first contact with Scientology was made through his first marriage to Mimi Rogers, but the star has been tight-lipped on details regarding his initial recruitment.
Regardless, he was fast to become a passionate advocate for the church, and he even went all over the world to speak on behalf of the organization.
Katie Holmes: Catholicism To Scientology
When she married Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes converted to Scientology. They also had their daughter Suri baptized in the Church of Scientology. Holmes has officially gone back to the Catholic faith five years after revealing that she had started studying Scientology. She registered as a parishioner at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City.
Julia Roberts: Christianity To Hinduism
Julia Roberts converted to Hinduism after starring in the movie ‘Eat, Pray Love’ in which she went on a soul-searching mission to India. The celebrity said she gained 10 pounds and changed her religion while filming the movie. Julia Roberts was born to a Baptist father and Catholic mother, but after what she experienced from filming in India and Bali, she told Elle magazine she is now a Hindu who goes to “chant, pray and celebrate” in the temple.
Orlando Bloom: Anglican Church To Buddhism
The British actor was born into the Anglican Church of England but turned to Buddhism to find peace. Orlando Bloom was brought up attending religious studies when he was in his early years. He, later on, joined the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist Centre in 2004. He has also opened a Nichiren Buddhist-based center of his own.
Nagma: Islam to Christianity
In 2008, Nagma turned to the public and professed about her change of faith. She was quoted saying that Jesus Christ was the only superstar in her life, and what she wanted to do was preach and spread the Gospel to every place the Lord takes her to.
A. R. Rehman: Hindu To Islam
R. Rahman was born to Muslim and Hindu parents. In 1984, he was introduced to Qadiri Islam when his younger sister became seriously ill. At the age of 23, he converted to Islam together with the other members of his family. Rahman then had his name changed from RS Dileep Kumar to Allah Rakha Rahman (AR Rahman).
George Harrison: Christianity To Hinduism
George Harrison, one of the world’s best guitarists, converted to Hinduism during a visit to India. He then carried on to be a vegetarian his whole life. He said he took a particular interest in Hinduism because he found it hard to adapt himself to Christianity’s rules and regulations.
Richard Gere: Christianity To Buddhism
Richard Gere first became interested in Buddhism during his twenties. He first studied Zen Buddhism for about five to six years. After having studied Zen, he traveled to Nepal and met a lot of Tibetan monks and lamas. When in India, Gere met the 14th Dalai Lama, and he went on to become a practicing Tibetan Buddhist.
Sharmila Tagore: Hinduism To Islam
Sharmila Tagore was born a Hindu and changed religions when she fell in love with the late Mansoor Ali Pataudi. The gorgeous actress, who has been awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2013 by the Government of India, converted to Islam before marrying him. She also changed her name to Begum Ayesha after her marriage.
Dharmendra and Hema Malini: Sikh to Islam
The actor fell in love with the actress Hema Malini and wanted to marry her. The actor, who at that time was already married to Prakash Kaur, was refused the divorce he asked for, so both Dharmendra and Hema Malini converted to Islam in 1979.