WILL SMITH TALKS ABOUT SCIENTOLOGY

Will Smith

Hollywood star Will Smith is brushing off rumors that his friend Tom Cruise has converted him to Scientology, because he is a student of all religion. Smith, who was raised in a Baptist household, had his own faith questioned since striking up a friendship with Cruise, a well-known follower of the Scientology cult. But the award winning actor is insisting that having security in his belief system has helped him become more open to others' religious practices without taking them on as his own.When asked to clarify if he is a Scientologist, Smith tells Newsweek magazine, "No, but when people are afraid of religion they have to go back and get in touch with the Good Book. Fear of other religions means you're questioning your own understanding, and that's just not where I am." He also explains, "I love the nature of humanity's search for meaning. For me I'm certain about my relationship with the model of perfection of human life that's laid out with the life of Jesus Christ. I'm certain of that."I'm at home and not fearful when I sit in a mosque or a synagogue or a Buddhist temple, the same way that I'm home in the Church of Scientology. I like anywhere people are searching for the truth, and I respect their path and I'm intrigued by their path."I think when you are certain in and of what you believe in, you can open your mind to seeing the ways of others."
Photos By: Sara De Boer/Retna