Harrison Ford explains what God means to him and it's something we can all learn from

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 10, 2023. It has since been updated.

Harrison Ford is an iconic actor and one of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood. He has starred in some of the biggest films of all time, including "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," "Blade Runner" and many more. But what many people don't know is that he also has some very strong and unqiue points of view on religious beliefs. The acotr, who majored in philosophy in college, recently opened up about his perspective on God with The Hollywood Reporter.

"There’s a Protestant theologian named Paul Tillich who wrote that if you have trouble with the word 'God, take whatever is central and most meaningful to your life and call that God. My mother was Jewish, my father was Catholic, and I was raised Democrat — my moral purpose was being a Democrat with the big D. But it didn’t apply to a political point of view so much as it applied to nature. I didn’t have any religious construct, but I think nature and God are the same thing. The mysterious origin of life — science tells us how it happened, and prophecy tells us another story. I found that everything in nature — the complexity, the biodiversity, the symbiotic relationships — is the same thing other people attribute to God. … Now aren’t you glad you asked that question? You want to get back to the funny shit?" he said. 

Ford also shared what made him want to take a role with Marvel. He said, "I don’t know. I can’t explain myself to myself, I just work here. (Laughs.) I thought, 'Everybody else seems to be having a great time.' I watch all these terrific actors having a good time [in Marvel movies]. I like doing something different from what I’ve ever done and pleasing people with it. So I’ll try a piece of that."

Ford’s views on God are inspiring and provide a unique perspective on faith. He is a reminder that faith isn’t necessarily tied to any religion or denomination, no one has to conform to any one religion or belief in order to find inner peace and meaning. 

Rather, spirituality is  a personal journey that each of us must take in order to find our own sense of purpose and meaning. Even though Ford was joking as he said, “Now, aren’t you glad you asked that question?” we are indeed fortunate to have his insights and learn from them.