6 Idols Who Are Actually Extremely Devoted To Their Religion

Their faith has brought both positive and negative attention.

Idols have faith too, and some of them are very vocal about their religious beliefs. Whether it be due to being raised in a devoutly religious family, or due to an event that helped them find their faith, the below celebrities are extremely religious and happy to spread the word.

1. Eunhyuk (Super Junior)

Eunhyuk was raised a devout Catholic by his parents and used to be heavily involved in a church associated with giving out drinks said to cure diseases. He is now publicly associated with The Central Church of the People, known for its extreme beliefs that pastor Lee Jae Rok is God’s “shepherd” and bestowed with special authority and power.

Lee Jae Rok has also been accused of sexual assault within the church, although he denies the accusations.

2. Park Bo Gum

When a letter written by Park Bo Gum‘s father surfaced explaining the circumstances surrounding his son’s birth and religious upbringing, controversy erupted at the mention of the head pastor, Lee Cho Seok, an infamous cult leader. The pastor of the Jesus Centred Church allegedly encouraged Park Bo Gum’s parents to give birth during a very difficult pregnancy and later cured the baby of a terrible illness following his birth. Park Bo Gum himself admitted he attends the church every Sunday and even Tweeted an invitation to a church event, which received a lot of backlash.

3. Daesung (BIGBANG)

Daesung admitted himself that he pretty much lives at church. After he was involved in a car accident in 2011 that killed a motorcyclist, his faith was the only thing that kept him going. He spent time after the incident assisting to rebuild a chapel and is still heavily involved in church activities and his faith.

“Things were really hard after the accident. I thought to myself, ‘If it weren’t for my faith, I may have committed something truly horrible’. After the hardest 3-4 days of my life, I decided I wanted to see our head pastor. I asked the youth leader if that would be okay, and he invited me to come. And when he saw me, he encouraged and comforted me. I felt a sense of peace in my heart, and after that, I started spending all my time at church. This was the only place that offered me comfort.”  — Daesung

4. BoA

BoA is a well-known catholic and has used her fame to promote church activities her entire career. She was chosen as South Korea’s representative of 2014’s Asia Youth Day with 20 other leaders from all over Asia, where she met Pope Francis.

5. Siwon (Super Junior)

Siwon is very vocal about his devotion to his Protestant Christian faith, frequently tweeting Bible verses and prayers. He told CNN that he would like to become a missionary, and in another interview called Jesus his biggest hero and the Bible his lucky charm. Jerusalem is his favorite place to visit and he often sings religious songs during concerts together with his fellow religious Super Junior members, especially Kyuhyun, and frequently collaborates with the Christian singing group Third Wave Music.

He also posted this group picture of a bible study group including Girls’ Generation’s Yoona, Sooyoung, Tiffany and Hyoyeon, 2NE1’s Minzy, and actors Ryeowon and Kim Sooyhun with the caption, “Rest in God!! No Shame, No Fear!!” These celebrities created a Christian group called “MoonMiEn” and tried to keep in touch with gatherings and prayer meetings despite their busy schedules. Members of the group volunteered at a soup kitchen and did various other community activities.

6. J.Y. Park

J.Y. Park of JYP Entertainment, was accused earlier this year by Dispatch of being part of a religious cult called the Salvation Sect, a group linked with the Sewol Ferry tragedy, when he held a Bible study meeting allegedly for the purpose of recruiting members. The Salvation sect has been accused of being a cult that’s heavily involved in pyramid schemes. They have been investigated by Korean police on numerous occasions and have a hand in the company that caused the Sewol Ferry accident. He denied any link with the cult and threatened to sue for false allegations, releasing his own statement saying he has held Bible study sessions for the past four years.

JYP with Salvation Sect leader, Byun Gi Choon.

I rented this place with my own money for a Bible study session. Is this what you call a Salvation Sect? 100 people came to hear my lecture, and a few “Salvation Sect” members were in the audience because they wanted to hear my lecture. Is this a Salvation Sect meeting? Am I really part of the Salvation Sect, when I have no ties whatsoever to the businesses of the “Salvation Sect”, personally or through JYP Entertainment?

How will you ever take responsibility for the damage you’re causing to me and our company, by releasing such articles without any confirmation? For 4 years now, I’ve been getting together with a friend twice a week to have Bible study. That meeting has now grown to about 30 people. But, you say that this is a “Salvation Sect” meeting?

— J.Y. Park