r/PoursTea • u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All đ©· • Jun 21 '26
Sipping Tea Javier Bardem
Context of the Quote
The quote originates from an archived interview featured on platforms like IMDb. In the full discussion, he was speaking candidly about his vulnerability to intense media attention in Hollywood, his perspectives on belief systems, and his personal philosophies.
The complete segment of his statement reads:
In an interview, Javier Bardem expressed his feelings on his public perception in Spain versus America, the vulnerability caused by media attention, and his views on religious manipulation. He stated, "I do respect people's faith, but I don't respect their manipulation of that faith to create fear and control".
Bardem's Views on Religion
Atheism:
Despite a traditional Catholic upbringing, Bardem has long identified as an atheist.
Institutional Critique:
He often distinguishes between personal spirituality and organized religion, criticizing the latter when used to create fear or exert control.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
Why on earth would I ever respect a religion that teaches that I should burn in hell for all eternity for loving the "wrong" person.
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Jun 21 '26
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u/Maleficent_Piece_893 Jun 21 '26
you also have to repent and stop committing the sin, which is impossible in the case of being gay
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Jun 21 '26
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u/AllForProgress1 Jun 21 '26
Well you can lie to yourself. Fake it till you make it.
The fact religions require faith in itself is saying they don't have the evidence, just accept it.
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u/Maleficent_Piece_893 Jun 21 '26
it's impossible because being gay is not a choice. belief is not as involuntary as philosophers like to think, as they unfortunately often think of humans as agents of reason. people can actively avoid things which risk contradicting their beliefs. they can lie to themselves. they can compartmentalize and look for excuses why the contradictory evidence doesn't count. i get the "belief is not a choice" thing to a limited extent but also if people want to believe something they'll put in the work to get there and stay there
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Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
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u/BlueMikeStu Jun 21 '26
Yep. If they don't use it for hate, don't use it as an excuse to hate them first. Let sleeping dogs lie. Etc, etc.
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u/Maleficent_Piece_893 Jun 21 '26
yeah deism tries to be intellectual and basically methadone for recovering theism addicts, but all it amounts to is god of the gaps, "feels like", and "god exists by definition because i defined him that way"
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u/Magilla-Gorilla-6417 Jun 21 '26
No, you can sin all you want as long as you ask god for forgiveness every Sunday, or Saturday, or Friday depending on your religion. And for many in the US all you have to do is say that you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Itâs the âout clause.â
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u/AllForProgress1 Jun 21 '26
Isn't it weird that keeping the Sabbath holy is a top commandment. Yet Jews and Christians can't even agree on when/what that means.
Like if you can't nail that down it's all guesses. Which is a pretty butt way to administer an eternal judgement
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u/celticdove Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
We are human. We cannot stop sinning. My understanding is that all sin is equal in the eyes of God. Your sin is no worse than me secretly coveting my neighbor's new car.
There are plenty of rainbow Christians. How can God hate someone He made? We know Jesus was inclusive from the Bible. He loves all kinds. Jesus had this directive: Love thy neighbor.
That's loving all neighbors not just the straight white ones. The haters are sinning when they have ugly thoughts about LGBTQ+. Do you think they are repenting?
Yes, we should repent and try to do better. Sins drive a wedge between us and our Father. God forgives us when we ask. He wipes the slate clean so we can focus on the Lord and not ourselves. I have to ask for forgiveness for the same sins over and over.
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u/EmotionalEmetic Jun 21 '26
Yep. The concept of original sin to this day angers me.
You can be living your life totally unaware, not harming anyone, but will still be damned to hell after death to live in torment and agony for eternity... because Jeffrey the 17yo evangelist didn't knock on your door and tell you about the word of Christ and how to live your life properly.
One such street evangelist desperately wanted to convince me that the concept of Original Sin was TOTALLY normal and not at all a manipulation/fear/sales tactic. To this day when I ask how is it fair or believable that I should automatically OWE something--not to God, mind you, but the people in power in Christianity who tell me I do--and have never gotten a good answer.
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u/TesticleSandwiches Jun 21 '26
It doesn't.
If you are a boy and want some fikky fikky, all is good.
Why on earth would people have a problem with immigrants who think their daughters or sisters marrying a local is against God, meanwhile the men consider anyone not of their religion fair game.
What wonderful people!
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u/Beps315 Jun 21 '26
Ironic because the same people who hate immigrants for their """regressive views""" are also the ones trying to ban gay marriage and ostracise trans people
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u/xKleric Jun 21 '26
You shouldn't. That's the manipulation. That's the fear.
I believe what I believe and what you stated is not part of it.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
I appreciate that! My issue isn't with individuals like you, I'm sure you're wonderful! But a bad apple can spoil the bunch, until the church as an institution has condemned and cut off those who use it's word for hate, my opinion wont change.
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u/Shigglyboo Jun 21 '26
to be fair it's people that did that. Jesus doesn't say anything about gay people. I'm not religious. But you can plainly see that some religious people take the "good" parts and are decent people. but many like to pick and choose and be huge jerks. the same book that calls man with man an abomination also says mixed fabric and tattoos are bad. but they ignore that part because they're really just using the gospel to be jerks.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
Well, Until the church cuts off those who use it's word for hate, I will not be giving it any grace.
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u/Shigglyboo Jun 21 '26
A lot of churches are leaning into it. They know what theyâre doing.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
Too many imo. It's sad because, growing up Christian, there genuinely are some really beautiful messages in there. It sucks that it's weighed down by ideas of hatered and shame :c
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u/MadeOnThursday Jun 21 '26
Babies going to purgatory if they are not baptised before they die.
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u/KnightsOfTerror Jun 21 '26
Youâre confusing purgatory with limbo. Catholics believed unbaptized babies went to limbo but it never became official doctrine and they released an update that said god can save the unbaptized and you should trust in his judgement. No more limbo. The other Christian denominations have always been much more positive on unbaptized babies going to heaven so never needed limbo. They largely donât have purgatory either. Unbaptized babies are saved these days.
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u/noveltyisthe Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Or a religious group that forces women and girls to wear head scarves and face coverings to hide them from the eyes of menâŠ..
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
If the eyes of men are the issue, maybe they should carve them out.
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u/ZoominAlong Jun 21 '26
I don't know why you got downvoted for suggesting men take accountability.Â
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u/Phrenicos466 Jun 21 '26
Sir and/or madam, this is Reddit - youâre only allowed to criticize Christianity here.
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u/notapersonab Jun 21 '26
If youâre talking christianity hell is supposed to be a place absent of gods presence forever yearning for it. There are a number of interpretation but modern views of hell take after danteâs inferno and lucifer descending into a lake of fire. Not defending christianity
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u/What_a_fat_one Jun 21 '26
If youâre talking christianity hell is supposed to be a place absent of gods presence forever yearning for it.
Extremely specific interpretation not written anywhere in the book.
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u/Hello-Potion-Seller Jun 21 '26
I can appreciate that faith may truly have an impact on people's lives, provided it doesn't negatively impact others. Fortunately not all are blinded by faith, some understand contradictory text, tolerance and compromise.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
and those people are amazing for parsing through it all and figuring things out for themselves. I have no issue with faith, I have an issue with how it's abused with no condemnation. It feels like so long as hate is done in their name, it's permissible. I cannot respect a system like that.
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u/Aggressive_Low_115 Jun 21 '26
u shouldnt and thats not what all religions are. the big ones sure but its strategic suicide to advocate for this umbrella term
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u/BlueMikeStu Jun 21 '26
You don't have to respect the institution or the text it's based on, but if the person who follows it is not hateful to you for not following it and you routinely disparage it to them personally, you are now the hateful one.
I have plenty of Christian neighbors who don't say a bad thing to me even though I don't go to church or believe in God and are good, kind, and supportive members of my community. Throwing that back in their face by bringing up my problems with the Bible would be me seeking conflict with them and make me in the wrong.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
I dont like to "hate" anything. It's exhausting.
You're making a whole lot of assumptions about me as a person based off absolutely 0 information. Examine that.
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u/haltandcatch22 Jun 21 '26
I just want to throw in that not all Christians believe this an many affirm lgbtq and view hell as not a punishment but rather humanityâs capacity to exercise their free will and turn away from what God would wish for us which is ultimately just to be loving to ALL. Kind compassionate, helpful, and understanding. That is the true Christian God and teachings of Jesus not what these MAGA Christians would have you believe.
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u/Hello-Potion-Seller Jun 21 '26
Church of England's Protestantism comes to mind. If I were to follow a faith, I'd probably float around that.
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u/rips_n_chel Jun 21 '26
Ah yes, the classic "Those Christians you don't like aren't real Christians."
Tell me why I can't tell the difference upon meeting them, then.
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u/TokenTorkoal Jun 21 '26
Well technically their religion doesnât teach that, they learn it from their pastors and think itâs true but the threat of burning in hell with fire and brimstone and Satan ruling at its helm isnât a real thing in the Bible. Largely comes from sources like Danteâs Inferno, biblical imagery, medieval theology/folk lore. The Bible also doesnât understand the concept of love and modern relationships so I dont understand why anyone in todayâs world would care what the Bible thinks about relationships. Children were traded for goats and had no agency at this time, love and consent werenât really a thing.
Edit: I said âwomen were traded for goatsâ I corrected to children.
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u/Yasimear Jun 21 '26
Well, yeah but that applies to many parts of Christianity. Christmas was taken from Saturnalia, which celebrated the roman god Saturn... and yet, it's associated with christianity, it is believed by many to be a holiday celebrating Jesus, whether or not that's part of the bible.
Homophobia works the same way in my mind. While never explicitly stated in the bible, it's still common belief among christians. So, until the church severs ties with those who use it for hate, I wont give them even the slightest bit of credit.
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u/JohnSober7 Jun 21 '26
If I had to guess, he probably is implying what disrespecting someone's religion (and culture and way of life) tends to look like and he doesn't believe that's okay. A lack of respect does not necessarily entail disrespect (or the kind I'm guessing he's alluding to) but that's what I think is going on here.
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u/Dry-Highlight-2307 Jun 21 '26
Because they got your president , your senate, your scotus, your police force and your taxes
You might not like them but your in their hands.
by all the laws of the jungle you have to respect them or else.
Not saying its right just saying one reason why you probably should "respect" them
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u/Day_Old_Paper Jun 21 '26
The main problem is that many religious people have forgotten this⊠the religion youâve chosen is the set of rules YOU must live by, not the set of rules everyone else has to live by.
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u/Winjin Jun 21 '26
The problem starts when one of the core tenets is spreading the religion to others, though.Â
And then there's the catch that as soon as their know and knowingly decline, they're not good people
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u/Legitimate-Ebb-7296 Jun 21 '26
Thatâs why religions like Buddhism, Judaism, Druze, Yazidi, Hinduism, Janism, etc. are best since they donât proselytize.
The tenet of spreading religion to others is a cancer.
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u/academicgangster Jun 21 '26
These non-proselytizing religions still exert control, fear, and inflict generations of deep trauma upon the people in their cultural sphere. They are not 'best'.
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u/Howned01 Jun 21 '26
My religion says murder is wrong.
Shouldn't I be able to enforce something that I find absolutely and 100% immoral?
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Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
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u/posting_drunk_naked Jun 21 '26
Or later twisted into it, because faith doesn't need evidence or logic. Religion is the dumbest form of authoritarianism.
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u/rips_n_chel Jun 21 '26
Which makes it the scariest, imo. This thing, this mass delusion has had an iron grip on our species...forever. It scares me that that's possible, that so many humans can fall victim to magical thinking and spend their lives rejecting the evidence before them.
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u/LightningRaven Jun 21 '26
Bro read Dune and actually understood it. Quite rare these days.
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u/trisyrahtops Jun 21 '26
Reading Dune literally helped me deconstruct. The doubts were all there before; the series just helped me give them shape.
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u/Apart_Ad1537 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Faith is like any other ideology, it should be judged by what it results in. Lots of people try to take scripture from centuries ago, take it out of context, and say âlook how bad this religion is, their holy book says to do *this*â
But if the people who practice that religion donât follow that rule and itâs not really a thing, is that valid criticism? I mean I guess itâs fair to ask âif this religion once promoted this behavior, why should we assume its other teachings are any better or more valid than the ones we all agree are terribleâ
I guess Iâm just saying there is a big difference between a religion that practices barbaric and awful things TODAY and one that did hundreds of years ago. A religion should be judged on the merits of its conduct TODAY.
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u/blahblah19999 Jun 21 '26
It is absolutely valid criticism if they're claiming an objective unchanging morality or an all-loving god.
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u/GeeYayZeus Jun 21 '26
There are no gods, so religion is pointless, and there are far better philosophies to live by.
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u/AllForProgress1 Jun 21 '26
You know you can't generalize what people do or don't follow As part of a religious sect. Everyone has their individual takes and they absolutely use religion to push their nonsensical hate.
If people aren't following their religious doctrine are they really apart of that religion?
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u/Mj8559 Jun 21 '26
I donât respect their faith. I respect their right to have faith. The real question is do they respect my right to be faithless? Absolutely not lol
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u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All đ©· Jun 21 '26
Faith should never be politicised and used as a weapon of war. The day you use it against your fellow human is the day you lose respect. Period.
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u/GreenWarrior138 Jun 21 '26
I don't know who this guy is, but hats off to him. That is the absolute correct way to go about it.
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u/Cute-Difficulty6182 Jun 21 '26
Javier Bardem is the most known Spanish actor (rivaling Antonio Banderas), he is also the husband of Penélope Cruz
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u/SheetPancakeBluBalls Jun 21 '26
Disagree. Not to sound all reddit atheist, but religion is not respectable. Why should I respect the belief in things that are extremely obviously untrue and genuinely insane?
Talking snakes? Magic sky father? Eternal life? It's insane. And we all know it's insane.
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u/wildebot Jun 21 '26
If you move past crazy stories that most rational people donât take literally, religions generally teach people how to be good - be respectful to others, donât be violent, etc.
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u/SheetPancakeBluBalls Jun 21 '26
Yeah but so does sesame Street, but without all the bigotry and suicide bombers.
Religion offers nothing uniquely positive to the world, while providing tons of uniquely evil things.
Name for me one good or noble thing that religion provides that can't be found elsewhere.
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u/DeadAndBuried23 Jun 21 '26
It's not manipulation. It's a feature.
The ones manipulating their faith are progressive people who reject most of what their scripture preaches but cling to the idea death isn't real.
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u/Main-Procedure-3613 Jun 21 '26
That is well said. True holiness is self sacrificing love. Seeking that would convince others. Hypocrites who persist in elitism cause their whole religion to be avoided. Jesus is inconvenient to a bigot so âChristianâ bigots but crosses and tattoos but never quote Jesus or live by His words of teaching.
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u/Ok-Boss-763 Jun 21 '26
Teach yourself religion, read the books. It's simple if you let someone force feed you garbage you'll worship garbage. The stories are to help form the base of morality and good will.
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u/blahblah19999 Jun 21 '26
Or, don't use religion at all, use philosophy and critical thinking to arrive at your idea of morality and good will.
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u/SmartOpinion69 Jun 21 '26
there isn't much difference between religious people, conspiracy theorists, cults, etc. they all believe in stupid things. it's just that religion is so popular that it is frown upon to shit on them.
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u/Alpacadiscount Jun 21 '26
I donât respect faith in mythology anymore. All religion should be kept to oneself or those who have similar beliefs.
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u/Howned01 Jun 21 '26
I respect people having different opinions. I don't respect them falsely claiming I'm manipulating my faith when they don't even know the tenants of my faith.
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u/mrshelenroper Jun 21 '26
I donât even respect their faith. I respect their right to their faith. The faith itself, weak sauce.
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u/justreadinplease Jun 21 '26
I donât respect cults, sorry. Religion has done nothing but harm in my life
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u/RednocTheDowntrodden Jun 21 '26
"Faith means believing in something you know ain't true."Â
I don't respect faith.
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u/Sailor_Thrift Jun 21 '26
Many of these same fascists (religious) are the ones who wouldnât submit to a COVID vaccine.
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u/Difficult_Ixem_324 Jun 21 '26
I agree. Fear and Control should not be in the same sentence as religion because the message of religion is simple "love one another above all else"
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u/plasticeater9 Jun 21 '26
This is the bare minimum by the way (no hate to this guy specifically, i honestly have never even heard of him) but theres too many times where a celebrity is like âi dont think we should be mean to ppl idc what anyone else says,â and they get cheers for being a feminist icon or some crap. If they actually cared theyd use 2% of their money and end world hunger
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u/mmatt0904 Jun 21 '26
Heâs actually getting blacklisted for supporting Gaza and calling out Israel. Heâs kindof putting his money where his mouth is. Plus the fact that you havenât heard of him means that he doesnât have the fuck you money where he can end world hunger. People should be yelling at the first trillionaire about that.
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u/bakeacake45 Jun 21 '26
He puts his money to good causes:
- Partnered with the Eyes of the World Foundation to prevent avoidable blindness. He donated and auctioned a digital NFT and signed photograph of his iris to fund accessible vision care for global refugee camps.
A vocal environmentalist, he collaborated extensively with Greenpeace to campaign for a strong Global Ocean Treaty and the protection of international waters.
Produced the documentary Invisibles and campaigned with the Enough Project to bring awareness to violence and human suffering in the Congo.
Contributed funds to Artists for Peace and Justice to build schools in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake.
Together with his wife, Penélope Cruz, he has supported Open Arms, an NGO that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. He consistently leverages his celebrity platform during awards seasons to advocate for Palestinian human rights.
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u/Admirable_Dirt_2371 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
I don't respect people's faith. Supposed 'adults' believing in fairy tales is precisely how we got this garbage society to begin with.
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u/Preshe8jaz Jun 21 '26
Two things: 1) religion is inherently sexist always making god as male, and the people who claim to have an inside track to god are usually males too. 2) Javier deserves an Emmy for his role in the Cape Fear remake. Itâs a legit horror.
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u/blahblah19999 Jun 21 '26
Are you honestly saying that all religions have 'god' as male?
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u/mrshelenroper Jun 21 '26
Itâs more the Abrahamic religions removed the female gods when they redacted the Canaanite mythology to create their own synchronistic male-centered theologies.
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u/NadeshikoEatingPasta Jun 21 '26
I take them on a case by case basis. Not all religions are the same, and not all organized religions are equal. Some are unobtrusive or even culturally beneficial, others are full of shit practices and beliefs. If you're out praying in the street and blocking traffic because you know you can assert dominance in that regard, your religion is shitty and disruptive. If you're organizing food kitchens and collections to help the poor, your religion is useful.
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u/bakeacake45 Jun 21 '26
You are describing the practices of community of people in a specific congregation not a religion. SWithin any religion you will have congregations where the people decide that charity is the main focus, you might have a congregation next door, same religion where they focus on something else.
No religion is monolithic. There are good and bad congregations within every religion.
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u/NadeshikoEatingPasta Jun 21 '26
You are describing the practices of community of people in a specific congregation not a religion.
In much of human history even through to the modern day, the two are inextricable. Culture and religion are strongly tied, because they both come from the people.
No religion is monolithic, but there is a range each one operates within. With the exception of the occasional outlier, there's not going to be a colossal difference between any two given congregations. And something that is a basic practice in keeping with a religion's core tenets (like charity, or the practice of celebrating a given holiday, or dietary habits) are probably not going to differ much if at all. That's kind of how religion facilitated community in the past; if you moved somewhere new, even to a new country, you could be relatively assured that if you found your church there that it would be what you expected. A McDonald's in Alabama isn't going to be that much different from a McDonald's in Oregon, generally. Kind of neat actually.
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u/19NedFlanders81 Jun 21 '26
I respect faith-based beliefs that are grounded in respect and humanity toward others. All other beliefs can get fucked.Â
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u/SourceNagger Jun 21 '26
it's always religion to blame somehow.
grow the fuck up people, there are no gods.
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u/NarwhalEmergency9391 Jun 21 '26
My sister got into the church after her bf now husband played her the sound of hell (on YouTube) and made her scared of hell. I asked her how they were able to get a video from hell back to earth and she said it doesn't matter but she not risking it. She also doesn't want people saying "omg" because it's offensive to her religion and she also said 'I don't want to have to watch what I say when I'm talking to you' after I told her not to be racist
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u/wasd2232 Jun 21 '26
I don't respect their faith because it literally reduces people in some capacity due to some archaic rule. Some religions see women as beneath them, some see anyone outside that region as lesser too. How can I possibly respect that?
You choosing to follow your own misguided watered down version of that Religion is in no way better. I wish people would scrutinise and question all religions equally. Instead you get a visit from the police if you criticise certain religions. I just cannot have respect for them. They all want control.
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u/FatReverend Jun 21 '26
I don't respect faith. I consider it proof of lower intelligence and a character flaw.
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u/Timbucktwo1230 Therapy For All đ©· Jun 21 '26
Iâve never wrapped my head around many a scientist having a strong belief in GodâŠ
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u/FatReverend Jun 21 '26
Nor have I and it gives me cause to question their theories and findings. Although there are a surprising number of religious people in the scientific community, they are thankfully still in the minority.
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u/Sensitive-Flamingo84 Jun 21 '26
Exactly, itâs like freedom of speech, believe and say whatever you want but of course Iâm going to be judging adults who believe in sky dad.
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u/blahblah19999 Jun 21 '26
Isaac Newton was a die-hard xtian. It has nothing to do with intelligence, it's delusion.
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u/FatReverend Jun 21 '26
It often is a strong sign of low intelligence but not a hard and fast rule and you are correct that delusion is always invited to that party.
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u/blahblah19999 Jun 21 '26
I don't respect faith in the supernatural b/c it's magical thinking and it's harmful. I don't care if people have it, but I do care if they use it against me.
And it's not 'manipulation' to only cherry pick the bad things in xtanity, there's a lot of it in there. It's just part of the religion.
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u/Medusa_7898 Jun 21 '26
I feel the same way. Religion is like sex. Keep it private and between you and your god. If you insist on being an exhibitionist about it and trying to force it on me like a rapist, weâre gonna have a problem.
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u/Able_Quantity_5176 Jun 21 '26
Ideas only deserve respect on their own merits. I find religious ideas generally lack merit.
I respect the people's right to believe stupid things but they have not right to believe them without ridicule and challenge.
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u/FroyoOk8902 Jun 21 '26
I agree with him, except I donât respect people who practice Islam. Itâs a horrible religion filled with hatred and fear or anyone that doesnât support Islam.
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u/bakeacake45 Jun 21 '26
Christianity is the same - full of fear and hatred, guided by a religious text full of violence and a jealous god. There are good and bad Muslims just as there are good and bad Christianâs
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u/timmyfarthands Jun 21 '26
I don't think he necessarily gives a shit...but he comes the idiot backlash. This will be too much for some people who want to be mad about it.
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u/19XxxbigdaddyxxX80 Jun 21 '26
I suspect he's only mad about Christianity.... right? Yeah that's right
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u/Maleficent_Piece_893 Jun 21 '26
religious faith should be a legally protected right, and that's it. no, it should not receive respect by default like it's an essential part of your humanity. it's a dumb belief you hold for dumb reasons. don't want your beliefs criticized then don't talk about them, simple as.
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u/Next_Drama1717 Jun 21 '26
Nowhere in the Bible does it command you to support a country founded in 1948 by the Rothschilds.
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u/MBTheGinger Jun 21 '26
I respect people on the level of their humanity, not their religion