Joe Rogan likes going to church, he shared on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” his wildly popular podcast that reaches millions.
“It’s a bunch of people that are going to try to make their lives better,” he said in an interview with the hosts of the “Triggernometry” podcast — comedians Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin. “They’re trying to be a better person.”
Rogan, a podcaster with over 20 million YouTube subscribers and 2,400 recorded episodes, said he attends a church that reads and analyzes the Bible.
“I’m really interested in what these people are trying to say because I don’t think it’s nothing,” he said.
He often hears from atheists and secular thinkers who want to “dismiss Christianity,” as well as other “self-professed intelligent people” who view it as “fairy tales.” Rogan, once curious about the New Atheist movement, said he no longer subscribes to that view.
“I don’t know if that’s true. I think there is more to it,” Rogan said.
Rogan’s faith background
Amid discussions of religious revival, Rogan’s openness to faith is broadcast to millions, adding another voice to the chorus of public figures exploring religion and spirituality.
Rogan’s views on religion have shifted over the years — he used to identify as agnostic, but in recent years and months he has publicly spoken about his interest in religion, Jesus and, now, his church attendance.
Rogan began seeking comfort in religion as a kid after his parents divorced, he said in an interview last year.
“If there’s chaos in my family life, there is always God,” he said.
He went to a Catholic school for one year, but the experience was negative and he started veering toward more atheistic views.
Rogan was close to his grandfather and, in his 20s, moved in with him and his grandmother while trying to make it as a stand-up comedian in New York City. His grandfather’s death and seeing his lifeless body shook him.
“In that moment of seeing my grandfather in his casket, I started considering a soul,” he said.
More recently, Rogan has been vocal about his fascination with Jesus.
When Wesley Huff, a Christian apologist, asked what Rogan thought about Jesus, Rogan acknowledged the historicity of “this very exceptional human being.” Then he added, “So the question is: What does that mean? Does that mean he was a son of God? Does it mean he was some completely unique human being that had this vision of humanity?”
In another interview earlier this year, Rogan expressed skepticism about the big bang theory while defending the plausibility of the Resurrection.
“It’s funny, because people will be incredulous about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but yet, they’re convinced that the entire universe was smaller than a head of a pin and that for no reason that anyone has adequately explained to me, instantaneously became everything?”
‘There is something to it’
In his interview with Foster and Kisin, Rogan said that religion is deeply intertwined with history, albeit a “confusing history” that is yet appealing to the believers.
“It’s a confusing history, because it was a long time ago,” he said.
He believes that ancient flood myths likely originated from real prehistoric events, such as massive floods caused by melting ice caps or comet impacts.
“That jives with what geologists are finding,” he said. These stories are hard to understand, he said, because they were passed down orally and written down in unfamiliar languages and cultures, yet they still appealed to people.
“I think there is something to it. And there’s a reason why it resonates with people,” Rogan said.
He expressed a particular fascination with Christianity. Jesus wasn’t just inspirational, but a “historically-documented human being.”
“There is this one person that everybody agrees existed that somehow or another had the best plan for how humans should interact with each other and behave and was the best example of it, and even died in a nonviolent way.”
Rogan and Kisin both admitted their fascination with the New Atheism movement.
“But a lot of those guys fell apart,” Rogan said. “They don’t seem very enlightened. They don’t seem like they’re at peace.”
Without religious belief — “if you’re just relying on your wins” — Rogan said people may get confused about questions that have a moral dimension.
“You get those people that are unable to answer the question of whether or not you should protect an unborn fetus or whether or not they have human rights,” he said. “That’s what you get when you have no religion.”
He said Christians were some of the kindest and most charitable people he has met.
Believers on X were thrilled to see Rogan open up about religion on air.
”We’re talking about Joe Rogan, the biggest podcaster in America, talking to his audience about going to church, and his walk with Jesus Christ," said Alex Bruesewitz, who served as campaign adviser to Donald Trump.
The country is undergoing a revival, said Bruesewitz, noting that both the U.S. president and vice president are “unapologetic about their beliefs.” He believes this is all part of a unified effort to bring back “Christian principles.”
Others drew attention to Rogan’s interest in the ancient text. “When men like Joe show up at church, don’t underestimate their desire to go deep,” said writer Paul Anleitner.