What Religion Is Mariah Carey?

Posted by Abbie Anker on Sunday, May 12, 2024

Faith is very important to Mariah Carey. This is evidenced by her including gospel songs on her various albums and publicly crediting God with her career longevity.

Mariah Carey is Episcopalian by religion. There was no stronger public display of her religion than when she married her first husband, then Sony Music President Tommy Mottola, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York in 1993.

Mariah Carey has an unquestionably firm belief in God, entrenched in her strong Episcopalian faith. She is not at all shy about expressing profound gratitude to God for getting her through some dark periods in her life.

What Is Episcopalianism?

Episcopalianism is derived from practices and rituals of the Church of England after the English Reformation. 

Commonly known as Anglicans, Episcopalians are a part of the International Anglican Communion. Their membership is among the third-largest Christian Communities behind Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church. 

Episcopalians are Christians who ground their belief in the teachings of the Bible.

Does Mariah Carey Attend Church?

Other than getting married at least once in a church, Mariah Carey has also very publicly attended church services or performed in church over the years.

Most recently, Mariah attended and participated in a virtual Easter Sunday church service at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston. The event was hosted as part of Osteen’s “Hope Is Alive” Easter Service which was pre-recorded then streamed due to COVID-19.

She also performed a holiday concert in December 1994 at St. John The Divine Church. This concert coincided with the live debut of Mariah’s hit, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.  

Christian Practice

Mariah Carey’s former husband, Nick Cannon has given several interviews in which he mentioned that they bonded over their mutual spiritual beliefs. 

Of their first meeting, Cannon noted, “The first time we actually sat down and met it was on some spiritual stuff. We were praying and all that type of stuff…”. 

He stated further that Mariah is rather conservative, and is “deep into her Bible”.  

Breakdown and Healing Through Faith

In what was widely reported as a fall from grace, Mariah Carey suffered an “emotional and physical breakdown” over the summer of 2001. This led to her subsequent release from her record label, an earth-shattering loss of popularity, and a consequent dark turn in her career.

Following her recovery two years later, Mariah said in an interview published in Female First, that prayer was a significant factor in her daily life. “I feel the difference when I don’t have my private moments to pray.” 

She shared further that her relationship with God is foremost in her life and credits her dependence on Him with helping in her healing.

Public Displays of Her Faith

When Aretha Franklin died in 2018, Mariah posted a tribute on her Instagram, expressing her overwhelming appreciation for the late singer.  She wrote to her mentor and friend, “You showed me I could sing the songs I wanted to sing and bring God with me.”

Upon the launch of his “T.D Jakes Show” in 2016, Mariah Carey not only endorsed Pastor TD Jakes, but also encouraged her Facebook fans to support his show by watching. 

In the opener of her performance at the 2006 Grammy Awards, attendees viewed a pre-recorded video of Mariah Carey talking about the importance of religion and God in her life.

Gospel Music Releases

Mariah Carey has included several gospel songs on previously released albums, some with quotes directly from Bible verses. On her album, “The Emancipation of Mimi”, her pastor Clarence Keaton can be heard reciting Bible verses on the track “Fly Like a Bird”.

Mariah Carey’s Religion Is Important to Her

Being the second-biggest female recording artist of all time (bested only by Barbra Streisand), is not a title to be taken lightly. That Mariah Carey holds this designation following a decades-long career was not achieved without challenges.

Mariah has experienced colossal highs as well as dizzying lows. However, her strength lies in her Episcopalian faith and the belief that with God all things are possible

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