Angelina Jolie Shares Thoughts on the Afterlife; Says Late Mother Influences Parenting Methods
Angelina Jolie recently shared her thoughts on the afterlife and whether it exists while talking about her late mother's legacy.
The 39-year-old "Maleficent" star lost her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, to ovarian cancer in 2007, however, the actress revealed that Bertrand heavily influences her parenting methods. Jolie, who shares six children with her husband Brad Pitt, was asked about whether she believes in life after death
"I'm not certain ... I feel in contact with my mother when I look at my children. I can feel her influence over me then," Jolie told French Marie Claire. "I see that my way of raising them resembles the way she raised my brother and I. It's more apparent with my daughters Shiloh and Vivienne. Therefore, yes, my mother is there, present in this influence, all the time."
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The recently married Hollywood star has three adopted and three biological children: Maddox, 13, Pax, 11, Zahara, 9, Shiloh, 8, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 6. She does not identify with any particular religion, however, her oldest son Maddox is a Buddhist and she honors that.
"I have a Buddhist son and I'd like a Christian and a Muslim child, too," she reportedly told The Sun UK back in 2004.
Shortly after adopting Maddox, Jolie tattooed a Buddhist Pali prayer for protection for her son on her left should blade in Khmer script.
"I asked for it to be done in Buddhist Sanskrit, which is part of (Maddox's) history," she said at the time.
In the year 2000, the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador was asked whether "there is a God" and she gave a rather diplomatic response.
"Hmm ... For some people. I hope so, for them. For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn't need to be a God for me," she once said, reported the Los Angeles Times. "There's something in people that's spiritual, that's godlike. I don't feel like doing things just because people say things, but I also don't really know if it's better to just not believe in anything, either."
Jolie is often hailed for her humanitarian work, particularly as it relates to the war in Syria and ending violence against women in war. She credited her mother for inspiring her to pursue philanthropic endeavors.
"She always tried to understand the complexity of the world. She had a great heart, which was sensitive to the world's violence," she said. "She was very soft but could move mountains for her kids ... That's something I always admire in women: that mix of softness and strength."
