Thanks Ken,

'What brand of Christianity has he swallowed? ( no pun intended)' - I can't remember if he named a specific denomination or has started going to church regularly. He seems the type to have his own interpretation and 'personal relationship' with Jesus as part of a loose kind of spiritual practice. Wiki says the following, indicative of another lost soul (so to speak!) grasping at straws:

'Brand used to be a Buddhist; speaking to The Guardian in 2017 he said he believed in a higher power as described by Alcoholics Anonymous.[24] Brand showed interest in the Hare Krishna Movement and wrote in a 2007 Guardian column: "I say Hare Krishna as often as possible, sometimes even when I'm not being filmed".[241] Additionally, during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2010, Brand talked about his love of Transcendental Meditation (TM).[242] This love of TM was reaffirmed in a 2013 New Statesman editorial he wrote: "Through Transcendental Meditation, twice daily I feel the bliss of the divine..... I connect to a boundless consciousness that has no palpable relationship with my thoughts, fears or desires."[243] He later gravitated towards Christian spirituality and practice by daily reciting the Lord's Prayer and attempting to have Christ consciousness.[244] In 2024, he started regularly wearing a crucifix,[245] engaged in sacrifices during Lent,[246] and stated: "I pray the Rosary every single day."[247] In April 2024, Brand was baptised.[248][249] ' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Brand#Personal_life

'I reckon any critical reflective "conversion" in the sense of following the teachings of Christ merely leaves you as a heretic: indeed not a Christian...in the eyes of the main establishment churches who all plump for the mythological version over the human. ' - agreed, though Jesus was kindof asking for it by presenting himself as the actual son of God (presuming this wasn't editorialised by the gospel writers, I haven't read up on gnostic beliefs yet). A hard example for followers to emulate!

cheers,
I