How grandfather's death changed "atheist" Joe Rogan's beliefs on religion: "I started considering a soul"
Joe Rogan is one of the most well-known MMA personalities, revered for his work as a podcaster and UFC color commentator. On his JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) podcast, Rogan recently recounted a tear-jerking story regarding his grandfather's passing, and how it has come to impact his beliefs.
Episode 2172 of the JRE podcast piqued netizens' attention earlier this month (July 2024). It featured Sebastian Junger, a veteran writer and documentary filmmaker who has worked extensively as a war correspondent.
Junger, who has appeared multiple times on JRE, also made an appearance in episode 1655 back in 2021, wherein he addressed the near-death experience he had after a health scare on June 16th, 2020.
In Episode 2172, Joe Rogan and Sebastian Junger once again spoke about the latter's near-death experience, in which Junger felt the presence of his late father. The conversation segued into religion and the afterlife. Touching upon his own life, Rogan notably recalled that he'd turned to religion when his parents were getting divorced.
Nevertheless, a negative experience at a Catholic school turned Rogan into an atheist. The 56-year-old stated:
"I was pretty atheist. I grew up; I went to Catholic school, when I was very young, for first grade. And I had a really bad experience there. And I was like, 'Religion is bullsh**.'" [1:31:50]
Rogan moved in with his grandparents in his twenties, trying to carve a career as a stand-up comedian. Financial constraints prevented him from getting his own place. Rogan noted that his grandparents lived on North 9th Street in Newark, New Jersey, which he felt was a bad neighborhood at the time.
His grandmother was dealing with long-term health issues after suffering an aneurysm. His grandfather, whom Rogan was very close to, was looking after his spouse whilst also battling age-related health issues.
Rogan indicated that after his beloved grandfather passed away, he realized that the soul does exist. He explained:
"It's not as simple as, you know, he stopped moving. No, he's not there. He wasn't there anymore. And I remember this feeling of, like, understanding came across me. Like, oh, like, the thing is inside of you. Whatever that is is real. It's not just as simple as you're alive. And I, at that moment, of seeing my grandfather in his casket, I started considering a soul. I started thinking like, 'Oh. This isn't bullsh**.'" [1:35:02]
Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (1:30:57 to 1:36:13):
Joe Rogan on potential gateway to the afterlife and the universe's interconnectedness
Joe Rogan believes the human mind can access gateways to other dimensions, possibly even the afterlife. Rogan, who has utilized cannabis and other psychoactive substances, implied that the surreal experiences induced by psychedelics might be a method of entering other realms.
Furthermore, Rogan explained that various cultures/ideologies and religions the world over have spoken about souls and the afterlife since ancient times. He also underscored that there's a place where the soul goes after a mortal's death and that the entire universe is an interconnected system [1:36:13 of the aforementioned video]:
"I started thinking like, how arrogant it is to assume that you know, that all these people for thousands and thousands of years have talked about souls. It's a universal idea. It's not common to one specific culture. It's not isolated. It's a universal concept, of there being something inside of you."