Peep was a paradox.
If you spend five minutes looking at his photos, you see the contradictions instantly. You see the "Hellboy" tattoo. You see the upside-down crosses. But then you see the "Get Cake Die Young" ink and the massive, sprawling "Crybaby" on his forehead. It's a lot to take in. People see the imagery and immediately jump to conclusions. They want to know one thing: was Lil Peep Christian, or was he playing with fire for the aesthetic?
The answer isn't a simple yes or no. Life rarely is, especially for a kid like Gustav Elijah Åhr, who grew up in Long Beach, New York, with a massive heart and a brain that wouldn't stop racing.
He didn't fit into a box.
The Religious Roots of Gustav Åhr
To understand if Lil Peep was Christian, you have to look at where he came from. Gus didn't grow up in a void. His grandfather, John Womack Jr., is a famous Harvard professor and a Marxist historian. His mother, Liza Womack, was a teacher. This was an intellectual household. It wasn't a "fire and brimstone" evangelical upbringing.
Religion in the Åhr house was more about ethics and history than pews and hymnals. Liza has been incredibly vocal since Gus passed in 2017 about who he actually was. She describes a boy who cared deeply about the marginalized. He hated the way society treated the poor. He hated the way "outsiders" were pushed to the fringes. Honestly, that sounds a lot like the core teachings of Jesus, even if Gus wasn't exactly heading to Sunday school every week.
He had a "Love" tattoo for a reason.
Imagery vs. Ideology: That Upside-Down Cross
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the ink on his skin.
Peep frequently wore upside-down crosses. In his music videos and Instagram posts, this imagery was everywhere. To a traditional believer, that’s a red flag. It’s often associated with Satanism or anti-Christian sentiment. But in the world of SoundCloud rap and punk-adjacent subcultures, the upside-down cross—often called the Cross of Saint Peter—is usually just a symbol of rebellion. It's about flipping the script.
For Peep, it was an aesthetic choice. It was "edgy."
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Does that mean he was mocking God? Not necessarily. Peep was a product of the internet age where symbols are stripped of their original context and turned into fashion statements. He was obsessed with the emo-punk scene of the early 2000s, where religious subversion was basically the entry fee.
He was "Hellboy," sure. But he also sang about wanting to be a better person.
What the Lyrics Actually Say
If you really want to know if was Lil Peep Christian, you have to listen to the tracks. Not just the hits like "Star Shopping" or "Awful Things," but the deep cuts.
In "Lord Why," he literally asks, "Lord, why do I gotta wake up?" It’s a cry of despair. It's not a prayer in the traditional sense, but it acknowledges a higher power. It’s a conversation with the universe. In "Praying to the Sky," he touches on the futility of life and the search for meaning. He says, "I found some happiness in here, tell me, is it real?"
He wasn't quoting scripture. He was searching.
Most of his music deals with the "Big Three": drugs, heartbreak, and death. There isn't much room for organized religion when you're fighting the demons of addiction and depression in real-time. But there is a spiritual undercurrent. He believed in energy. He believed in the way music could connect souls.
"I have a feeling that I'm not gonna be here for next year," he famously said. That kind of premonition suggests a person who felt connected to something beyond the physical world, even if he didn't call it Christianity.
The "Hellboy" Persona and the Afterlife
The "Hellboy" moniker is probably the biggest hurdle for people trying to claim Peep had Christian leanings. Released in 2016, the Hellboy mixtape solidified his status as a legend. The cover art, the themes—it all leans into the "damned" aesthetic.
But look at the character of Hellboy in the comics. He’s a demon who chooses to do good. He rejects his origins to protect people.
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That fits Gus perfectly.
He felt like an outcast. He felt "hellish" because of his struggles with mental health. But his actions were often the opposite. Friends like Tracy, Smokeasac, and Fat Nick have all spoken about his generosity. He would buy clothes for people he barely knew. He let people crash on his couch when he barely had a couch himself.
He lived a life of radical empathy.
Did He Ever Claim a Faith?
In interviews, Gus was usually pretty vague about his specific beliefs. He never came out and said, "I am a Christian." He also never said, "I am an atheist."
He seemed to occupy that middle ground that so many Gen Z kids do. He was "spiritual but not religious." He saw the beauty in the world and the absolute horror of it simultaneously. When you're living that fast—recording hundreds of songs in a bedroom, touring the world, dealing with constant pressure—organized religion often feels too rigid. It doesn't have answers for the kind of pain he was describing.
He was a soul in transition.
The Tragic End and the Spiritual Legacy
When Gus passed away on that tour bus in Tucson, the world stopped for a lot of us. The outpouring of love was massive.
Liza Womack has spent the years since his death curating his legacy with immense care. She hasn't pushed a religious narrative because that wouldn't be authentic to who her son was. Instead, she’s pushed a narrative of humanity.
There was a memorial service held in Long Beach. It wasn't a traditional funeral. It was a celebration. People spoke about his kindness. They spoke about his light.
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Whether was Lil Peep Christian in the sense of attending church or following a creed is honestly doubtful. There’s no evidence he practiced the faith in any traditional way. But if you define Christianity by the "Fruit of the Spirit"—kindness, gentleness, and a desire to help the broken—then the argument gets a lot more interesting.
He was a "broken angel" to his fans. That’s a religious term used by people who didn't even know they were being religious.
Addressing the Common Misconceptions
People love to find "proof" videos on YouTube. You'll see clips of him wearing a cross necklace or saying "God bless" and think, Aha! He was a believer! Context matters. "God bless" is a colloquialism in America. A cross necklace can be Chrome Hearts fashion rather than a statement of faith. We have to be careful not to project our own desires onto an artist who isn't here to clarify them.
- Was he baptized? Most likely not in a way that he maintained as an adult.
- Did he believe in God? He seemed to believe in something, but he was vocal about his struggles with the concept of a benevolent creator in a world full of suffering.
- Was he a Satanist? No. That’s a lazy take based on tattoos.
Final Insights on Gus's Spirituality
Lil Peep’s relationship with religion was complicated because he was complicated. He was a kid who felt everything. He was a sponge for the world's pain.
He didn't need a label.
He found his "church" in the music. He found his "congregation" in the millions of kids who felt just as lost as he did. He gave them a place to belong. For many, that's more "Christian" than anything that happens inside a building with a steeple.
If you're looking for a definitive "yes" to the question of was Lil Peep Christian, you won't find it in the historical record. What you will find is a young man who lived with an open heart, who suffered loudly so others wouldn't feel alone, and who left behind a body of work that continues to save lives.
That kind of impact is a spiritual force all its own.
How to Respect Peep’s Legacy Today
If you want to honor the spirit of what Gus actually believed in, don't worry about the labels. Focus on the actions.
- Practice Radical Empathy. Peep was known for looking out for the "nobodies." In your daily life, try to see the people society ignores.
- Support Mental Health Awareness. Gus’s struggles were no secret. Supporting organizations like NAMI or local crisis centers is a direct way to carry on the fight he was fighting.
- Listen Authentically. Don't just play the hits. Listen to the lyrics where he talks about his fears and his hopes. Understand the human behind the "Lil Peep" brand.
- Be Yourself. The biggest lesson from Gus wasn't about religion; it was about authenticity. He wore what he wanted, sang how he wanted, and lived his truth.
Gus was Gus. And that was more than enough.