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Looking into a New Religion - Part II: Celebrity ReligionsIn today’s world most people bypass the Bible in their search for spiritual answers. Sadly, the Bible is out of vogue. It’s never quoted as a source of happiness, a road map for life or the ultimate truth–instead, daily we’re filled with messages coming from every media source that the Bible is just another ancient religious manuscript amongst so many to choose from.
“Do your own thing,” is no longer counter-culture but mainstream.
There is a billion-dollar industry based solely on celebrity “branding” that reaches farther than jeans, perfume, hairstyles and purses. There’s a website called, Celebrity Religion, and if you read through the religions associated with current Hollywood luminaries, you’ll be hard pressed to find Christians amongst them. But you will find atheists, Sunni Islamist, Scientologists, Tibetan Buddhists, Agnostics, Kabbala followers and yogis. Influential celebrities are telling us via every media outlet that the God of the Bible isn’t relevant today, or doesn’t exist at all. It isn’t subliminal messages, no, we’re way past subtle.
The celebrity system jump started the trend. To name a few major events that changed Evangelical America, we need only look back to the 1960's. In 1964 Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Black Muslims, recruited Cassius Clay, heavyweight champion of the world into the Nation of Islam, and in 1968 the Beatles went to Rishikesh India to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Celebrity religious branding was launched.
All these years later, fans now look to celebrities for the answers to everything–life, diet, beauty, God.
Recently, celebrity queen regnant Oprah Winfrey decried Jesus, stating there are “many paths,” and on national television denouncing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now, she's promoting Echart Tolle's teachings, which amounts to regurgitated, revamped eastern religion--enticingly repackaged under "A New Earth. Awakening to Your Life's Purpose." His claims to "I AM" are lifted right out of the teachings of Krishna, an Indian incarnation of God.
How many Christian women are still buying her magazines and watching her show? How many fence sitters, nonbelievers and teenagers are influenced a celebrity? If we're going to stand up for Jesus Christ we must mobilize and write sponsors. Too tired? Too busy? Perfectly wonderful for Satan...and the beat goes on.
Network television is a major source of misinformation about Christianity, but it doesn’t stop with TV royalty denying Jesus.
Cable channels are churning out reenactments touted as scientific proof, flat out refuting established Christian doctrine. They load the show with college professors and writers (selling books) to back their claims. The History Channel, for example has aired many Biblical stories, such as the Garden of Eden and the story of Cain and Abel, making claims that there’s no plausible truth to them. Many of their productions push the “secret message” stories, such as lost or hidden “books” claiming much of the truth of Jesus was hidden from Christians. Their boldest video is regarding the Cross, that the symbol was well established before Jesus, and it was represented as life and “adopted by the Christians.”
The History Channel is owned by A&E. A&E Television Networks (AETN) is a joint venture of The Hearst Corporation, ABC, Inc. and NBC Universal.
Entertainment.
Notice now the connection with celebrities and religious information, what we’re being told as truth, and whose selling the lies.
If it only ended there...
Stay tuned for this continued series.
“Do your own thing,” is no longer counter-culture but mainstream.
There is a billion-dollar industry based solely on celebrity “branding” that reaches farther than jeans, perfume, hairstyles and purses. There’s a website called, Celebrity Religion, and if you read through the religions associated with current Hollywood luminaries, you’ll be hard pressed to find Christians amongst them. But you will find atheists, Sunni Islamist, Scientologists, Tibetan Buddhists, Agnostics, Kabbala followers and yogis. Influential celebrities are telling us via every media outlet that the God of the Bible isn’t relevant today, or doesn’t exist at all. It isn’t subliminal messages, no, we’re way past subtle.
The celebrity system jump started the trend. To name a few major events that changed Evangelical America, we need only look back to the 1960's. In 1964 Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Black Muslims, recruited Cassius Clay, heavyweight champion of the world into the Nation of Islam, and in 1968 the Beatles went to Rishikesh India to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Celebrity religious branding was launched.
All these years later, fans now look to celebrities for the answers to everything–life, diet, beauty, God.
Recently, celebrity queen regnant Oprah Winfrey decried Jesus, stating there are “many paths,” and on national television denouncing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now, she's promoting Echart Tolle's teachings, which amounts to regurgitated, revamped eastern religion--enticingly repackaged under "A New Earth. Awakening to Your Life's Purpose." His claims to "I AM" are lifted right out of the teachings of Krishna, an Indian incarnation of God.
How many Christian women are still buying her magazines and watching her show? How many fence sitters, nonbelievers and teenagers are influenced a celebrity? If we're going to stand up for Jesus Christ we must mobilize and write sponsors. Too tired? Too busy? Perfectly wonderful for Satan...and the beat goes on.
Network television is a major source of misinformation about Christianity, but it doesn’t stop with TV royalty denying Jesus.
Cable channels are churning out reenactments touted as scientific proof, flat out refuting established Christian doctrine. They load the show with college professors and writers (selling books) to back their claims. The History Channel, for example has aired many Biblical stories, such as the Garden of Eden and the story of Cain and Abel, making claims that there’s no plausible truth to them. Many of their productions push the “secret message” stories, such as lost or hidden “books” claiming much of the truth of Jesus was hidden from Christians. Their boldest video is regarding the Cross, that the symbol was well established before Jesus, and it was represented as life and “adopted by the Christians.”
The History Channel is owned by A&E. A&E Television Networks (AETN) is a joint venture of The Hearst Corporation, ABC, Inc. and NBC Universal.
Entertainment.
Notice now the connection with celebrities and religious information, what we’re being told as truth, and whose selling the lies.
If it only ended there...
Stay tuned for this continued series.
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