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American Idol/ Idol Worship/ Religion

THCTHC Posts: 525
edited March 2007 in A Moving Train
I was wondering what people think. In the Bible it says not to worship Idols. I know back in that day people actually had little statues and such that they would litterally worship. The golden calf comes to mind as an example. Now up to my point in life...this term "Idol" was really only used by folks to describe their sports hero's and such..and I never really thought they actually "worshipped" the idol/person...but just used that term as a term of endearment and respect.

Well...now you have that word being used much more. With the rise of American Idol and the massive Media exposure it has brought, makes me think more and more about whether or not we truely are 'worshipping' these quote unquote "idols". I mean...in the end..don't they represent more or less supposedly a new hot celebrity. I even saw a clip on Good Morning America or something where they had a 13 year old girl who was on the show crying hysterically over a contenstant and the caption was "Idol Worshipper". I know the rates people are voting as well rival if not beat those who voted in the general election for president.


The question i ask is ....are we really worshipping Idols through this? I'm not sure myself...but more and more its creeps me out. Is this celebrity obsessed culture basically worshipping Idols through our somewhat -- celebrities as gods -- culture? I mean, we are now actually using the term "Idol" in a way i've never seen it used before, and when i saw that kid Sanjaya or whatnot on the front page of the USA today yesterday I had to question what the hell is going on. with a war and all that is happening in our world...this is front page news? i mean...I don't know if we are worshipping Idols...but its getting pretty gosh darn ridiculous to me.

What are people's take on this? I'm curious to know.
“Kept in a small bowl, the goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish can grow double, triple, or quadruple its size.”
-Big Fish
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Bu2Bu2 Posts: 1,693
    #2 - You all watch way too much TV
    Feels Good Inc.
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    http://entertainment.bodogbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/sanjaya.jpg
  • THCTHC Posts: 525
    Bu2 wrote:
    #2 - You all watch way too much TV

    #1 if words do not mean anything. why do we use them? are they not supposed to represent meaning? isn't language in theory a way to pass along meaning and understanding? in fact...i think the statement..."words are just words" seems quite silly to me.

    #2 i don't watch american idol (i do probably watch way too much ncaa basketball on tv though and other sports in their season) i am also not saying I myself am not caught up in our celebrity obsessed culture. i know way more about celebrities lives then i think i should know.

    (i'm not accusing anyone of worshipping idols....i'm wondering what people think of this...)
    “Kept in a small bowl, the goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish can grow double, triple, or quadruple its size.”
    -Big Fish
  • cornnifercornnifer Posts: 2,130
    There are people i greatly appreciate and admire. (the guys in PJ and albert pujols come to mind) i do not worship them however. i hear what you are saying though. i remember being a kid and using the word "worship" to describe my admiration for Ozzie Smith, but being someone who is quite fond of words and their degree of connotation, i no longer use the word so flippantly.
    "When all your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse... better find yourself a place to level out."
  • caifan82caifan82 Mexico City Posts: 321
    cutback wrote:
    http://entertainment.bodogbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/sanjaya.jpg

    Holy crap! What the hell is that!?
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  • my2handsmy2hands Posts: 17,117
    what is "american idol"? ;)
  • sonicreducersonicreducer Posts: 713
    did anyone catch when seacrest thanked exxon mobil for their donations,... that was too funny
    you're a real hooker. im gonna slap you in public.
    ~Ron Burgundy
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    caifan82 wrote:
    Holy crap! What the hell is that!?

    That's your next American Idol! :)
  • pjfanatic4pjfanatic4 Posts: 127
    The fact that the show has the word "idol" may be the reason why "worship" is associated with it.... Everything in excess is bad for you... so anyone so caught up with something that it affects their emotions in such a way is not healthy... it doesn't bother me if the use it in that context....

    Don't know if it is planned or not (government controlling the media/entertainment business), because the fact that 35 million + viewers tune in each week means money as well, but the fact that the show is SO successful in captivating such a large audience tells me it is definitely an "opium for society"... just like sports, religion and any other means of distracting the attention of the masses from the important issues....
  • edgarcampedgarcamp Posts: 100
    I don't think American Idol or idolizing musicians, sports heros, etc is really the point. We all are fans of someone or something, each to their own degree. Sometimes that can become obsessive, as some of us are with the guys in Pearl Jam, but I don't put any of them on this grand pedistal outside of enjoying their music (I will jump up and down like a little bitch when I get to see them live again, don't get me wrong!). Same goes for great athletes and their performances on the field. The little girl bawling her eyes out over a American Idol contestant is just that same youthful crush we have all had at some point in our lives. It does not mean she "idolizes" an awful singer in the manner in which a person might idolize or worship a false God.
    I think if you look around the modern churches you will find true worship of false idols. Legalistic christians may think catholics worship false idols, the Virgin Mary, the Pope, I don't know. In my experience, with family members HEAVILY involved in a non-denominational mega-church, they will tell you not to worship false idols, yet I see them do it quite often. The idols I see them worship the most; the physical church itself, the leaders of the church, any charasmatic speaker who belives what they do, anyone they go to church with that has more money then them, anyone famous who they worship with. In all honesty, they believe anything anyone in their church tells them, period. To me that is idol worship in the worst way.
  • OutOfBreathOutOfBreath Posts: 1,804
    Actually, I think there's a lot to that. Modern celebrity coverage borderlines personal cults all the time, only with interchangable deities or idols. People dont think of what they do as worshipping, but it can be construed as such. In fact popular culture has in many ways taken over for religion. What are big rock concerts if not huge arenas filled with faithful fanatics sharing a transcendental group experience? What are our celeb mags if not tales of moral conduct and life stories to remember and epitomize?

    I'm not saying it's a religion in itself, but rather that popular culture has taken elements of religion and applied them in nominally non-religious settings, while maintaining their compelling effect. I am aware that as much as I put into the music I listen to, a lot of it could have been poured into religion instead to probably much the same effect.

    Peace
    Dan
    "YOU [humans] NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?" - Death

    "Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty." - Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965
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