Jim Carey, Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, Madonna, Usher, Whitney Houston, are among a few celebrities that have publicly expressed their religious or spiritual interest but are we surprised to learn that most celebrities dodge or avoid such questions altogether? Could it be because many of them may practice a faith, that is not mainstream and therefore, they fear loosing their fan base because of it? Or, could many of them have no religious and spiritual point of focus at all and this too is reason enough to believe that if the public knew where they stood, they risk loosing endorsements and fans? This blog is sort of a follow-up to my previous blog about Preachers and Pastors who live luxurious fanciful lives, while claiming to be real men of God. I wanted to expand the dialogue to celebrity in general. As one who grew up with a Christian background and I still have friends and family members who identify as Christian; I already know that many people of this faith, do not believe that celebrities can be spiritual and famous too. They believe that Hollywood and the mainstream media is ruled by ‘Satan’ or ‘Lucifer’ and therefore, no true spiritual and religious person for Christ could be successful in that world and within the world of the ‘rich and famous’… This is commonly seen as ‘serving 2 masters’ as the Bible has a passage that denounces this.
(Click on link to view video to view Celebrity Spirituality Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ei7agyMO0U
I personally think that people should be allowed to practice and worship as they see fit for them. I feel that many people assume that if one happens to be very wealthy, rich and famous; that true spirituality or faith cannot exist within this paradigm and I disagree with this notion. It is very possible to be of great worldly means and equal spiritual means but to do so would require equal focus and attention and this is where the struggle comes in for many celebrities. Contractually speaking, some celebrities have their lives planned out months and even years in advance. If they do not add clauses in their contracts that would permit or allow them time and space to give focus to their spiritual and religious devotions, they run a high risk of ‘loosing themselves’ in the mist of a heavily ran machine that cares about nothing but their investment or ‘bottom line’ a.k.a. money! Fame does come with a price that most souls are not willing to pay, when someone else invest in their brand. However, if fame comes by way of our own investment, hard work, honor and integrity, we avoid the traps and pitfalls of ‘the 2 master’ dichotomy… We will also have a broader range to do it ‘our way’ without dehumanizing and soul-selling compromise.