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Sinners Repent?
Burning crosses, weeping Madonnas, crowns of thorns - blasphemy or contemporary creativity?
by Magdalena Kalata
The Roman Catholic Church is no stranger to controversy. In the midst of a pedophile accusation epidemic, the Vatican has still not conjured up a response as to how to deal with reality and successfully address the situation. Lack of a reaction that could be considered appropriate by victims has further heightened the feeling that the Church acts as a fortress in refusing to swiftly acknowledge the complaints. By initially opting to sweep them under the rug and continually failing to be open on the matter, Catholicism is not helping itself. The problematic relationship with sexuality extends far beyond the case of abuse cases and into daily life for many Catholics. Homosexuality is not banned per se, but living as an openly gay individual in a relationship with someone of the same sex is considered a sin. Condoms and contraceptives are on the sin list too, as in the unrealistic theory that if everyone is abstinent until marriage and no one engages in extramarital affairs there would be no need for either. The rigour of the stance is praised by some of the devout and critiqued by others, with many artists falling into the latter category.
Madonna, who was raised as a Roman Catholic, is one of the most notorious examples of a singer who pushes the limits of religion in her music videos. "Like a Prayer" was neither the first nor the last video in which she used symbols of Catholicism and infuriated the Church, yet Madonna's most recent tour managed to do more than anger Catholic leaders. Due to the mimicking of Christ's crucifixion as part of the Confessions Tour, Madonna united Catholic, Muslim and Jewish leaders in their stance against such use of religion. Despite the condemnation, Madonna justified herself as not having committed a blasphemous act but rather using the cross as a way to express the need for people to seize acting selfishly and keep their fellow man in mind. A noble idea in theory, by aggravating religious leaders, Madonna instead managed to divide fans and create an onslaught of negative publicity.
Not one to be discouraged by others, Lady Gaga's music video for her single Alejandro was initially described as expressing her embracing of gay culture. Unfortunately, the message is not readily visible in the end product. The focus has been shifted to her latex nun's hobbit and swallowing of rosary beads, both of which appear several times in the video. Like Madonna, Gaga attended Catholic school and like her, seems to be following the path of mocking religion. Katy Perry, a fellow singer, has publicly expressed her distaste for such acts as a means to gain attention. Recently tweeting, "Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke," Perry encompasses what the religious controversies always manage to succeed in doing. Rather than encouraging unity or bringing gay culture to the mainstream, the mixing of sex and religion in more and more extreme ways just adds to the public exposure and achieves the one aim all artists have in common whether admitting to it or not - sales.
No stranger to the questionable use of nude models and iconography in its campaigns, PETA jumped on the religion bandwagon. Capturing model Joanna Krupa with angel wings and a halo while a strategically placed cross covered her body, was supposed to encourage adoption of animals from shelters. The images often tend to look more like a Playboy magazine cover than an animal rights campaign. Bill Donahue of the United States Catholic League was clearly outraged, but his statements calling on public personalities to keep ethics, if not religion, in mind should perhaps provide some food for thought for artists in general. Religion is an easy target and as artist after artist justify the use of such imagery by finding a cause they believe to be just, they should perhaps be instead asking themselves if they are bringing any justice about by offending those who do take their religion seriously, in all of its faults and rigidity.