Michael captivated the imaginations of people here in America and around the world. He ignited our desire to realize our potential and to experience our passion. He was magnetic, captivating, and charismatic, and we couldn’t get enough of him.

Michael Jackson Photo Source

Michael Jackson: The Man Created in Our Image

The depth and extent of our fascination with Michael Jackson elevated him to the status of quasi-religious figure. We gave him the throne at the altar of the tabloid spectacle of our celebrity-obsessed culture, and then granted him the dubious honor as the ultimate draw of our reality-show-driven mentality. In the end, we treated him like we do all of our Gods—we loved him, then we mocked, derided, and crucified him, and then began to love him again after his death.

Michael Jackson Statue in The Netherlands

Retreat to Neverland

Michael lived up to our labels of him as an idol, a pop God—removing himself from the din and weariness of the world by retreating to a surreal creation Neverland Ranch, where he could indulge his Peter Pan fantasies of never growing up. He was living a childhood myth/fantasy of complete suspension in time, triumph of youthful energy over age and responsibility. He was immersed in the world of fairies, mermaids, Indians, and pirates. He invited ill children suffering from cancer and other life-threatening diseases to engage in his half-reality by having sleepovers. It seems that it was just a matter of time before allegations that Michael was a pedophile would surface.

Neverland Gates Photo Source

Yet there was much of this “Neverland” aspect of Michael that we revered for its purity and sweet goodness. This is the part of Michael that sang about the highest wish and vision we have for ourselves. We could experience this part of ourselves when Michael sang “We Are the World,” which was a collaboration of 45 popular musicians to raise money to alleviate famine in Ethiopia; “Heal the World,” which spurred the creation of the Heal the World Foundation, a charity that works to improve the lives of children as well as address a variety of other worldwide problems; and the lofty and indulgent, yet seemingly effortless and beautiful “Man in the Mirror,” which asks us to make a change in ourselves to change the world. Michael inspired us to foster our best intentions; envision and believe in a different, better, and more beautiful world; and take action.

Michael Jackson’s Religious Search

Yet for all the uncomplicated, powerful messages that Michael brought to us through his art, he did not seem to be able to realize the same wholeness, completion, and peace within himself. What was the sadness that was so palpable around him? Why did his spiritual search that was so evident in his music dead end in his life? What were his religious beliefs? The answers to these questions are tangled and convoluted.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Michael was raised a Jehovah’s Witness. His mother was and is devout. Michael knocked on doors, proselytizing for the church, even after he had gained some measure of stardom. However, after the Jehovah’s Witnesses disapproved of his Thriller video, he gave up his ties to the religion.

The foundation of the Jehovah’s Witness faith is belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God (though not God himself), who gave his life for the salvation of humankind. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the authority of the Bible, though they use their own translation. They believe that the time is imminent when a theocracy will be established upon the earth. Most of the righteous will be given everlasting life and live in a recreated paradise on earth. One hundred and forty-four thousand of the very most righteous, some of whom have already died, will go to heaven to rule with God and Jesus. The unrighteous will simply die and cease to exist.

Judaism

Michael also had ties to Judaism. Debbie Rowe, his ex-wife and the father of two of his three children, is Jewish. In Judaism, Jewish lineage is passed through the mother. In other words, a baby born to a Jewish mother is automatically a Jew and does not need to be converted.

Michael also developed a friendship with the popular Orthodox rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Rabbi Shmuley tutored Michael about Jewish practices and attended synagogue with him. “I know people saw him as a bad person,” said Rabbi Shmuley. “But that wasn’t true. He was a person with a lot of issues and sadly he never addressed those issues.”

The foundation of Judaism is belief in one God. Judaism is heavily centered on ethical action, as opposed to faith. The Torah (Old Testament) is the holy scripture, in which Jews believe God revealed instructions to them to lead the world as the chosen people. The 10 Commandments are at the core of the religion.

Star of David Photo Source

Islam

Rounding out Michael Jackson’s search into traditional religion is his exploration of Islam. Type in “Michael Jackson” and “religion” in Google, and you’ll get a number of hits claiming that he died a Muslim. Is that true, though? There are various sources that say Michael converted to Islam in 2008, though other sites claim that he never converted.

Michael’s brother, Jermaine, converted to Islam in 1989. Jermaine said, “When I came back from Mecca I got [Michael] a lot of books and he asked me lots of things about my religion and I told him that it’s peaceful and beautiful.” It seems that Michael inquired into the faith.  After Michael died, various news agencies report that Jermaine said, “May Allah be with you, Michael, always.”

The process for conversion to Islam is straightforward and could, in fact, be part of the reason that it’s unclear if Michael converted. All one must do is believe that Islam is the one true religion, and then one must say the “Shahadah,” the declaration of faith: “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet.” The word “Muslim” means “one who submits to God.” The central belief in Islam is that there is only one God, whom Muslims call Allah. Muslims believe the Quran (alternately spelled Qur’an and Koran) is the word of God revealed to Muhammad.

Crescent Moon and Star Photo Source

Michael Jackson’s Death

On June 25, 2009, news of Michael Jackson’s death spread like a raging, uncontrollable wildfire. Celebrities, fans, and others around the world were sincerely shocked and devastated on one level, though I believe that many knew that Michael was not well and would meet an untimely death.

Photo Source

“I can’t recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my Fathers Death,” Lisa Marie Presley, Michael’s ex-wife and daughter of the late Elvis Presley, wrote on her blog. “At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, ‘I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.’ ”

Rabbi Shmuley had expressed the same sentiment. He recounted on his blog that in 2004 he had conceded that “my great fear, and why I felt I had to be distanced from Michael . . . was that he would not live long. My fear was that Michael’s life would be cut short. When you have no ingredients of a healthy life, when you are totally detached from that which is normal, and when you are a super-celebrity you, God forbid, end up like Janis Joplin, like Elvis . . . Michael is headed in that direction.’ “

What We Can Learn from Michael Jackson About Ourselves

Despite all of the speculation about what kind of religious funeral Michael would have, his funeral ended up being a religion-free, God-free affair, which seems to square well with the lack of spiritual satisfaction that Michael experienced in his life. In his death as in his life, Michael is a flawed symbol of the dull, though persistent ache at the core of modern society. Out of our deep hunger for “something,” we made Michael into a modern hero in the hopes that he could lead us to transcendence. We revered his otherworldly talent, his ability to captivate us with the beauty, power, and authenticity of his music, his dance, his art—we forever have the image of him moonwalking across the stage as fans fainted and cried out for the unquenchable desire that he awoke in them. In the end, we are left as empty as Michael was—the half-man, half-child, half-God: inconsolable and unsatisfied.

Photo Source

What I take away from Michael’s death is that if we are not true to ourselves, if we listen instead to what others think of us and try to live up to their expectations, ultimately we will sell our soul, and no amount of fame, money, or talent will save us.

Rabbi Shmuley summed up the impact of Michael’s life aptly on his blog: “There was a great beauty and gentility in Michael’s soul. His talents far surpassed those of his contemporaries and he yearned deeply to make the world a better place. I am saddened that the emotional pain he lived with prevented him from finding the meaning and connectedness which he longed for.”

Michael Jackson Autograph Source

I do have one or two beefs with the memorial service though.  It was merely hours earlier that the Gov. of California had made a statement to the press that went something like this, “We are broke.”  The estimated cost for the taxpayer on this event is huge, something along the lines of $2 million.  With Michael being entombed in a $25,000 solid bronze, gold plated casket, I would find this a tough bill to swallow were I a resident of LA.  Surely the Jackson estate could, and should, have been able to pay for this mega funeral.

Secondly, the guest speakers and performers were very poignant and reverent, with a couple of noted exceptions.  I think one individual will sum this point up though: Al Sharpton.  Why would he turn this memorial into a speech on race the way he did?  His comments were so very out of place in this venue.  But as always it seems, Mr. Sharpton has to make all of his appearances about him and the cause he is interested in.  The place and time were not about Al Sharpton and he was, I think, out of line. 

I have to say that the speech from Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee also left me feeling less than tingly.  I had this very strange impression from her that she was worshipping Michael Jackson, not eulogizing him.  The biblical references she made seemed terribly out of context, saying that Jackson was the Good Samaritan, among other things.  And I know I am not alone on this feeling.  Pastor Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church, tweeted, “The cult-like status of MJs death is unreal. If someone transported in from ancient Israel they would have swore he was a god like Pharaoh.”

The most touching part of the service had to be when Paris, Michael’s daughter, took the stage.  Her tearful goodbye was heartbreaking to watch.  And yet it was also a surprise, too.  Of course we hear how Jackson loved his kids and treated them so wonderfully.  But I had doubts about this.  Those doubts are now dispelled.

In an article I wrote about two hours after his death, I opined that I hoped drugs were not involved in Jackson’s death.  Sadly, that seems to be exactly the case.  Little information has been released but we do have some facts to go on.  We know that MJ was an admitted addict.  We also know that bags full of prescription medications were confiscated from his rented residence by the police as evidence.  Many people that had been associated with Jackson over the years have spoken openly on news programs about his terrible addiction, including his former nurse Cherilyn Lee and his friend Uri Geller.  It is also being reported that Dr. Conrad Murray was with Michael Jackson when he collapsed.  Dr. Murray is reportedly cooperating with police during their questioning and investigation.  MJ was reported to have been spending about $48,000 per month on prescription drugs, a phenomenal amount of money for prescriptions by any standard.  Couple this with the allegation the prescriptions were under many different names, as were the drugs that were seized, and I think it is very safe to guess that some sort of an overdose will be the cause, or at least the major contributing factor, to his death.

We have not even touched on the squabble over the money, which began Friday only to be quashed with the probating of the will on Monday.  Thankfully for the children Jackson had taken care of this item properly in some of his coherent time of life.  As I understand it, the money will be controlled by two executors that are, as Geraldo Rivera put it, “reasonably competent at least.”

There also seems to be a storm brewing over the custody of the children.  The second ex-wife and mother of the two eldest of Jackson’s children, Debbie Rowe, is said to be contemplating filing for custody.  The very mention of this draws many vile comments (and no good that I have heard).  She is accused of selling the kids to MJ, twice, for millions each time.  The charges are already flying about how much she expects to make off of ‘selling’ them again.  Really, we don’t know her heart or her true motivation.  After all, Rowe is their biological mother and she could have a real love for and need to be around them now.  Perhaps that was not possible while MJ was still alive.  We just don’t know.  It is a very sad and tragic story, this we do know. 

And we come back around to the kids, three young children who have been essentially raised in a single parent home.  And now that parent is gone and they are basically alone.  We have heard testimony after testimony about how much MJ loved these kids.  And as I said before I don’t doubt he did.  One comment that I heard made by someone that identified themselves as a close and long time friend was that the kids were his life; he loved them more than anything else.  This is where I have to disagree. 

I believe that Michael Jackson did a lot of good things in his life time.  He was raised a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) and asked that his children be taught the Bible the way he was, as a JW.  As I understand their beliefs, the JWs do good to please Jehovah and make atonement for their sins.  With his vast wealth he had the means to do a lot of good works to atone for a lot of sins.  It seems that he felt the need to atone for many sins from my perspective anyway.  I feel I should mention here I have a very different view on this; I do not believe there is anything that he, or anyone else, can do to atone for their sins.  It is by and through the total trust in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross we can be reconciled to God.  That being said, my point is as much good as he did for others, he did a terrible injustice to his own children.

Michael Jackson did not have to die when he did.  And he did not love his kids as much as he claimed to either.  Michael Jackson loved Michael Jackson more than anyone or anything.  The enormous amount of money he spent on himself, and pile of debt he left behind, are evidence to this fact alone.  But the most damning evidence is the fact that he allowed his life to be cut short, one could even argue that he committed a slow suicide, and robbed his children of the precious time with their father that they so desperately needed and wanted.

Was Michael Jackson really such a good person and a huge philanthropist?  In many eyes the answer will be yes.  But in my eyes, he robbed his babies of precious, irreplaceable time with their father and that is the biggest sin of all, no matter what else he may or may not have done.  And he can not do any good deed now to make up for so selfishly taking his life and ruining those of his children.

Greg Wolford

©2009

Now I am not saying that people who blindly follow religion are dummies, many have been brainwashed since childhood and are too scared to look beyond what they have been taught, after all they have been schooled under the threat of hell for entertaining other thoughts and questioning what they have been told.

How?

Religion is manipulative, and the biggest manipulation device they use is the reward of a pleasant after-life and the threat of horrid one. In Christianity these are known as heaven and hell. Most every religion has some sort of reward/threat system to control people. People are even threatened that if they explore other options they are going to suffer eternal damnation.

The second manipulation technique is forming rules. Some people find comfort within this system, just like many people born into military families find it much easier being told what to do and when to do it. Many people, after having their lives controlled, being told when to wake up, how to make their bed, and so on, find it difficult to live outside those rules, and many cannot even establish rules for themselves, or live without rules. This is exactly what happens to people within religion. They become accustomed to the control it has over their lives.

The third is offering a father figure. Even in abusive situations people often still try to find love and approval from their father. Religion is no different. Religions offer a father figure, in Christianity, God is even referred to as “the Father”, “our Father”, etc. Nobody wants to disappoint their father.

The fourth manipulation device is brainwashing. Although nobody likes to think of it as such, in most religions it is clear that this is taking place. Brainwashing is described as any effort to instill certain attitudes or beliefs into a person. In brainwashing people are broken down and then rebuilt. The same thing happens in most religions as people are told they are nothing, born into sin, and so on, BUT by accepting their religion, they can be saved. To learn more about how brainwashing takes place in religion, especially in children in the Evangelical Christian church, see the movie Jesus Camp.

The fifth, and most hideous, form of manipulation is encouraging people to reproduce. This is done because religious leaders know it is much easier to have a person born into a religion, than to covert one to it. It is hideous because the world is not at a point where it needs more people, rather the opposite is generally held to be true by scientists and the United Nations council.  Parents, innocently enough, start brainwashing their children into a given religion, they don’t even know they are doing it. 

Image via Wikipedia

Why?

Why do religions want more people? This is especially curious of some religions who believe that only a select number of people will be taken to “heaven” but continue to try to covert others. For example Jehovah’s Witnesses believe only 144,000 people will be swept up to heaven, but their membership is in the millions and they still try to recruit more. Perhaps the reason is something beyond the fact that the religion wants to “save” people…. but perhaps because it wants more power, more members, more control, more money.

Many religions have control over how their people act, to the point that some even influence their followers political choices. This is really frightening and has been suspected to be the major driving force not only in who gets voted for, or against, on reality TV shows, such as American Idol, but in major political elections, as when Bush was re-elected in 2004. If you control the people, you can control the world, or at least your tiny part of it.

Additionally more people means more money. Not only does a church with more members get more money from its people, but also from the government in the form of grants, charity applications, and tax free status. Although in theory, in most religions greed is wrong, the greed of the church seems to be acceptable.

So… before you fall blindly for any religion promising you eternal salvation, check the fine print.

Please see

Jesus Camp the Movie:  Official Site

The Fool and the Kingdom of Heaven, by MGB