Michael Jackson is the latest of our gods to die. Mortal gods are nothing new - many of the Roman emperors declared themselves to be gods. But they seem feeble compared with the immortal gods (favoured by Christians, Muslims and others) who can be imagined as infinitely powerful, wise and just. Those who spend their lives worshipping immortal gods therefore have an ideal set of behaviours to which they can, however imperfectly, aspire. But immortal gods lack personality and presence, particularly if their religions discourage their representation in pictures or statues. Living gods overcome these problems. They become gods because they are ever-present, not in the theoretical sense, but by being on television screens every night. Being on television places them in the special realm of true reality, of which our own lives are but a grey, flickering and imperfect reflection.
Living gods are created by their worshippers, but do not usually require any other forms of special behaviour. Their worshippers are not required to forego particular types of food or wear a special set of clothes or be more moral than the rest of us. The latter is particularly convenient because the people chosen as gods rarely lead exemplary lives. However, a true worshipper will deny any reports of their god’s wrongdoing (even pederasty and drug abuse), or regard it as a sign of the trials inflicted on the god to attain his or her status. Worship therefore involves idealising as well as idolising, and the worshipper passionately follows the lives of the god and creates special shrines in their homes of various icons of him or her. When the god dies, death is denied, symbolically and sometimes literally. The god dies in both senses when their last worshipper has passed away. Many years ago, I have met an old woman who still worshipped Rudolph Valentino and another who worshipped Mario Lanza. None surely are left alive who worship these mortal gods now, and Michael Jackson’s worshippers too will pass away over the next decades. People might still go on singing his songs though.
Living gods are created by their worshippers, but do not usually require any other forms of special behaviour. Their worshippers are not required to forego particular types of food or wear a special set of clothes or be more moral than the rest of us. The latter is particularly convenient because the people chosen as gods rarely lead exemplary lives. However, a true worshipper will deny any reports of their god’s wrongdoing (even pederasty and drug abuse), or regard it as a sign of the trials inflicted on the god to attain his or her status. Worship therefore involves idealising as well as idolising, and the worshipper passionately follows the lives of the god and creates special shrines in their homes of various icons of him or her. When the god dies, death is denied, symbolically and sometimes literally. The god dies in both senses when their last worshipper has passed away. Many years ago, I have met an old woman who still worshipped Rudolph Valentino and another who worshipped Mario Lanza. None surely are left alive who worship these mortal gods now, and Michael Jackson’s worshippers too will pass away over the next decades. People might still go on singing his songs though.
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