The Gospel According To Madonna
by Mark D. Steele
In September 2000, CBS News and 60 Minutes II presented a story about and interview with the pop music star, Madonna. The story fairly sparkled when describing the “satisfaction” she is deriving from motherhood. Madonna’s “motherhood” is one in which she is intentionally (and with premeditation) depriving both of her children, born outside of marriage to two different fathers, of anything even remotely resembling a family life with their respective fathers. It goes on to describe her “relationship” with the Catholic Church.
For obvious reasons, the Catholic Church has criticized her in the past. But, as unlikely as it would seem, she had her daughter baptized as a Catholic. The interviewer questioned her concerning the apparent inconsistency between her public disagreement with (and disrespect for) the teachings of the Catholic Church and her decision to have her daughter baptized. In response, Madonna expounded her own gospel:
She says she doesn't dismiss everything the church says: "I can believe - I can disagree with doctrines and dogmas and still celebrate them. I go to the synagogue. I study Hinduism."
For her, religion is "about realizing that all paths lead to God in the end. And that everybody decided, you know, over the years, to sort of segregate and say, 'No, these are my rules. No, I believe that God came from here. No, I believe that Jesus is not the son of God. No, I believe in this, and I believe in that.' And the thing is, the point of studying all of is that really, they're all the same (at) the end of the day."
The crux of Madonna’s gospel is her last quote, “they’re all the same (at) the end of the day.” But this is one of the most blatantly false statements that are currently being peddled in the marketplace of ideas. For, at the end of the day, Hinduism and Christianity, or Buddhism and Christianity are not alike. If I can re-phrase Madonna’s quote and put it into words that better express what she meant it would be this: all religions at their root are the same even if they differ in externals. But this is exactly the opposite of the truth. The externals are exactly the place that religions tend to agree, while the internals are where they disagree.
G.K. Chesterton did a wonderful job of debunking this argument back in 1908 in his classic work, Orthodoxy (which makes me wonder how much studying of any religion Madonna has actually done). He pointed out that proponents of this philosophy commonly allege two types of resemblances: (1) things that are resemblances deriving from our common humanity, (2) things that are superficially resemblances but differ greatly in their significance and meaning.
The first type consists of those things that are resemblances because we are all human. For Christ and the Buddha to have both washed feet is no more of an amazing similarity than the fact that they both had feet to wash. For many religions to emphasize honesty is not to say that they are identical but that they are both professing ethical conclusions (in this case) that any sane and moral human being could arrive at through his or her own reasoning.
The second type of alleged resemblances are things that, at first glance appear to resemble each other, but actually are very different. For example, for Christianity and Hinduism to both have ritual washings is not due to the fact that they are the same but due to the fact that humans everywhere have found that washing with water removes dirt. It is the quite novel and unique claim of Christianity that through this physical washing that we call Baptism, we also wash our souls and remit our sins. In addition, both Hinduism and Christianity urge contemplative prayer. This would seem to be a similarity until one realizes that the goal of Hinduism is to annihilate the self while the goal of Christianity is to prepare to be united in God and to be even more fully one’s self. While both appear to be similar and may even cause similar physiological states, they could not be more opposite. To use one of Chesterton’s analogies, it would be just as logical to say that a beheading and a knighting are, at heart, the same. After all, they both involve touching the head with a sword.
But what is gained by affirming such a blatantly false statement as “they’re all the same at the end of the day”? I suspect that a person gains two things although I also suspect that “at the true end of the day” those things will not be as valuable as they were thought to be. In fact, they may be about as valuable as concrete shoes to a mobster.
The first thing that a person gains is the perception of freedom. It must seem truly liberating to believe that all religions are the same and that one can pick and choose amongst their practices, teachings, and ethical instructions as one wishes. One is truly the captain of one’s own soul. The problem with this is that, as Chesterton indicated, “All humanity does agree that we are in a net of sin. Most of humanity agrees that there is some way out.” But the ways out suggested by each of the religions are very different. In fact, the way out suggested by Christianity and by Hinduism or Buddhism are opposites. So, at the true end of the day, by not adhering strictly to anything, instead of running the risk of being wrong, one can be certain of it.
The second thing gained is the illusion of spirituality. It’s popular to be “spiritual” or “soul-full” these days. Picking and choosing from the religious smorgasbord can help you to feel “spiritual”. In fact, the wisdom of the world may even elevate you to a level of “spirituality” above those poor souls who are stuck with their daily, mind-numbing devotion to one faith. But, as with the first “gain”, this one is an illusion as well. No true “spiritual” progress can be made when one ignores the true nature of our spiritual reality. Smorgasbord spirituality tends to serve as a temporary balm for guilt associated with a sinful state. But, like the frogs in the experiment, we become immune to spiritual truth until, finally, the water boils.
In the end, Madonna’s publicly led lifestyle and her self-proclaimed gospel lead to inevitable ruin. They are the result of molding one’s religion after one’s own needs rather than resolutely seeking the Truth with a heart willing to repent when one finds it (or He finds you). The sad truth is that this is the best that our modern culture has to offer. It is the gospel, not of the true Madonna who submitted to God’s request and participated in the redemption offered us by her Son, but of an Anti-Madonna who offers the false thrill of liberation from all Truth.
