Can a singer receive the honor to have a religion based upon them? Can the “King of Rock-and-Roll” receive this honor? What do you think? Going into class today I would have never believed there was religion defined as the “Elvis Religion”. But after leaving class I have put this belief into a different perspective. I believe that there is such thing as an Elvis religion and an Elvis Pilgrimage.
Many embark on pilgrimages to Israel and Jerusalem to experience God and Jesus through the Christian religion, so how would this differ from people enduring a pilgrimage to Graceland to worship Elvis? It doesn’t. If worshiping God and Jesus through pilgrimages is considered to be a religion, than travelling to Graceland for Elvis should be considered a religion as well.
When reading the Elvis article I found many relationships between our studies in Introduction to Religion relating to the pilgrims definition of an Elvis religion. For example, the text of the religion is considered to be his lyrics, they cross a limin to relate to the Turner model, and Graceland as a whole, is considered to be sacred space, where one feels safe and without chaos. So I will ask the question again. Do you believe a religion can be based upon a famous singer?
The way you have put this has made me realize Elvis religion is indeed a religion. As you relate pilgrimages to Israel or Jerusalem to a pilgrimage to Graceland has made it more clear to me. This still makes me wonder though if people just loved Jesus then decided to begin worshiping him, though. I is agree the Elvis religion does meet many of the criteria to be a religion but I think it is crazy to love somebody so much to create a religion about him. I believe the Elvis religion will die in the future since he is not that old. Elvis is still a popular person and everybody knows about him. I feel as the more the years pass, the less popular he will be.
Before I walked into class today I thought the same thing as you did. I would have never believed that a singer could become a God-like figure. If you break the Elvis religion down and apply the pilgrimage to Graceland to the Turner model it should indeed be considered a religion. Like a pilgrimage to Israel or Jerusalem the pilgrimage to Graceland has some of the same factors like they are all taken to worship and learn more about the faith. The pilgrimage to Graceland is much like the Turner model. When you go into the gates of Graceland you are crossing over the limin, or when you come back from the pilgrimage you are most likely to be changed in some way. To answer your final question, yes I truly do believe that Elvis Religion by definition can be considered real religion just as Christianity or Islam.