Michael Jackson’s death could highlight funeral rituals associated with a particular faith, but it may ultimately demonstrate the power of celebrity as a new kind of sacred.
Although plans to put Michael Jackson’s body on display for public viewing have now been changed, it is not surprising that this option was given serious consideration.
Regardless of his private beliefs at the time of his death, Jackson is embedded in a larger religious culture in which fans long for one last look and intimate moment with their adored celebrity saint.
Muslims do not embalm and display the body; Orthodox Jews and many conservative Jews will not either; Christians of most stripes, on the other hand, are more comfortable with public viewing of the dead as an integral element of funeral rituals. But more significant than any religious tradition is Jackson’s standing in the public eye, and his celebrity status as more than an idol in the pop culture landscape.
Although Jackson is a cherished member of his close-knit family, as sister Janet Jackson reminded everyone at the BET awards, he is also a part of a larger family of fans who made his success and adored him for his public entertaining contributions to their lives–contributions that were more than just entertaining songs and diverting forms of popular culture. For many people these artistic, aesthetic, moral contributions were sacred in every sense of that word.
Read the full story at BeliefNet.com.
