Modern Idolatry. Living Idols. Part 3
Everybody has heard a phrase American Idol. Yes, this no uncertain expression means celebrities. Let’s speak about all celebrities in general. These people often appear on TV, on advertisement panels, on magazines and newspapers covers. Internet is full with their photos. People admire them and go into rhapsodies over them; they make idols of them in the truest sense of the word.
Fans are able to do everything to get a precious autograph from their idols. Sometimes they are ready to pay plenty of money and nearly kill each other only to take a picture with a celebrity.
“Descriptions of youth rock festivals often appear in the Western newspapers. The longhaired stars are called singers now, not beatniks or mods like before. Their fans are ready to kiss the shoes of their idols and to give everything what they have only for one hair of a shaggy unshorn head.” (Translation from Russian «Вера и жизнь», 5/1981)
It seems that fans’ love to their “living idols” is so strong that they follow every single detail of their life in mass media, imitate their appearance, act like them in everyday life, listen to their songs all the time or watch movies with them, paper walls with their pictures and so on.
A great danger is hidden in such actions. First of all, an exaltation of another person in such a way is a sin equal to shirk.
“And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allah. But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah…” (Quran, Sorah al Bakara, 2:165)
Secondly, it is wasting of time preventing from performing really important things in life. It is impermissible for a believer to be busy with such trifles.
In the majority of cases celebrities wallow in the mud; they can do completely shameless things. These people are always in the limelight. Their life, behavior, actions, words are always under the spotlight, they are supposed to be an example for everybody, first of all for our children. On They use charity as a cover for their reputation and at the same time they make a show of their private life, discuss their sexual orientation in public, publish their naked photos, drink, take drugs and so on. In other words they expose all evil actions in public. Even if a person condemns a shameless behavior he starts taking it as a norm soon or later after being brainwashed by mass media.
They say that movies describe reality of our life. But in my opinion all modern films are created not to describe but to dictate the rules of reality. Just think about it, it is absolutely a normal thing to see an intimate scene in a movie with naked or half naked people, adultery is shown as a norm of life as well, nonmarital relationship is also set as a norm in the modern filmdom. Music clips wallow in vice. Devilish dancing and songs have the same effect as hypnosis on a person and lead him to follow his sordid desires.
Let’s see the mechanism of distorting the notions of right and wrong as exemplified by a popular series “Desperate housewives”.
There are four main characters in the centre of attention. They are four women of different social status, with a unique character and fate. They are set as positive characters so audience sympathize them, feel with them and trust them. But what is the behavior of our goodies looks like? They cheat, lie, do dirt on others, swindle, spread gossips, instigate, drink, fight, speak in a rude way… and with all of this they are LADIES.
Such characters win hearts of millions of people and become an example of behavior; such scenarios dictate a special model of life and thinking and distort morality and notions of right and wrong.
There is an impression that the main aim of movies and music is to deprave a person, change his attitude to what is right and what is wrong, to falsify moral values, ridicule goodness, force satanic lifestyle and to lead a person astray from truth as far as possible, to make him hesitate about existence of God or to make him believe that he lives in a world where there is no God and he is absolutely free to do what he wants.
And so many of Muslims “get kicks” of so called singers crooning favorite melodies at home, at work and while taking rest. They listen to music and ignore listening to Quran; they can postpone prayer time watching a favorite TV programs and series, they are looking forward to watching sport events and TV shows. With all of this they get new portions of satanic thinking and become estranged from the Truth more.
This is one of the most dangerous shapes of modern idolatry. And it is not about uncontrolled fanatism when people are so blind that they are ready to do everything for the sake of their idols; even a simple love, admiration to celebrities, and following their lifestyle example is destructive for a morality of a person. It becomes difficult for him to distinguish between right and wrong. He does not think if Allah likes what he does or no.
For a believer the strongest love is the love to Allah, a believer would not love a person who is astray from Allah; a believer would not admire one who denies Creator and do not live according His revelation. Whatever he does, whatever he thinks, and wherever he goes he asks himself a simple question, “Is Allah glad with what I do?” And he avoids everything what Allah does not like. Instead of hebetating in front of TV waiting for favorite series, music clips, TV shows or sport programs a believer should be busy with his soul.