«MORE THAN ANYTHING PEOPLE JUST WANT STARS»
Q: You ask in the book whether crowds of mourners fall victim to "false gods because they are seeking spiritual fulfillment" through celebrity icons they will never know. What do make of the crowds mourning Jackson's death?
A: Valentino's death created the same kind of mass hysteria and reaction. But those actions and reactions have a deeper meaning than just pure base fanaticism. The lives of these people, and their deaths, have a real ability to empower people to find a sense of meaning that is so dramatic, so strong. They are indications of very deep and strong connection that doesn't just border on the religious, but is religious — in the sense that these feelings, connections and investments bear on moral value systems, a person's identity and history.
Q: Jackson was raised a Jehovah's Witness and converted to the Nation of Islam, and later, mainstream Islam. You're the go-to expert on death rites. What can we expect in terms of a funeral?
A: I was wondering that myself. It's hard to predict. I would not expect cremation, if he was really a Muslim at the end of his life. I hate to say this, but his whole life was a circus in a lot of ways, so I don't know if his funeral won't be the same.
Garry Laderman
USA Today
June 27 2009
posted by IVAN @ 10:46 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Joe Jackson's mother and step-father were Jehovah's Witnesses, and it were they that were the force behind Joe and his family becoming JWs. In fact, early on, Joseph Jackson was a door-knocker for the WatchTower Cult. But for Joe's insistence, Katherine and the children would not have converted.
I find it interesting that 99.9% of reporters and commentators state or imply that Michael Jackson's connection with the WatchTower Cult ended when he was disfellowshipped in the 1980s. In fact, circa 2004-5, a southern California newspaper published photos and an article showing MJ and his children attending their local Kingdom Hall. Does anyone really believe that someone with MJ's ego would not only attend a "meetings" at his Kingdom Hall, but also take his children with him, if he were being shunned as disfellowshipped persons are at a JW Kingdom Hall. I suspect that MJ had been "reinstated" as an active JW sometime prior to 2004. Let's see some reporter dig into that one. Don't expect the WatchTower Society or local JWs admit such without presentation of overwhelming evidence given present citcumstances.
The negative influence of the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses on Michael and his family have been either downplayed or totally ignored for as long as the Jackson Family has received public attention. For those readers who really want to know what life is like to be reared in the WatchTower Cult, nothing beats real world scenarios, and of real world scenarios, nothing beats actual civil and criminal court cases.
The following website summarizes 900 court cases and lawsuits involving children of Jehovah's Witness Parents. The summaries demonstrate how JW Families rear their children and live life day-to-day. Also included are nearly 400 CRIMINAL cases -- most involving MURDERS:
DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com
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