by Charles Kluepfel
11/13/. Elvis
... another Jesus?
Hail to the King!
Summary
- According to Biblical passages, Jesus did not follow his own sayings. Neither do today's Christians, and rightly so, for they represent ill-advised ideas to begin with. One cannot "turn the other cheek" or give more to the one who steals from us. Why put these ideals on a pedestal?
The King! That was what Jesus was called. That was what Elvis was called.
This is not one of those paranormal "similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy" stories. This is a pair of examples of human nature at work in apotheosizing some people's charismatic leaders.
Stores sell pictures of Jesus, books about Jesus, crucifixes with Jesus, to hang on your walls. Other stores sell ceramics of Elvis, Elvis plates to hang on the wall, books about Elvis. And people display them in their homes.
Each is well enough known that the last name need not be used. No one thinks that Elvis might refer to Elvis Starr (the former Army chief) or innumerable lesser Elvises, or that Jesus might refer to Jesus ben Sirach (the author of Ecclesiasticus—a book in the Apocrypha, that Catholics accept in the canon of the Bible) or innumerable lesser Jesuses (or the equivalent, Joshuas).
Notably, each has been seen walking around after his death; Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and Elvis in K-Mart.
Jesus cured the leprous, the deaf and the blind. Elvis gave away Cadillacs to ease the burden of poverty.
When something goes wrong, some people "take Jesus's name in vain." When something goes wrong in the life of character Perry White on TV's "Lois and Clark: the New Adventures of Superman," Perry says "Great Shades of Elvis." (His comic-book prototype had said "Great Caesar's Ghost," but this Perry is more with-it.)
There is an ongoing Jesus Seminar to discuss the historical Jesus and the sayings of Jesus. The University of Mississippi at Oxford held this year an Elvis Conference.
And what was said at the Elvis conference? On the World News Tonight, some participants were quoted as saying "Elvis is nothing but a metaphor for America" [in its rise to power, and decline], that for Elvis "dying was a good career move," and that "Elvis is making more money now than when he was alive" (certainly also true of Jesus). An 11-year-old fan, who was not yet born when Elvis died, is shown saying that "All I know is that he's [Elvis is] the living king! Ya know why? ... because he's here today," showing all the enthusiasm that children can have, based upon parental beliefs. There were "seminars [ranging from] 'Elvis's semiotic significance in the postmodern world' to his role in race relations." Elvis "never lost touch with his humble southern roots" [no one has yet suggested birth in a manger]. "A Gospel-singing southern boy who loved his Mama." Various Elvis impersonators appeared, including black and Mexican "Elvii" because, as the Mexican "El Vez" noted, Elvis is a Universal symbol to which all can aspire. The mayor of Oxford was shown as being less than enthusiastic, but supporters showed that even Oxford resident William Faulkner was despised by the locals in his own time. (Elvis came from Mississippi.) [John 4:44: for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet's own country]. The Elvis scholars (Neal Gregory is being quoted) say "I'm sure that people are reading things into his life and times that are not there, but the guy did have an impact that, as Leonard Bernstein said, He was the greatest cultural force of the 20th century." To quote the commentator, "Some will tell you that Elvis is still alive, and, for once, they're right; he lives in the heart of academia, in the minds of scholars." [Yes, Virginia, along with Santa Claus and, yes, Jesus Seminar, there is a Jesus.]
This is mythology in the making, happening today. The circumstances differ, so a full-fledged religion may not be in the offing, but in different times, it is obvious what this could develop into. Human nature 2000 years ago was the same as it is now, and the circumstances were right. How can anyone deny the parallels? I know I can't.
* * *
After I wrote the above, the Sunday New York Times Magazine, on September 24, 1995, published an article by Ron Rosenbaum, entitled "Among the Believers." I recommend reading a copy at your library. The cover of the issue, labeled "Elvis, Healer," shows a wall niche forming a shrine, with a gold-framed picture of Elvis adorned with a sprig of flowers, and fronted with over a dozen lit white candles in various stages of their lifetimes, with candle wax dripping down from the niche.
The article describes the ritual called "Candlelight," that is a procession to Graceland, where there is a Meditation Garden, on the anniversary of Elvis's death, a ceremony that "eventually dwarfed the January birthday remembrance on the Elvis liturgical calendar."
Graceland is the second most visited home in the United States, after the White House.
Elvis impersonators are "the lay priests of the Elvis religion"; Sam Phillips of Sun Records, discoverer of Elvis, is the "John the Baptist." Only, it is Elvis's father who had been in jail, not the ersatz John the Baptist.
The theme of the week-long death celebration called death week (holy week?) is an otherwise lesser-known Elvis song "Hurt," epitomizing the feelings that draw people to become Elvis believers, who identify with the dying Elvis of later years, rather than with the postally popular "young Elvis." A believer, at the conference saw Elvis, as herself, "as the victim of a dysfunctional alcoholic family." Pills take the part of the cross, as the physical means of death.
Elvis has his theologians: At the Elvis conference, a Rev. Howard Finster took this part, hypothesizing that God had sent Elvis "to revive sex" at a time when it was needed, due to lowering birthrates in the United States. Certainly Christianity could use some of this salvation.
People "who have 'Elvis shrines' and 'Elvis rooms' in their homes" trade locks of Elvis's hair, vials of sweat, or even warts, which take the place of saintly relics, relics of the true cross, the Shroud of Turin, or the Holy Grail.
* * *
The New York Times Magazine article of course prompted some letters to the editor published in the October 15 issue. George Wallace of Huntington, Long Island, NY, commented that "a generation of dumb teen-agers" of the 50's have "become a generation of dumb old people," as if any generation is dumber than another. Of course this generation is no dumber than any in the first century.
Andrew Louie Ludwig, of New Orleans, having done "more than two years of research for [his] book 'The Gospel of Elvis' (to be published this month [in 1995])," is more sympathetic with those "for whom Elvis was not only a fond memory but a continuing, iconic presence." It is clear to him that "the Elvis-as-healer meme grows out of the never-ending human quest for myths, meaning, and, yes, spiritual redemption."
The following week (October 22), the letters included one from Marjorie J. Birch of Lancaster, Pa., recognizing "Every time I hear of another Elvis sighting or read about the heartfelt devotions practiced by his fans, I wonder if this is how Christianity got started."
* * *
Some may say "How can someone as debauched as Elvis become a Jesus figure, even given hundreds of years?" Well, any Bible of Elvism will need verses similar to:
Mat 11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
But as you can see, it has been done in the past.
Note that the above quotation is included to show that despite accusations of gluttony and drunkenness, a charismatic character can attain messianic status. It was not intended to claim that any historical Jesus actually was a glutton or drunkard. However, a reader has DEMANDed that the above be removed and apologized for, or the context of Jesus' statement presented in its entirety. To see the full context of Matt. 15-24, and the reader's comments, click here.
Links
Elvis.
More Elvis Links.
Sacred Heart of Elvis.
Strausbaugh, John. E: Reflections on the Birth of the Elvis Faith An excellent book, which you can order through this link to Amazon.com.
