PJ has a delightful article on the recent sainthood of Michael Jackson. This happens, even to the unknowns, where all is washed away in death:
All Our Idols Go To Heaven
The beatification had begun. A maudlin media mush-fest was in full swing. Worshipful crowds were gathering all over the country to wallow in grief stricken adulation for their fallen idol. Michael Jackson’s body had barely enough time to assume room temperature when the internet rumors began to appear on the Christian blogs and websites:
Wonderful News! Michael Jackson prayed to receive Christ only three weeks before his death!
Someone who knew someone who knew someone reported that gospel recording artists Sandra and Andrae Crouch had prayed with Michael to receive Jesus shortly before he died.
And she points to other articles from the past, declaring the dead whole:
Kim Clement claims Anna Nicole Smith cried out to God and is in heaven today
Frankly, I think it’s a disservice to ‘sancitify’ these people like this.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
Connect
I cannot say that they did not recieve Christ, but it takes a whole lot more than that to go to Heaven, You are judged on how “HOlY ” you live and repent…repent is very important.. If you recieve “Christ” you would not continue with sinful natures,and keep on and thinking because you said one little prayer that you are safe, I used to think that way, No matter what I did ,I had been “saved” once and I would still go to heaven,but I was very wrong and looking back now, I shudder to think that if I had of died I would have gone straight to Hell…. Just like the TV evanglist are telling say this prayer with me, repeat after me,, It don’t work that way,,, you have to give all to God… everything, and repent….
I cannot say that they did not recieve Christ, but it takes a whole lot more than that to go to Heaven, You are judged on how “HOlY ” you live and repent…repent is very important.. If you recieve “Christ” you would not continue with sinful natures,and keep on and thinking because you said one little prayer that you are safe, I used to think that way, No matter what I did ,I had been “saved” once and I would still go to heaven,but I was very wrong and looking back now, I shudder to think that if I had of died I would have gone straight to Hell…. Just like the TV evanglist are telling say this prayer with me, repeat after me,, It don’t work that way,,, you have to give all to God… everything, and repent….
You are very right, Deb. I think it’s a habit for people to whitewash the dead. That’s fine, but we should try to keep it real. If I die in sin, I do not want my family lying to anyone. Let me die as I lived.
You are very right, Deb. I think it’s a habit for people to whitewash the dead. That’s fine, but we should try to keep it real. If I die in sin, I do not want my family lying to anyone. Let me die as I lived.