One Direction Was My God I Guess
Anyone that knows me knows that "seeing is believing" is just not my cup of tea. I believe in a lot of things that I can't see- ghosts, demons, all kinds of supernatural creatures. I'm also a heavy advocate for the things we can't even begin to imagine are real. 
Regardless, it shows that religion is so strongly connected to our vision. This, in conjunction with the idea of idolatry is so fascinating to me especially since God is already such an idolized figure. Islam Christianity and Judaism identify idolatry as a sin, but in Hinduism the same acts are considered normal, and are greatly admired amongst the community. Visuals of Gods are highly respected and utilized- they do not seem to reflect the same idea that by worshipping this image you are worshipping a creation rather than the creator himself. The sensory experience of vision adds to their religious practices rather than detracts- it visually and mentally stimulating to see so many colors, designs, and figures to worship in every day religious practice.
Many people use "seeing is believing" as a way to discredit religious figures and religion as a whole. "How do you know God's real if you can't see him" "Well how do you know heaven's real if you've never been there" These things were never said to me because I grew up very non-religious, but it always struck me as incredibly odd that people could discredit things just because they can't see it or because they haven't experienced it.
When I was in middle school- I think I looked at One Direction like they were my own personal God. I don't think I'm the only one- it was me and the massive directioner fan-base. It was the one of the first pandemics I experienced. I had a fanpage dedicated to posting pictures of the boys, facts and stories about them, and opening conversation about the band for the greater community. It was a little concerning, but I did have over 800 followers on this page as a 12 year old, so also a little impressive. Also may be a testament to just how passionate One Direction fans were. In all of our houses, or most at least, we had their faces hanging up on our walls, like everywhere. 
My mom would tell me it was really weird that I'd do this- like why should I fill my room with faces whom I've never seen in person? What does it do for me to look at a mass-produced/ printed picture taken by a random person of someone I love? And you know, it did a lot. It made me feel happier, I could look up and see their faces in full color reminding me that they exist (something that matters to a very sad tween- mini proof that the people you love are real, almost like a reason to stay positive.) The colors are cheerful, the pictures may be tacky to look at now, but at the time were truly representative of an era close to our hearts, just looking at it triggers a strong emotional response. It feels like a celebration of the love behind the idol, an honoring of them, a form of communication of your gratitude to them even. Visuals are so powerful for fostering a space where this is all possible.
I think this is a really great representation of some of the double standards we can have when it comes to things like a religion. In this age I feel that we often discredit many of the belief systems of different religious groups by saying that they are irrational, and not backed by science. However in our current society tons of behaviors and beliefs that have no scientific or tangible logic are justified.
ReplyDeleteThe double standard of idolatry is really that our society has is really interesting, people don't like it in their religion, but yet we do it in our everyday lives and it's fine. Maybe we should just let people worship how they want to worship and not say that something is bad just because we don't personally like it.
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