Comments on: All the Lonely People

By: Steve Hayes

Steve Hayes — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:17:58 +0000

I find this a bit puzzling.

How many of those who committed suicide were members of any church?

I would be quite surprised to learn that any of them were. It seems to me that for them the cult of Michael Jackson was quite exclusive, and would specifically exclude the cult of Jesus. People who are willing to engage in self-immolation for their deity tend to be monotheists. They would have no room in their lives for another deity.

This goes beyond being a fan of the man or his music. It's a full-blown celebrity cult.

The same applies to people who kill themselves when their sports team loses. Sport for them is not longer sport, it is a religion.

And what is "the church" that could do anything at all about this? If the church fails to prevent the suicide of one of its members, who are known to it, or should be, then one could wish that the church had done more. If some of those who killed themselves were members of a church, then that church coud perhaps have done something, but it would have to include weaning them off idolatry.

By: Mike Clawson

Mike Clawson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:39:22 +0000

I've also known some people who are as obsessive about church and "spiritual" things as others are about singers or whatever (we knew lots of them at Wheaton). The evangelical subculture can become an unhealthy addiction as much as anything else.

By: Pippin

Pippin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:14:39 +0000

Having been deeply entrenched in several fandoms and getting to know some of the kind of fans I'd previously dismiss as "bug-eyed wacky", it's hard for someone looking from the outside to understand that kind of deep, if vicarious, identification with the words and music of someone one has never met, at least not in a non-pejorative way "this person has no life and is trying to fill a void in an empty, unhealthy way".
I've since grown to understand, respect and even admire to a certain extent how they find a real connection with words and music which serves as a springboard to articulate their emotions and make sense of the world around them– as long as they express it in a healthy way. I realise I'm looking at this from a different context than you are; it is so true that the church needs desperately to be doing that very kind of void-filling that people are finding or looking for in these things… people seem to be able to find them in the biggest or smallest of things but rarely the church… but I guess I'd also like to point out, when someone who's created this body of work that really speaks to someone dies, it's important for the world– and the church– to recognise that the loss is very real.

By: Danny

Danny — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:18:27 +0000

You said, "But at the same time I wish things could be different."

I think they can be.

And I think we have to hope they can be as well.

We need that hope. Or why bother trying to change it.