Pop Culture: The Religion of the Non-Religious

Popular media, from its conception, feigns indifference to matters of religion. “We just want to entertain through great art, and pushing any religion on anyone is quite rude,” they say. It sounds like inclusive language, but it is an illusion nonetheless — and here’s why.

When looking at the origin of pop culture’s ideas, evidence of a deeper awareness of theology and an embedded choice to pick a side is clear. The mere consumption of these ideas is counted for worship, and the non-religious feeds on it.

David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne (known as the Prince of Darkness), and The Beatles are hailed as pioneers of modern music and rock-star culture within today’s entertainment industry. All three were connected by a common idea made mainstream by one man: Edward Alexander “Aleister” Crowley. Crowley, an English occultist who denounced the Christian God and sympathized with the persecuted angel who rebelled, modeled his life around gaining closeness to this figure through sex rituals, drug indulgence, and a singular pursuit of pleasure under the mantra: “Do what thou wilt.”

Ozzy, Bowie, The Beatles, and many other rock pioneers reference Crowley in their work and followed in his footsteps toward sex, drugs, and unapologetic self-indulgence — the foundation upon which pop culture was built.

Today, sex, money, and fame are the currency of the zeitgeist. In your immediate circle this sounds like: Do it for the plot. Find yourself. Enjoy your 20s. Eliminate things that don't serve you. Get to the money. You only live once. You catch my drift? All are variations of the self-indulgent beliefs Crowley preached. With his teachings embedded so deeply in popular culture, the “non-religious” who consume and swear by pop culture’s values, by mere passive participation, worship Crowley’s god — the same values that earned him the label “the most wicked man to ever live” and his own preferred title: The Beast 666.

When mere passive participation becomes worship, a choice demands to be made: become an active participant, or refuse participation altogether. Either option requires understanding the origins of the ideas you consume.

Crowley’s last words on his deathbed were: “I am perplexed.” If perplexity lies on the road you’re traveling, would you not want to meet her while there is still time to change your course?