“There was a time, religious historians say, that religion was easy to pinpoint because people were defined by their beliefs, practices and traditions of worship. Now, with the sheer number of people and faiths intermingling, believers are consumers of religion.”
Kathryn Lofton, who most recently authored Oprah: The Gospel of an Icon, is master of the overlapping themes in religion and pop culture. Americans look for guidance and assign faith to icons like Oprah or Michael Jackson, analogous to the reasons some people turn to religion.
(via @Bookforum)
