With her flamboyant style and shocking statements, Lady Gaga has enjoyed a successful career that has skyrocketed across the world. Using character and actions that glorify an undeniable darkness, she attracts the attention of millions. As Gaga finishes up the last of her South American venue performances today (Lima, Peru) and November 26 (in Asuncion, Paraguay) of her ‘Born This Way’ tour, she continues to incorporate Satanic imagery and references into her craft.
Across America, Lady Gaga has become a role model for many, referring to her fans as ‘little monsters.’ Her music videos often use physical violence or sexual exploitation to get her point across. She also promotes drug use (smoking a joint onstage while performing in Amsterdam) and has been attacked by suicide prevention groups, such as Group PAPYRUS, for romanticizing suicide in some of her performances and songs (such as ‘Princess Die’).
As Lady Gaga’s popularity elevates, an increasing number of people continue to worship and praise a performer who has carved a sizeable niche both inside and outside the music world.
To make matters worse, magazines and news outlets have associated Lady Gaga with belonging to the Catholic faith and although she is often photographed wearing ‘church’ hats, she is far from being the ideal role model. The performer has also been photographed mocking Jesus and his Holy stance. She herself mentions in the lyrics of her song, ‘Teeth” ”“ “I got no religion, I got no salvation.” Gaga’s overall message is one that repeatedly sends a conflicting message. She claims to be a follower of God, but glorifies the dark side of life. Someone with Jesus in their heart would not perpetuate the kinds of lyrics and visuals that she does.
In a Rolling Stones interview released in 2011, Lady Gaga makes references to being influenced by evil and darkness during her performances. She stated that she gains inspiration from morbid dreams and incorporates the details into her shows. Gaga admitted: “A lot of the work I do is an exorcism for the fans but also for myself.”
The ‘Born This Way’ tour has been filled with the kinds of imagery that goes directly against the word of the Bible. Millions upon millions of people have attended this tour, which includes 115 stops involving all of the continents (with the exception of Antarctica) ”“ a first for the performer. This means that she’s spreading her dark messages and infecting fans on a world-wide level.
Some of the blasphemous, negative messages and controversies associated with Gaga’s the ‘Born this Way’ tour include:
”¢ A promotional poster for the tour shows Gaga’s face hovering over dark clouds as she looks down from the sky above a medieval castle.
”¢ Gaga took to the stage during her Amsterdam appearance wearing a strapless, bottomless corset made out of “meat.” Other ‘meat’ accessories included a pair of boots and thong. As stated before, she openly embraced marijuana and later praised the drug for helping her with the performance.
”¢ In South Korea, conservative Christians held prayer vigils (including one in Seoul that consisted of about 300 Protestant church members who were against allowing one of Gaga’s concerts in their nation because of the ‘pornographic’ nature of her shows. A Rev. Yoon Jung-hoon stated, “we should hate the evil spirit behind her, not Lady Gaga herself.”
”¢ The leader of the Indonesian Ulema Council stated that “[Lady Gaga] was intent on building Lucifer’s kingdom in Indonesia.” They made serious threats if Gaga was allowed to perform. In the end, the concert in Indonesia was cancelled.
Gaga is no stranger to stirring controversy during concerts. A recurring ‘blood soaked’ theme dominated her ‘Monster’s Ball’ tour of 2009 to 2011, where she frequently wore revealing leather corsets and was ‘attacked’ by a performer dressed in black who appears to eat away at her throat ”“ causing ‘blood’ to gush down her chest. She then acts as if she is ‘dying’ in a pool of blood.
