The Beatles are bigger than Jesus, says author

Dr Rupert Till agreed to John Lennon when the famous member of the band The Beatles said that they are bigger than Jesus.

Dr Till is the author of the book titled Pop Cult: Religion and Popular Music. It is set to come out before Christmas in the USA.

The doctor of pop in the University of Huddersfield says there are probably still more people listening to the band’s records today, even though it first charted way back in the sixties, than those who are reading the Bible.

“John Lennon was right. The Beatles were bigger than Jesus, and they still are,” Dr Till said.

The pop music and the personality cults surrounding some of the biggest stars in the industry have become the new religion.

The book has sparked controversy. Christian anti-cult campaigners have already written letters of complaint for the book’s seemingly pro-cult stance.

But Dr Till mocked some music cults like the Scandinavian extreme metal scene whose fans have committed murder and arson.

He also criticized the heavy drug and alcohol abuse of musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, and members of Pink Floyd, The Who and Led Zeppelin which led to their premature deaths or mental deterioration.

However, he reserved his strongest criticism for the church and its history of opposition to popular music. Dr Till criticized the church for being “out of date and irrelevant” because of its inability to adapt to modern culture. As a result, the young people, especially, are looking elsewhere “to find a sense of belonging, meaning and transcendence.”

He describes modern society as clubbers outnumbering Catholics and fans worshipping cults of stars like Prince and Madonna.

“The church’s attitude has been ridiculous over the years, telling us that listening to blues, rock’n’roll, or the Rolling Stones will turn us into some kind of evil beasts,” he said.

“No one believes it anymore. Religion no longer has the authority to tell us what to do. Overall music is an immensely positive force, to quote from the book, ‘to understand music is to understand life itself’,” he added.

Sources: www.christianmagazine.com www.inspiremagazine.org.uk