Pop Culture Religion Debut: A How-To/What-The-Hell-Is-This? Guide

Welcome to Pop Culture Religion a blog/column that looks at various interests in popular culture in literature, film, television, music, etc.

Have you ever had a friend introduce you to one of their interests? Perhaps I should say obsession? Chances are they are willing to give you a taste of what they like and try to make a fellow convert. Kind of like evangelism. As the uninitiated party you either a) like and want to learn more about the interest or b) don't get it and need some background before you decide if this is another interest that would suit you. That or you don't care for the interest, but want to educate yourself in case you are at a social event filled with people who love it.

That's where I come in. I intend on looking into a pop culture interest in the world of television, music, film, and whatnot in order to inform the lost of what each obsession is all about along with giving some good starting points in order to get lost in the potential new pastime.

Here's the format:

Religion: Here's the label of the interest we will be looking into today (Punk Rock, Film Noir, etc.)

The God: While still subjective in some areas, this will be the person or persons who are either responsible for the creation of the pop subculture or have the vocal majority state that he/she/they are the best representative of the "religion."

The Messiah: A person(s) who has changed the landscape of the topic for good or ill, creating a new vein in the "religion."

The Twelve: Twelve persons who are the innovators, statesmen, and best ambassadors of the "religion" being discussed.

The Anti-Christ: A person/group/concept that may lead to the potential downfall to the "religion" in regards to popularity and tries to lead the masses away from the "religion."

The Satan: The nearly lifelong antagonist/opposition to the topic.

The Bible: The book, film, album, etc. that is considered by the majority to be the best representation of the medium ("You can't consider yourself a metal fan unless you've heard insert album here")

The Christmas: The major event that followers of the "religion" gather and practice their "faith."

The Churches: Supplementary weekly/monthly TV shows, newsletters, DVD's, magazines, and whatnot the faithful participate in regarding the "religion." (i.e. One of hip-hop's churches would be "Yo! MTV Raps!")

Devotions: Books dedicated to the history or insight into the "religion."

Hope this intrigues you enough to come back and hopefully find some new cool stuff to expose yourself to. Once again, this is purely subjective so feel free to comment about your disagreements, agreements, or anything I might have overlooked. I am also taking requests as to what topics to dissect in this blog. Later.