Spears' Confessional Controversy:  Blackout Album Offends the Church  Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

The CD booklet for Britney Spears' Blackout album

It appears that faith is just a joke to Britney Spears.  She was raised Southern Baptist, and after picking up and then abandoning other religions - including Kabbalahism and Buddhism - she most recently consulted a Christian life coach earlier in the year (whom I doubt she's still seeing, considering).

Now Britney, who was once famous for citing her religious beliefs as a reason to save her virginity until marriage, has caused outrage within the Catholic community after posing for racy photos for the "artwork" on her latest album.  I use the term "artwork" loosely - anything that delivers a shocking message with no purpose or meaning lacks art to me.

So, clad in fishnets, Spears poses seductively in the lap of a handsome young priest, with the shots appearing in her album.  Catholic leaders have branded the images a "bottom of the barrel stunt."

Bill Donohue, president of the New York-based Catholic League, tells the New
York Daily News, "This is all the puzzle pieces coming together. This girl is
crashing. She's not even allowed to bring up her own kids because she's not
responsible enough. Now we see she can't even entertain."

Kiera McCaffrey, the League's Director of Communications, told MTV News yesterday that the photos are a "cheap publicity stunt that is a way to get people to talk about [her] album without talking about her music, which is what they should be focusing on...She should be focusing on singing and dancing and trying to be an entertainer without mocking a Catholic sacrament."  Amen!

At the time we posted this, a poll on EntertainmentWise.com, 71% of the people that saw the pics found the photo shoot offensive.

See, I try to keep away from writing Britney Spears stuff, because I try not to rubberneck when I pass by a total collision.  Despite how frequently Britney custody stories and whatnot flood the press, I pass on them.

But then girlfriend has to go and piss me off all the time.  Yes, count me in on the 71%...I'm officially offended.  Some of us take religion seriously, and while we support freedom of expression, there is a different between artistic expression and religious persecution.

If people are going pelt bagels at Ann Coulter for talking about the differences between Jewish and Christian faiths...well, the pop wreck shouldn't invoke any less anger over her recent nose-thumbing of Catholicism.

   

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