From The Orthodox Life (blog)

The Virgin Mary vs. Lady Gaga

Posted on November 17, 2011

The Virgin Mary

Is it foolish to compare them? Of course. But sometimes fools need to be answered according to their folly.

Celebrities obviously fall short of the Saints in regard
to holiness.  But we live in a generation which counts holiness of little value. Many people seem to be more impressed with album sales, fan clubs, and statistics. Thus, it seems fitting to demonstrate that celebrities
fall short of the Saints, even in these areas.

Some people are under the delusion that a hit song on the Billboard charts is an indication of real success.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a case in point.  Her followers have heaped undeserved praise upon her, calling her “most awesome“, “most talented“, and the “queen of music“.  And they ask ridiculous questions like, “Is Lady Gaga the world’s most famous woman?”  Unfortunately, Lady Gaga demands worship, and gets it.

But when compared to a real Lady, she is weighed in the scales and found wanting. Lady Gaga cannot hold a candle to the Virgin Mary on any level, either religious or secular.

The Virgin Mary is more pure, more beautiful, more honored, and more pleasing to God.  And she sold more albums.  Just to display the vast disparity between “Lady Gaga” and “Our Lady”, consider the following comparisons:

• The Virgin Mary is the mother of God.
• Lady Gaga lives in rebellion against motherhood.

• The Virgin Mary is pure and beautiful.
• Lady Gaga was created beautiful, but has chosen to become ugly instead.

• The Virgin Mary pleases God, living her life in submission to Him.
• Lady Gaga grieves the heart of God, living her life in rebellion against Him.

• The Virgin Mary:  For 2000 years, all generations have called her blessed.
• Lady Gaga: Unknown until 5 years ago . . .  So far, no one has called her blessed.

• The Virgin Mary embraced her true identity as a woman created in the image of God.
• Lady Gaga is living a lie and has rejected her true self, pretending that she has not been created in God’s image.

• Famous artists who have recorded songs honoring the Virgin Mary:
  Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Jewel, Michael Bublé, Barbara Streisand, Sarah Brightman, Tenebrae, Stanitsas, 98 Degrees, The Carpenters, Celine Dion, Kostas Zorbas, Michael Bolton, Placido  Domingo, Protanitsa Michelle Jannakos and Katherine Jannakos, Richard Clayderman, Ray Conniff, Geoff Downes, Russell Watson, Andre Rieu, Kathleen Battle, Christopher Parkening, Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins, Ivan Rebroff, Tarja Turunen, Sumi Jo Caccini, Joshua Bell, Perry Como,Connie Talbot, Susan Graham, Sissel, Dolores O’Riordan, David Archuleta, Jackie Evancho, Renée Fleming, Jessye Norman, The Cranberries, Pavarotti, U2,
  Aaron Neville, & Bobby McFerrin, among many others.
• Famous artists who have recorded songs regarding Lady Gaga:
  Weird Al, Lady Gaga

• Music honoring the Virgin Mary: hundreds of millions of albums sold
• Music by Lady Gaga: fewer than 20 million albums sold

• Songs about Mary are heard in churches throughout almost every nation of the world, by Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Coptics, Anglicans, Presbyterians,Lutherans, and others, for a total of nearly 1.5 billion listeners.
• Lady Gaga’s songs are heard on the radio in only a few nations, by fewer than 20 million listeners.

• The Virgin Mary’s fan base: ~1.5 billion people . . . ~20% of world population
• Lady Gaga’s fan base: ~20 million people . . . ~0.003% of world population

Fame, statistics, and album sales are not the criteria for true success.  But even if they were, the Virgin Mary still beats Lady Gaga by a long shot.

The Virgin Mary is the perfect picture of what it truly means to be a woman.  In regard to purity, beauty, honor, and femininity, Mary is the quintessential standard of success.  If a girl wants to be a true “lady”, the Virgin Mary is the best role model.

If you are looking for a female hero, then you need to look no further than Our Lady,
the Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  She is a woman who is pleasing to God.

Hail Mary, full of grace.  The Lord is with thee!  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Hat tip: Joseph M. Gleason