Jackson's Death Exemplifies Need For Life Of Faith

Last week's deaths of celebrities Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and even pitchman Billy Mays held a mirror to public beliefs on life and death.

By the very nature of his fame, as well as his untimely passing at only age 50, Michael Jackson's death had the greatest impact worldwide.

In my corner of the world, reactions from friends varied tremendously. Some essentially said "good riddance" to a pedophile; some judged him a spoiled brat and addict; some were saddened by the passing of a talented performer; and some were distraught because of some connection with his music or life with their own.

When Princess Diana died, I grieved disproportionately because I had identified with her as a single mother whose life paralleled my own in some ways. She married a few years before I did and she divorced a few years after I did. I wept for her passing at such a young age, leaving two young sons behind. The sudden and horrifying way that she died also haunted me.

To me, Michael Jackson's life was his tragedy as much as his death. His incredibly long and painful fall from grace as an accused child molester, his obsession with changing his appearance and his apparent unrelieved loneliness all exemplified how heights of wealth, fame and popularity did not bring him joy. If anything, most aspects of success in his life did the opposite.

Judging by accounts of his final years, it is apparent that he was a shadow of a man who could not live with himself and even found it impossible to sleep at night. He was tormented by demons that may have been literal as well as figurative. When Jesus cast out demons, he saved people from their own spirits of evil, and blessed them with peace. Jackson needed to seek forgiveness for his sins to obtain that kind of healing.

According to accounts from a Christian news service, friends of Jackson who ministered to him a few weeks before his death said that he had sought spiritual guidance and help in becoming a better Christian. Whether or not he was saved by Jesus, Jackson's addiction may have made it impossible for him to change his life before it was too late.

Farrah Fawcett, by contrast, became far more spiritual before her death. She clearly drew strength and solace from her faith in Christ.

Some Christian groups see the consecutive deaths of these stars as an opportunity to reach the Hollywood community, which is rife with people who need saving from their egocentric lives. Whatever the reason for the timing, I hope that it does give people the chance to see that a life without God is ultimately an empty one that leads to death, while one that has God in its center leads to Life and, in the end, Eternal Life.