Marilyn Manson converted to Christianity? Since the musician's controversial appearances at services promoted by Kanye West , when he was seen praying alongside the rapper and Justin Bieber , this remains a mystery to those familiar with the vocalist's history of provoking religious institutions throughout his career.
Accused by several women of heinous crimes, from domestic violence to rape and human trafficking, Manson has been in isolation for just over a year. His last album, WE ARE CHAOS (2020), received little promotion before the musician lost his contract with his record label and manager , given the seriousness of the accusations, and the musician's residence has already been searched by the police as part of the investigations.
Under these circumstances, any public appearance by Manson would attract attention, but the decision to work alongside West and pray at the Sunday Service seems, at the same time, a final mockery of religious people and a desperate act from someone who has always needed the church to rise up – before, out of hatred, and now, for the possibility of forgiveness that only a patriarchal institution could offer in the face of society.
Brian Warner , Manson's birth name, began his rise in music in the mid-1990s, when the band signed with Trent Reznor Eurythmics hit , on MTV and the release of the album Antichrist Superstar (1996), Manson established himself as one of rock's last rebels, gaining a worldwide cult following of loyal fans and even more fervent pursuers.
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It turns out that this success wasn't just the result of fierce – and often accurate – criticism of the hypocrisy of so-called Christians and a failed American dream. When the band was still playing in small pubs, Manson discovered the power of the absurd and grotesque as a powerful marketing tool, both to find his own audience and to be discovered by the rest of the world.
The American moral panic about Satanism was still strong and became the Achilles' heel of conservative powers. It wasn't long before Marilyn Manson appeared, in makeup and high-heeled boots, on the main talk shows of the time, opining on all topics, from mosh pits to religion, while burning Bibles on stage.
Portrayed as an imminent threat to good morals and a predator of the future of young people, Manson benefited enormously from the Christian crusade against him: parental aversion only fueled children's curiosity, his pertinent and unfiltered comments about society guaranteed admiration from his peers, and his publicity reached spheres impossible without the help of those who sought to destroy him. Throughout 11 studio albums, Marilyn Manson never abandoned Christian iconography, nor the provocations, integral and inseparable parts of the musician's composition.
But everything changed after Evan Rachel Wood named Brian Warner as the perpetrator of psychological and sexual abuse she suffered in a past relationship. The self-confessed misogyny in Manson's discography became potential evidence of aggressive behavior, and in a post-Me Too and cancel culture world, with so many voices echoing the accusations, such as Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco and former assistant Ashley Walters , the reaction was immediate and worrying for Manson.
Representatives for the musician were contacted by People magazine to ask if Brian Warner's religious beliefs had changed. "It's nobody's business," they responded, but reiterated his participation as an "integral part" of the cult.
It's impossible to delve into Marilyn Manson's inner self to discover a possible conversion to Christianity. However, from a strategic point of view, attending the services of Kanye West, a controversial and egocentric figure in himself, is a coherent and ironic move, a provocation to the alleged victims and to Christians by dressing in white, praying with his eyes closed while singing "I'm going to be arrested tonight" on West's album.
Christian institutions are patriarchal and protective of masculinist pacts of forgiveness for men and persecution of women, who are always portrayed as diabolical, from the myth of Adam and Eve to the archetypes of witches.
Eccentric rock stars, believers, and conservatives find the perfect intersection when it comes to discrediting and humiliating women; after all, that's the order of things: The undeniable misogyny of Manson's career, regardless of the outcome of the investigations, doesn't seem to be a problem for religious people, as long as they can raise the trump card of having extirpated the demon from the body of the one who proclaimed himself the Antichrist.
For Manson, frequenting the intimate circles of those who profess an overwhelming faith is the final act of mockery before his downfall: he has always depended on the church, and now it would be no different. And while tearing up Bibles would be an unnecessary reinforcement of evil intentions at the moment, the most potent marketing ploy is to flirt with repentance, leaving a reminder of guaranteed support should everything go wrong. As for God, it's difficult to say, but you can always count on the forgiveness of men – provided you are one.
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