Turner, Bryan; Khondker, Habibul Haque (2010). Globalization East and West. SAGE Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85702-670-5. Madonna, una agente de Satán para unos fanáticos cristianos" (in Spanish). Los 40. October 19, 2014 . Retrieved September 24, 2022. Partridge, Christopher; Moberg, Marcus (2017). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Popular Music. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1474237345.

The media were also divided. The Jerusalem Post described her as "an open philo-Semite who has done more than many Jews". Giving Madonna and her embrace of Kabbalah the benefit of the doubt, the Post staff declared: "Perhaps Madonna will lead some Jews and others astray and give a rich and sophisticated branch of Judaism a bad name. Perhaps, however, some of the many Jews and others who seek spirituality and community in other quarters, such as Eastern religions, will be inspired to explore what Judaism has to offer". [25] An English-language program in Safed, claimed "Madonna happened to be a vehicle for God". [25] American-born Israeli journalist Yossi Klein Halevi, wrote that for some Jews, "Madonna's endorsement of Jewish mysticisms helps make Judaism attractive to alienated young Jews". [151] Tomaselli, Keyan G.; Scott, David H. T. (2009). Cultural Icons. Left Coast Press. ISBN 978-1598743654. Racculia, Kate (2019). Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts: An Adventure. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0358023937. Madonna attracted the displeasure of Hindu and Jews spiritual leaders. [60] [78] Orthodox rabbis also concerned about Madonna, denouncing her for debasing Judaism's deepest mystical tradition, [79] while accusing her of breaking taboos in Kabbalah. [80] Professors of religious studies, Eugene V. Gallagher and Lydia Willsky-Ciollo explained in New Religion (2021), that the Jewish Kabbalah is typically exclusively men and rabbis by trade, but celebrities such as Madonna have taken up the practice under new guise; as a result, both Madonna and Kabbalah Centre attained some criticisms by this conduit. [81] Rabbi Yisrael (Israel) Deri, caretaker of Isaac Luria's tomb (founder of Kabbalah), commented "this kind of woman wreaks an enormous sin upon the Kabbalah". [80] [82] Chief Rabbi of Safed (the birthplace of the Kabbalistic tradition), Shmuel Eliyahu in a open letter to Madonna, pointed out that her performances and public behavior were not in keeping with the values of the practice, "the enchanting wisdom you have so much respect for". [25] Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet strongly objected to Madonna's use of the Kabbalah, arguing that it tarnishes Judaism when people who do not observe Jewish law practice Jewish mysticism. [83] A prominent Jewish rabbi from London, also rebuked her practice of Kabbalah. [83]

Harvey, Paul; Goff, Philip (2005). The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America Since 1945. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231118848. Madonna had earlier run into a controversy with the Catholic church for the controversial video of her song 'Like a Prayer' in 1989 and more recently with an on-stage dedication of 'Like A Virgin' to the Pope last year. a b "The Kabbalah of Madonna - ancient Jewish mysticism or New Age mumbo-jumbo?". The Namibian. Agence France-Presse. August 13, 2004 . Retrieved September 10, 2022. Agnew, Paddy (October 24, 2014). "Madonna 'endorses' Singing Nun on release of 'Like a Virgin' cover". The Irish Times . Retrieved September 11, 2022.

MacDonald, Diane L. Prosser (1995). Transgressive Corporeality: The Body, Poststructuralism and the Theological Imagination. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791424871. In Language, Society, and New Media: Sociolinguistics by semiotician Marcel Danesi, is documented that the word " icon" is a "term of religious origin" and "arguably used for the first time in celebrity culture to describe the American pop singer Madonna". [197] The following description asserts that this word is "now used in reference to any widely known celebrity, male or female". [197] Madonna's name is even used as an illustration of its new meaning in reference works such as the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary and Diccionario panhispánico de dudas. [198] [199] Having mentioned the case of Madonna, Guy Babineau from Xtra Magazine stated in 2008: "I'm old enough to remember when people weren't called icons". [200]Thorpe, Vanessa; Melville-James, Anna (August 8, 1998). " 'She wanted the world to know who she was, and it does' ". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022 . Retrieved June 20, 2022. Madonna often received critics from the community for her provocative implementation of religious in her works. In 2023, she reflected her work as an "artist united people, gave them freedom of expression, unity. It was the mirror of Jesus' teachings", in her understanding. [58] She once also stated about her usage of crosses:

Amid different interpretation of what religion is, Madonna's artistic representations of religion, and statements have the public reacted with varying degrees, even among devotees itself.

Briggs, Asa; Burke, Peter (2009). A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet. Polity. ISBN 978-0745644943. Lynn Neal, assistant professor of religious studies at Wake Forest University, wrote in Religion in Vogue (2019), that despite the criticism from the Christian community towards Madonna, others found her early rebellious stance to conservative religion and her juxtaposition of religious symbols with female sexuality "fashionable" and sought to emulate her style. [76] In Consumption and Spirituality (2013), academic Linda M. Scott and the other authors, credited Madonna with initiating the trend of using religious emblems typically worn as objects of beauty. [174] The Globe and Mail 's Nathalie Atkinson was critical, granting Madonna a major role because religious iconography became "subversive" for the masses since the 1980s, while her style infiltrated high fashion. [175]

Miller, Donald C. (2018). Coming of Age in Popular Culture: Teenagers, Adolescence, and the Art of Growing Up. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1440840616.

That my children would bring me so much joy!! More Importantly that I would be in a position to be able to help others less fortunate then myself… a b Walker, Gail (August 19, 2008). "Why we're all still so hung up on Madonna". Belfast Telegraph . Retrieved September 11, 2022. Madonna attended a Kabbalah lecture in Israel during the 2004 Jewish New Year. Her decision to visit Rachel's Tomb was criticized by pro-Palestinian activists, and some protests were made. [148] Agence France-Presse (AFP), informed that she raised questions over the nature of her faith. [57] Professor Goldman, commented she received an overwhelming amount of media and government attention, resulting in "unforeseen diplomatic consequences". [25] As a result, Egypt banned Madonna from visiting their country. [25] In an article for The Guardian, Chris McGreal described how Orthodox men chanted shabbos while others yelled at her to go home, accusing Madonna of desecrating their religion. [79] The Jewish agency International Society for Sephardic Progress requested to Yitzhak Kaduri —the maximun authority of Kabbalah in his time— refuse to bless the singer. [149] Kaduri flatly refused to see Madonna on her pilgrimage to Israel. [150]