Madonna and religion

American singer-songwriter and actress Madonna has incorporated in her works abundant references of religious themes of different religions and spiritual practices, including Christianity (she was raised Catholic), Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, and Kabbalah. Several theologians, sociologists of religion and other scholars have reviewed her, while professor Arthur Asa Berger stated that she has raised many questions about religion. Due to her prominent use, an academic described her as "perhaps the first artist of our time to routinely and successfully employ images from many spiritual cultures and multiple religious traditions". Madonna's onstage representations of religions, provocative statements, behavior, among other things, attracted criticism of religious institutions from major religious groups, including the Vatican State/Catholic Church. A handful of clergies, however, reacted with sympathetic views. Various religious adherents staged protests against Madonna numerous times, while she was often accused of sacrilege, heresy, iconoclasm and blasphemy. Madonna herself, has claimed she believes in Jesus but not in institutional organizations. While the phenomenon goes beyond Madonna, she received solid reviews discussing her religious forays with her ambiguous impact and influence in popular culture across several decades. She was credited with inspiring various scholars from different fields to seek new approaches for works and its religious meanings. Madonna was among the leading public figures often considered an important medium for popularizing ancient spiritual traditions in her generation such as Kabbalah studies or yoga. She became a noticeable trope for the word "icon", according to authors like semiotician Marcel Danesi, with her name appearing in reference works such as the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary or Diccionario panhispánico de dudas to illustrate its new usage in contemporary culture. Outside the religious world, views about Madonna's religious forays varying with different degrees as well, including moderate and conservative perspectives.