Madonna and religion

American singer-songwriter and actress Madonna has incorporated in her works references of religious themes of different religions and spiritual practices, including Christianity (she was raised Catholic), Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, and Kabbalah. It became one of the most defining and controversial aspects of her career, with responses documented in the sector, popular press and from diverse theologians, sociologists of religion and other scholars of religion to different degrees and perspectives.

Madonna's onstage representations of religions, her conduit and provocative statements among other things, attracted institutional criticism from major religious groups. Reactions of a handful of clergies, however, were neutral. Various religious adherents staged protests against Madonna numerous times, while she was often accused from public opinion of sacrilege, heresy, iconoclasm and blasphemy. Madonna's personal views on religion have been complex and evolving; though she was cited recognizing Jesus' teachings and divinity, she has declared to disagree with institutional organizations, while her own spiritual observance was publicly criticized by various for being eclectic and uncontrite.

Though the phenomenon goes beyond Madonna, she received solid reviews discussing her religious forays with an ambiguous impact in popular culture across 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 in Western countries, ancient spiritual traditions coming from Asia such as Kabbalah studies or yoga. Madonna was sometimes analogously described with emic religious words and terms in both religious-targeted and secular press, including the word "icon", with her name appearing in references works such as the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary or Diccionario panhispánico de dudas to illustrate its new usage in contemporary culture. She was also exemplified as an exemplar of religious illiteracy and some have adopted an alienated view of Madonna as the "Great Whore of Babylon".