“It does look on the surface as if it’s tongue in cheek or ironic,” says Jana Reiss, author of the upcoming book “American Pilgrimage,” a reputable, in-depth study of how Americans worship, sometimes in unconventional ways.
“But there’s a serious strain of spirituality” in some forms of Elvis worship, she continues. “The way some people interact with Elvis, and the way they visit Graceland, it’s the same dynamic that draws people to bona fide saints. There are people who say Jesus is in heaven helping people here on Earth, and so is Elvis, and it’s not my place to laugh at that. There are people who build shrines to Elvis in their homes, Web sites where people post their experiences of going to Graceland.”
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