"THE RELIGION OF ELVIS"

THE RELIGION OF ELVIS

Elvis Presley was extremely open with his fans when he was still a relatively young and unknown singer.

At just 21 years old, he answered countless letters in “Elvis Answers Back” magazine.

Elvis titled the show “My True Religion.”

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He began the passage by quoting an article that commented on his religious views.

The article stated: “…Presley started out singing in a church choir, but fame has made him forget all about religion.”

The young singer scoffed at this idea: “…I sat down, cut it out of the post, put it in an envelope and sent it home for my mom to add to my scrapbook.

I was hoping they’d start saying things like that. About me not being religious, but this was the first time I saw it published.

It’s not ‘right’ for them to say this about me.”

Elvis then talked about how religious he really was and revealed that his parents had raised him in the Christian faith.

Elvis: “…no, I don’t go to church regularly anymore, if that’s what they mean by ‘being religious.’ Being on tour all the time, I can never be sure when I’ll have a Sunday to myself.

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I wish I could, just like I wish I could be with my people more often, but I can’t.

So if you think going to church periodically makes you religious, then I guess I don’t fit what they want.

I want you to know this; I believe in God, I believe in Him with all my heart, all good things come from God.

That includes all the good things that have happened to me and my friends. And the way I feel about it, being religious means that you love God and are very grateful for everything he gives us, and you want to work for him.

Deep in my heart I know that everything I did was for God; I owe everything to God.”

Although Elvis was young when he wrote this essay, he maintained his beliefs well into his adult years.

In 1976, he reportedly met with evangelist Rex Humbard to discuss the possibility of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Rex said of the reunion, “…I was really surprised that Elvis knew all that scripture from the old and new testaments about the return of the Lord.”

Rex said that when Elvis played guitar, he was ‘going back to his childhood’ when he attended church and sang for the congregation.

“…I could see that I was reaching into the past,” he added. “…that spirituality, that feeling that he had years and years before that had taken root in his heart.”

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Elvis died on August 16, 1977.

Naturally, his funeral had many religious elements, including Gospel singers and prayers throughout the service.

Years later, Priscilla Presley spoke about how her religion was a key point in her life.

Priscilla: “…Elvis always had a Bible with him.” He added that he became even more filled with faith as the years went by. He even turned to other spiritual books towards the end of his life when searching for answers.