Religion is so 'in'

I couldn't help but shake my head when I saw an article about Britney Spears' recent visit to a Hindu temple. \nNot because I have any problem with Hinduism, but I have a problem with celebrities who hop from religion to religion (or religious fad to religious fad) in the same way they hop from nightclub to nightclub. \nOne of the reasons for my dismay at reading about Britney's temple visit was an anecdote I heard earlier. When Hinduism came up in a conversation, Britney was rumored to have said "Hinduism? Is that like Kabbalah?" This for me translates into "I'm so ignorant that I don't know anything about Hinduism even though it has a following of nearly a billion people around the world. In fact, I don't really know anything about religion, but maybe Hinduism might be fun and mystic and trendy so let me give it a shot." But since it was an unconfirmed story, I will give Britney the benefit of the doubt. For now. \nI can't help but wonder if Britney will be the leader of the Hinduism celebrity bandwagon the same way Madonna is for Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism. \nBritney, who was raised a Baptist, was also on the Kabbalah bandwagon for a while under the guidance of Madonna, who has been dabbling in the practice since the late '90s. \nMadonna herself has received both criticism and praise for her new spiritual awakening. Rabbi Immanuel Schochet said to USA Today that the center is "not just a cult, but a dangerous cult. They are distorting Kabbalah ... taking some of our sacred books and reducing it to mumbo jumbo, all kinds of hocus pocus." \nShe also received criticism for her song "Confessions on the Dance Floor," in which she mentions Rabbi Isaac Luria, the 16th century cleric who founded the Kabbalah. Many Rabbis deemed it sacrilegious, claiming she used his name to gain profit. \nI guess I'm just curious as to how many out of the ranks of celebrities wearing the red Kabbalah bracelets like Lindsay Lohan, David Beckham and his former Spice Girl wife actually flocked to a faith after a time period of conscientious study, thought and spiritual reflection. Because from what I understand, that is the way that one goes about changing religions. \nDoes putting on a red bracelet make Lindsay Lohan a devoted follower of Kabbalah? Does becoming a scientologist because your fiancée is one, as Katie Holmes did, make you a true scientologist? Does going to a Hindu temple because Kabbalah got boring make Britney Spears a devout Hindu? \nProbably not. Moreover, it's an insult to people who put in time, effort, spiritual concentration and learning to decide whether a faith is right for them or not. \nSo what's next for Britney after her Baptist/Kabbalah/Hinduism phase? I don't know, maybe she'll visit the Vatican and become Catholic, or maybe she'll don a headscarf and become a devout Muslim. \nOr maybe she'll create a new really "cool" religion that's a combination of every religion and embodied through ritualistic pyrotechnic dance shows, herbal ice cream diets and pretty purple earrings. Because that's just so ... mystic ... and cool, ya know? \nI just hope she doesn't start recording songs about the pope or Lord Krishna.