Here is the next step from fandom to religion. The following article does not merely compare similarities between Phantom and religion, it boldly states that the two could very much be one and the same. Author Christine Daaé (a Phantom fan who legally changed her name to that of the heroine in our story - see POTO Magazine, Spring, 1998) theorizes about an actual church for the worship of Erik.
The Phantom of the Opera as religion? The very suggestion might have some theological conservatives foaming at the mouth, yet it is very clear from discussions with Phantom fans that some fans do regard Phantom, and Erik, with a feeling akin to that of religion. Can Phantom be regarded, in any real sense, as a religion? Or is it taking obsession a step too far?
To think about this seriously, we need to take a look at some definitions of religion. Looking in a few dictionaries will give us a multitude of definitions, including "An organized system of beliefs and rituals centering on a supernatural being or beings," "a belief upheld or pursued with zeal and devotion," and "a particular system of faith and worship." Before we ask whether any of these apply to Phantom, we need to ask whether they apply to other religions which are commonly accepted as valid today.
In the case of the first definition, I am unsure. Do all religions involve a supernatural being? The deities of the ancient world were very far from supernatural - they were a part of nature, not outside of it. There are a great many religions which have legal status in the western world who regard their deities as a part of nature, or even as a potent archetype, not as a "supernatural being." Many Eastern religions do not include a supernatural being. Furthermore, in some religions, someone could be both mortal and a deity - regarding the king as a deity was not unusual. Pharaohs were seen as divine (I'd also question "organized" in the case of Neo-Paganism!).
What about the other two? A belief upheld or pursued with zeal and devotion certainly applies to the devotion some fans display towards Phantom, and to most other religions too. It might, however, be too wide. I might sincerely believe all sorts of things, and pursue those beliefs with zeal and devotion - I might believe that the sun is a grapefruit, or that Bill Clinton is a god, or that Bill Gates is the devil. The fact that I was zealously devoted to those beliefs wouldn't be enough to make most theologians take them seriously as a religion.
"A particular system of faith and worship" is more promising. Somehow faith and worship seem more grounded than zeal and devotion. If we applied this to Phantom fans, what would we have faith in, and what would we worship? The existence of Erik as a literal being? Not necessarily. Having faith in, holding sacred, in a sense worshipping, what Erik represents to us may be enough. In the last century with the works of Jung and Joseph Campbell, we have rediscovered the importance of myths and archetypes and the importance they have always held in religion. Erik and his story teach many things and represent many archetypes: the story of Christine's descent to Erik's underworld can be read as a parallel to Persephone's descent - both Erik and Christine must descend into the darkness and face it, in order to emerge into the light with self knowledge; Erik's story also teaches the appreciation of beauty as art, particularly in the forms of music and architecture, but in any form that heightens the senses. At the same time, it warns not to judge by outer appearances, and not to run from that which might frighten at first, but which hides jewels and beauty if faced and accepted. It teaches the redeeming force of love (also of course the major lesson of Christianity).
Can we worship Erik, or that which Erik represents? To worship is to revere, to love, to hold great respect for, and to regard as sacred. I think it is self-evident that many fans revere and love Erik. In many religions, all of creation is regarded as sacred, from the earth itself to everyone on it, so regarding Erik as sacred is a natural part of this.
Some might protest that Erik is also a murderer, and thus not someone suitable for worship in any sense. Yet look at the deities of ancient religion. The creators were also the destroyers, the destroyers the creators. Death and destruction are as vital to life as birth and creation. Imagine a world without death. There could be no birth, no new life - or it would become so crowded as to be impossible. Plants die and feed the ground with nutrients to grow us more food. Change is something that scares us yet is vital - it is the death of one thing and the birth of another. Erik embodies both of these essential forces. He is a creative genius, one who creates music, beauty, mazes, illusion. He created Christine, in some senses; he put her soul back into her voice with his creation, his music. One of his guises is the Angel of Music.
He creates great beauty. Yet he also destroys: he will kill when it suits him, and is capable of furious anger. At a tangent to this is his combination of weakness and power, humanity and magic. We've seen how he creates, how he weaves beauty from thin air, yet he is also vulnerable, and suffers cruelly. He can be both admired and held in awe, and empathized with entirely.
Is there any precedent for the transformation of what is "just a story" to some people into a religion for others? Ignoring for a minute the questions of whether ancient myths are "story" or "religion" (as if there need be a divide!), or whether the Bible is literal fact or not, yes, there is. A religion inspired by Phantom would not be entirely without precedent. The Church of All Worlds was inspired by Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, not "worshipping" any of the characters in it, but using it as a modern mythology. It was founded in 1968. It still exists, but has evolved a long way from the original ideas behind it.
There are also religions that started out as jokes; the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) began as a protest against a college regulation that all the students had to attend religious services "of their own religion." The regulation was abolished a year later, but RDNA continued to hold services and spread beyond the college. The original founders had never intended it to be a real religion, but it grew into one.
So, can Phantom of the Opera be a religion? In my opinion, yes. To some people, it can. Religion is a search for truth, often truth of a spiritual nature which is hard to pin down in the physical world. A search which may draw on many tales and texts and may use many examples to deepen understanding of the universe. If Phantom can be a religion perhaps it consists of learning truths through the celebration of Erik.
© Christine Daaé, 1999
This article first appeared in the Millennium Issue of the Phantom of the Opera Magazine, published by Carrie Hernandez.