Review Elvis Religion and Spirituality

In the unceasing stream of books about Elvis, I as an "Elvis minister" (I incorporate Elvis' spiritual journey into religious services) always have a special eye for books or chapters that deal with the spiritual side of Elvis. For many people who don't know that much about Elvis, it's still a surprise that Elvis was religious. 

Recently, I was alerted that 'Elvis Religion and Spirituality as Seen Through His Possessions' had been published. I immediately ordered and read it!

By Fred Omvlee, Elvis Minister.

Design

The 322-page book is in a fairly large format and paperback. I don't think a hardcover version is available. That's a shame, because my book is already starting to get dog-eared because I leaf through it a lot. 

It's a gold mine for the fan interested in Elvis' personal items related to religion, which is a niche, of course. The fact that many of Elvis' religious objects take the form of a ring, pendant, or other jewelry makes the appeal greater for more fans. 

The book is 50/50 percent text and images, detailing Elvis spiritual journey through Elvis personal possessions, books with personal notes, original articles, jewelry and more. Bélard did his research and for man of the pieces of jewelry he found a photograph of Elvis wearing it.

I have one small critical point: some photos could have been sharper, in my opinion. Sometimes the text printed on them is less easily readable.

Content

As Paul Bélard writes in the foreword, the book doesn't claim to be a thorough study of Elvis' religiosity. Instead, it focuses on the outward manifestations that reflect his inner needs. And that's where the strength and the poignancy lie. Just as in my Elvis church services I like to show a photo of a Bible verse where Elvis wrote: "In the Lord I place my trust, He will guide me." I find the personal messages he wrote in books - for himself or for others - deeply moving. 

I also find the first object touching: a small painting of Jesus that he bought for his parents in 1956. They hung it in their bedroom. 

When Elvis was asked in an interview in 1956 which of the gifts he had given to his parents meant the most to him he answered. “The picture of Jesus I bought them when I was 15. I was working as a usher at that time and saved up a week’s pay to get it for them. It cost me US$15 and now it hangs in my parents bedroom.”

Elvis' entire quest through Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, and Sri Daya Mata is fascinating. It all comes up in this book. However, this isn't a book to read all at once. Every two pages describe a different item, which makes it more of a browsing book to pick up again and again. 

For me, an index would be handy to quickly look something up again. But for the fan interested in Elvis' faith, it's a gold mine!

Conclusion

It should be clear: this is a book for the specialized Elvis fan who already has just about everything about Elvis on the shelf but specifically wants to know more about Elvis' religious possessions. 

As a theologian and Elvis minister, I say: this calls for even more depth. This is just the beginning of a deeper knowledge of Elvis' thinking and believing.

You can vist Fred Omvlee's website at >>> www.ElvisKapel.nl (in Dutch)

Buy the book

The book is available from >>> Amazon (associate link). For a signed edition you can contact Paul Belard by email at >>> pbelard@hotmail.com