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Is Disney a religion? Twitter thread sparks debate

By Alex Galbraith on Mon, Jun 20, 2022 at 10:23 am

We knew that Disney Adults take everything the mega-conglomerate does seriously. But does it raise to the level of a religion? Is the House of Mouse a house of the holy?

A Lehigh University professor raised the question (and a few eyebrows) when they floated the idea that Disney is a religion for its most devout followers.

"Many of the Disney fans I have observed in person and online find immense meaning in the parks. People don't just marry at Disney. They mourn lost relatives at Disney. They go to Disney to celebrate surviving cancer. They go there for one last trip before they die," wrote Jodi Eichler-Levine. "Religion is a way of making meaning in the world through stories and rituals...All of this happens at Disney. Cast members literally welcome you 'home.'"

Though the idea of examining Disney worship through the lens of more normalized worship is intriguing, Levine's thread was met with wide-ranging derision. Twitter users either derided the idea that Disney could be a religion, pointed out how gross it is that a "religion" could be owned by a private company, or noted that accepted religions are not free from scorn.

Take a look at some of our favorite reactions below.

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HOW JEWISH NOTIONS OF EXILE HELP MAKE SENSE OF PEOPLE’S SADNESS DURING THE PANDEMIC AS DISNEY PARKS ARE CLOSED https://t.co/zzCmn2LrCb
— worms cited (@christapeterso) June 7, 2022

no please stop, you’re just making it worse 🥴🥴🥴 https://t.co/UDAEmkqxiF
— (cowboy like) sophie (@littlesophiebug) June 7, 2022

very funny to see a thread from a scholar of religion telling me not to mock "Disney adults" because these are people finding religious meaning and it's like no i get that it's actually WHY i am making fun of them
— michael lutz (@WarrenIsDead) June 7, 2022

The “Disney is a religion so don’t make fun of it,” thread failed to consider people make fun of religion too.
— L., MA (@leslieleeiii) June 8, 2022

it’s so stupid the religious studies prof was basically like “disney is a religion! dont pathologize adults who worship it!” like u really defending the worship of the value form huh
— 🔪 • 🄲🄴🅂🄸🅄🄼 (@CE5IUM) June 8, 2022

"There's nothing wrong with Disney adults, they're just two steps away from worshiping a corporate mascot as their god" is not the reassurance you think it is Jodi https://t.co/b8k7Zodi2i
— Γγ ☕🪶💀🦋⌛🧟‍♀️🪄😈🎲 (@gammashitlord) June 7, 2022

There’s nothing more American than building a religion on a foundation of racism and labor exploitation. https://t.co/zoKRi1sGsR
— KARLI MARXCX ✡️🇵🇸🤦🏽‍♂️ (@EvelKneidel) June 8, 2022

sorry but saying "disney is a huge part of our marriage" sounds no different to me than "taco bell is a huge part of our marriage". "pfizer is a huge part of our marriage". it's weird to have this much brand loyalty https://t.co/N0nYbJxCNA
— ゲロに浸した死体 (@CATACLYSTA) June 8, 2022

“Disney adults see Mickey Mouse as God actually” might be the weirdest and most ineffective defense of Disney adults I’ve ever seen. https://t.co/R9ZFDyojTa pic.twitter.com/67HtdLr73M
— DefinitelyNotArms (@NotHeaviestArms) June 7, 2022

Maybe Mooby The Golden Calf from the movie Dogma wasn’t on the nose *enough* https://t.co/LDW8Fu4qYl pic.twitter.com/mtRzrByRRQ
— isi baehr-breen (its pronounced ‘izzy’) (@isaiah_bb) June 7, 2022

if I were a religious studies professor I would simply study religious things and not conflate them with weird hobbies https://t.co/HjWKofrAvE
— kilgore trout, death to putiner (@KT_So_It_Goes) June 7, 2022

people find Disney Adult culture distasteful in part because they recognize that corporate properties have taken on religious levels of significance for many folks... and they find it troubling. https://t.co/1tKs7FDbou
— Devon Price (@drdevonprice) June 7, 2022

THANKS A EFFING LOT NEW ATHEISTS, YOU REPLACED THE CHURCH WITH DISNEY. https://t.co/PhRY3S0fsg
— Ideosyncretic Bonaparte Fan (@Panindependent) June 7, 2022

I'm a religious studies professor researching Moloch and I'm here to tell you why to stop pathologizing ritual child sacrifice https://t.co/8gZDQM3KpG pic.twitter.com/EgnsGhlquw
— rules-based international zachary (@TomKhruisehchev) June 7, 2022

me, pathologizing Disney adults AND religion as cringe https://t.co/0tEUtjvduc pic.twitter.com/Llbdf9S7lu
— les 👾 (@tweet__les) June 7, 2022

I'm a religion studies professor researching Disney and this is Jackass https://t.co/Ex6QvEcfbV
— hyperinflation fetishist (@oinkophobia) June 7, 2022

i'm sorry but at some point you have to stop yourself and sincerely ask if people having sincere, actual religious faith in a for-profit corporation that controls most American media properties is really the kind of world you want to live in https://t.co/6vvedYFo39
— 「𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮」 (@tara_chara) June 7, 2022

I'm an American Studies professor researching the Manson Family and I'm here to tell you why to stop pathologizing commune dwellers,.... https://t.co/Uy8s1aos8Y
— Jeff Melnick (@melnickjeffrey1) June 7, 2022

I hope the rat company burns to the ground. I hope disney world sinks into the swamp and Disneyland falls into an earthquake chasm. I hope every classic character becomes public domain. I hope that antisemitic fuck really did freeze his head so I can punt it. https://t.co/QnqRIy0g4J
— Zane Schacht - Voice Goblin (@VoicesByZane) June 7, 2022