Top Ten Religious Moments on 'American Idol'

Text by Lilit Marcus

It all starts with the title: something called "American Idol" is bound to be religious. And indeed, Fox's megahit is all about worshiping new idols, converting the masses, and keeping the faith in our favorite contestants.

And, just like church, it happens every week, demanding our allegiance and, as we vote for the budding idols, our tithe. Plus, many "American Idol" contestants enjoy an afterlife, whether in gleeful infamy like William Hung or in stardom like Kelly Clarkson.

But religion is more than metaphor on 'American Idol': it's in the music, in the contestants' lives, and in the show's most memorable moments. Check our our list of the 10 Most Religious Moments in American Idol's history.

Carrie Underwood Lets Jesus Lead the Way

Carrie Underwood of Checotah, Oklahoma, shocked few when she was crowned the fourth American Idol. She'd made a reputation for herself as the show's resident country singer, and her debut album Some Hearts was Nashville to the core.

The first single, "Jesus Take the Wheel," was about a young single mother in her car asking Jesus to literally and figuratively steer for her. The song was a huge smash and catapulted Carrie to country music royalty and a postshow level of success that most contestants haven't been able to reach.

Perhaps hoping to emulate Carrie and her success, "Idol" contestant LaKisha Jones sang "Jesus Take the Wheel" on Country Night of season six.

Chris Sligh Sings Christian Rock

Season six contestant Chris Sligh got a lot of attention for being a comedian. When asked in his first audition why he wanted to be the next American Idol, Chris replied dryly, "Because I want to make David Hasselhoff cry." (Background: Hasselhoff was inexplicably caught on camera sobbing in the audience during the fifth season finale.)

Once he made the Top 24, Chris also garnered attention for his faith. An alumnus of conservative Christian Bob Jones University, Chris got criticism for being both too Christian and not Christian enough. He cleverly catered to his fan base by singing "Wanna Be Loved," a song by Christian rock band dc Talk on the show. The song choice was inspired due to the fact that the song was not overtly religious, but it would be known by fans of Christian music.

Unfortunately, Chris' cleverness only carried him to a tenth place finish.

Mandisa's Religious Comments Grab Attention

Mandisa Huntley (who goes by simply Mandisa) was an early favorite in season five but was surprisingly voted out in tenth place--perhaps because she got more attention for what she said than what she sang.

Before singing a gospel song by the group Mary Mary, she announced, "This song goes out to everybody that wants to be free. Your addiction, lifestyle, or situation may be big, but God is bigger." Additionally, Mandisa listed author Beth Moore as her heroine on her official "Idol" bio page. Moore, who writes books dealing with Christian women's spirituality, has spoken out against homosexuality and endorses ex-gay ministries like Exodus International. Although Mandisa didn't make any specific comments about homosexuality, her comment plus her endorsement of Moore were enough to cause many gays to boycott her music.

Mandisa's first album, "True Beauty" was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Gospel Album, and her single "Only This World" hit #1 on Billboard's Christian Music chart.

Carly Smithson Booted After 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

Even before making it to the top 12 on "Idol," Carly Smithson was one of the show's most controversial contestants. Under her maiden name, Carly Hennessey, she'd been signed to a multimillion-dollar record deal. The record ended up being one of the most embarrassing flops in music history, selling a paltry 300 copies. Even though Carly's history wasn't a secret in the press, many viewers felt her past chance to make it big meant she didn't deserve to compete against amateurs on 'Idol.' Carly managed to hold on and make it into the top six. That week, each contestant sang a song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber canon. Carly, who'd gotten low marks for a few weeks of ballads, went with the upbeat "Jesus Christ Superstar" theme. The song contains lyrics like "Jesus Christ Superstar, do you think you're what you say you are?"

Despite a great performance, Carly was voted off the following night. While some speculated that she suffered from a smaller fan base than the other finalists, others blamed the controversial song choice. Several Christian commenters in official "Idol" forums complained about Carly's song choice, claiming the song's lyrics were offensive to their faith. While there's no way to know for sure, there was enough buzz about her song choice to guarantee that future "Idol"s will choose safer subject matter to sing about.

Jordin Sparks' Resume Piques Curiousity

Season six's Jordin Sparks may have been the lone teenage girl in the finals, but she was no stranger to performing. As a child, she appeared on countless talent shows. Even before "Idol," Jordin won the Gospel Music Association Spotlight Award in 2004.

The performances that really got people talking about her, though, were gigs at pro-life rallies she attended with her parents. She caught the eye of well-known Christian singer Michael W. Smith, with whom she performed, and she also sang at the funeral for football player-turned-soldier Pat Tillman, a job she was rumored to have gotten thanks to a connection from her famous father, former NFL player Phillippi Sparks.

Despite Jordin's breadth of experience, she still qualified as an amateur and made it all the way to being crowned the sixth American Idol.

Carmen Rasmusen Chooses Modesty

Carmen Rasmusen was the first Mormon contestant on American Idol, finishing sixth on Season 2. Incredibly devout in her beliefs, she joined other finalists in backstage prayer sessions before the show and refused to watch R-rated movies, drink caffeine, or do anything else that went against the teachings of her faith. This sense of purpose extended to Carmen's wardrobe. Contestants are given several hundred dollars a week to buy outfits to wear on-screen. Carmen purchased a dress with a tube top, which she planned to wear underneath a jean jacket to prevent showing her shoulders. When the jacket didn't fit properly, Carmen put a T-shirt on under the dress instead. The outfit was one of the most mocked ensembles in show history, but Carmen didn't regret her decision. She wrote about the incident in her memoir, "Staying In Tune," and urged other young women to remain modest even when others denigrated their choices.

Elliott Yamin Courts the Jewish Vote

The highest ranking Jewish Idol is Elliott Yamin, who finished third behind Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee on season five. A dark horse, Elliott was one of the bottom two vote-getters many weeks but managed to win over audiences with his old-fashioned performance style and admiration of old-time singers like Donny Hathaway.

Many Jewish groups organized their members to vote for the Nice Jewish Boy. He finished one place ahead of heavily favored Chris Daughtry in a result that stunned the audience. Notoriously harsh judge Simon Cowell even called Elliott "potentially the best male vocalist" in the show's history.

Elliott recently released a self-titled solo album.

Melinda Doolittle Rocks Out Church-Style

Popular among the judges and fans alike, former background singer Melinda Doolittle soared ahead of the competition in season six. During a rehearsal with show mentor Jon Bon Jovi, the rocker instructed Melinda to bring the "church" into her performance. Melinda responded, "I love church!"

Sure enough, Melinda had more than church choir experience--among the singers she'd worked with in the past was gospel heavyweight CeCe Winans, who urged Melinda to strike out on her own. Another one of Melinda's supporters was her real-life friend Mandisa, a contestant from the previous season. Although Melinda shocked everyone by coming in third place, she remains incredibly popular. Melinda released a self-titled EP in the summer of 2007 and has become actively involved with the Malaria No More charity.

Clay Aiken Quotes Christ

"American Idol" is no stranger to offstage scandals, and season two runner-up Clay Aiken hasn't been immune from controversy. A former Green Beret named John Paulus told The National Enquirer that he'd carried on an affair with Aiken while the singer was on tour. Aiken insisted that the story was false and wouldn't address rumors that he was homosexual.

A devout Southern Baptist, Aiken counted many Christians among his fans, and some had threatened to boycott his music if he came out as gay.

When Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer asked him about his sexual orientation, Clay said simply that "[Jesus] loves everybody. Muslim, Jewish, Christian, gay, straight, black, white, everybody."

The Idols Give Back

In the spirit of the third pillar of Islam, the Golden Rule, and the Jewish principle of tzedekah, American Idol developed the 'Idol Gives Back' program for season six. The top six contestants sang "inspirational songs," with a portion of advertising proceeds and the cost of text message votes going toward a charity to help underprivileged children in Africa. Ultimately, the show donated $5 million to charity. A variety of celebrities appeared on the show, including President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. In what was possibly the most generous moment ever on the show, no contestants were voted off that week.

This season's 'Idol Gives Back' took a slightly different tenor. The number selected for the 'group sing' on the results show was "Shout to the Lord," a well-known Christian praise and worship song. Despite the fact that none of the remaining contestants had talked much about their religious beliefs on the show, the producers went ahead with selecting a Christian song for them. Many fans of the show expressed discomfort that the most popular show in America had chosen such a polarizing song. The second 'Idol Gives Back' also ended on a more sour note, as Australian rocker Michael Johns was unceremoniously booted off the show.

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