What the Devil is behind Lady Gaga's success?

Lihle Z Mtshali: I went to a Lady Gaga performance last week in Central Park. It was a mini concert put on by the television show Good Morning America. It presents a concert series featuring various artists every Friday throughout the summer.

Lady Gaga kicked off the summer series with a bang, as only she can.

Just to be clear, I'm not a Gaga fan, but the concert was free and I am here to take advantage of all the exciting things this country has to offer. Also, two weeks ago, Forbes named Gaga the most powerful celebrity, knocking Oprah from the top spot of the magazine's Celebrity 100 list. I wanted to see what that was all about.

She did not disappoint. It was not over the top - there was no meat dress, no grand entrance in an egg or blood on the stage. She has a great voice and she is a good dancer. The show was entertaining.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let me tell you what did bother me.

As with everything that I've done since I arrived here, before going to the show I posted on my Twitter and Facebook about it. I got the usual sweet responses about what an exciting life I'm living (it's not really that exciting, but I'll let you all think that) and messages from Gaga fans wishing they could be in my shoes.

But there was also a slew of messages from people warning me that Gaga is a Satanist or a member of that secret society the Illuminati and that I should not go to her concert because she's evil, yada, yada. People were really concerned that I'd go to see Gaga and come back to denounce Jesus and start worshipping Satan.

I am really bothered by that.

I don't know if Gaga is a Satanist. I hear she's Catholic. I'll tell you this much: she's weird. Really, really weird. Her wardrobe is so edgy, she's almost falling off the cliff, and her lyrics, like the line she sings in her new song, Judas, about him being the demon that she worships, are sometimes suspect.

But does that mean she literally worships demons or is it some kind of artistic expression that we don't get?

Gaga's not the only artist or celebrity who has been called a Satanist. It seems that anyone who enjoys a modicum of success is labelled that.

Gaga, Oprah, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber. Oh, let's not forget Michael Jackson when he was alive. They apparently all belong to the Illuminati, which practises a form of faith known as "enlightenment". The faith is apparently Luciferian and, as you know, that's one of Satan's names.

These stars are said to practise this faith to gain unimaginable fame and fortune.

A friend calls all these successful artists a cult. If you say anything about Beyoncé or Justin Bieber, her response will be, "Girl, you also follow that cult. I keep telling you guys that's a cult. You'll see one day."

When my friend and all those people who warned me about Gaga talk about Satanism and the Illuminati, all I am hearing is basically that, if you are talented and use those gifts to be a mega success, there is no way any of that could be coming from God. It has to be coming from Satan, because God is just not powerful enough to bless you with that much success, they seem to be saying.

It doesn't matter that these stars have repeatedly said that they are Christians and that we see and hear them praying before their shows; we're hell-bent on believing what we will.

If they make a sign with their hands, use a word we don't understand, then it's the sign of the Devil.

I know there are Satanists among us and that we have to be vigilant as Christians, but we must also not be close-minded and should know that art can be interpreted any way we want.

There is a reason why a lot of Christians will never enjoy the kind of wealth and success that they could: they just don't believe it's possible without the control of an invisible evil hand. That, my friend, is short-changing yourself, your talents and God.

In a month's time, Beyoncé will be performing in the summer concert series in Central Park. I'll be there, singing along, doing the pantsula dance and booty-hop with her and celebrating her talent.

And I'll bet everything I own that, after the show, I'll still be a born-again Christian.