nicki minaj grammys 2012So, you thought Nicki Minaj's over-the-top performance at the Grammys was a ridiculous spectacle that only buried her talent under crazy costumes and special effects? Yeah ... I'd probably agree with you there. But was it sacrilegious? Eh, I don't think so.

Plenty of people did find the "Roman Reloaded" performance offensive. But I thought it was pretty tame, actually. The Church plays the same role it always does: A moral authority threatened by "evil." What's so controversial about that?

I mean, if the performance was all about the Pope conjuring up devils, that would be one thing. But no -- that "priest" at the beginning is totally freaked out over Nicki, as you'd expect him to be. Priests are still the guys you call in when you need an exorcism. And yeah, it's kind of hard to tell whose side those hooded monks are on. But the point is still: Nicki Minaj has got the devil in her, let's try and save her. Or something like that. It's a pretty conservative take on religion. (You can see the performance here.)

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Anyway, every time we see the Catholicism/exorcism theme trotted out for its entertainment value, it loses a bit more of its edge. Didn't we just see Madanna do "Like a Prayer" at the Super Bowl last weekend? Whatevs. I kind of thought Nicki's approach was actually conventional. It was weird, but not EVIL weird.

And anyway, no amount of silliness from a pop artist can possibly do as much damage to the Catholic church as its own leaders have done already, looking the other way at the sexual abuse of minors for years and years. Anybody want to do a Grammys performance about that? Ecch, no. Who has the stomach for that?

Did you think Nicki Minaj's Grammys performance was sacrilegious or offensive?

 

Image via Kevin Winter/Getty