Madonna grew up in Detroit, Michigan, in a large Italian Catholic family. Her name was inspired by one of the many titles of the Virgin Mary, a near‑sacred figure in Catholic tradition. Her long‑standing fascination with religious imagery—especially the cross—has been a defining thread throughout her career and reflects her Catholic upbringing.
Later in life, Madonna became involved with Kabbalah, a mystical branch of Judaism. At times, she even asked to be called Esther, after the Jewish biblical figure. She has donated millions of dollars to the Kabbalah Centre, and some have speculated that her devotion to its teachings contributed to the breakdown of her marriage to Guy Ritchie.

Reflecting on a pivotal moment in her life, Madonna once said:
“I was what you would call at the top of my world. I’d won a Golden Globe for Evita, I was pregnant, I had fame, I had fortune—everything you would perceive a person would want in life. But I’m sure everyone’s had that out‑of‑body experience where you say to yourself—and it might happen at 28 or 38 or 68—why am I here? Why am I inside this body? What am I doing? And I was hearing that question a lot.”

Her relationship with religion has always been complex. As she puts it:
“I have a funny relationship with religion. I’m a big believer in ritualistic behavior as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody. But I’m not a big fan of rules. And yet we cannot live in a world without order. But for me, there is a difference between rules and order. Rules people follow without question. Order is what happens when words and actions bring people together, not tear them apart. Yes, I like to provoke; it’s in my DNA. But nine times out of 10, there’s a reason for it.”

Despite her devotion, she has faced criticism from some Kabbalah leaders for her use of religious themes in her music. Rabbi Israel Deri once remarked, “Such a woman brings great sin on Kabbalah.”
Madonna has also been an outspoken supporter of the Democratic Party and various liberal social causes. She endorsed Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign and has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights since the 1980s. At a gay‑rights rally, she declared:

“If we can elect an African‑American as president, we can support gay marriage!”
She publicly opposed the Iraq War and criticized the Bush administration, saying:
“Global terror is everywhere. Global terror is down the street, around the block. Global terror is in California. There’s global terror everywhere, and it’s absurd to think you can get rid of it by going to one country and dropping tons of bombs on innocent people.”
One of the most compelling parts of Madonna’s story is her account of adopting her son, David Banda Mwale, in 2006. She recalls:
“I had an embarrassment of riches, and there were too many children in the world without parents or families to love them… that was the beginning of another daring chapter of my life. I didn’t know that trying to adopt a child was going to land me in another shit storm. But it did. I was accused of kidnapping, child trafficking, using my celebrity muscle to jump ahead in the line, bribing government officials, witchcraft—you name it. Certainly I had done something illegal!”

She continues:
“This was an eye‑opening experience. A real low point in my life. I could get my head around people giving me a hard time for simulating masturbation onstage or publishing my Sex book, even kissing Britney Spears at an awards show, but trying to save a child’s life was not something I thought I would be punished for. Friends tried to cheer me up by telling me to think of it all as labor pains that we all have to go through when we give birth. This was vaguely comforting. In any case, I got through it. I survived.”