Miley Cyrus, Scientist

I’m a fan of Miley Cyrus.  I think it started with that 3D concert I saw back when my youngest was a tween.  The woman can really sing.  Later I happened upon her advocacy for gay marriage and that made me like her more.  Yesterday she got even gutsier:

The 19-year-old pop star and actress recently came under fire for tweeting the word “Beautiful” and a photo of theoretical physicist Laurence Krauss, with the quote: “You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded… So forget Jesus. Stars died so you could live.”

Cyrus’ haters and fans alike became enraged and wondered if the singer has given up her Christian faith, with some even telling her to go to hell.

I don’t think she’s given up her Christianity, but no one could blame her for questioning it in the wake of some of the horrible things that Christians wrote to her.

This was all the more interesting to me when I recalled a profile abut her estranged father last year in “GQ” where he shared some insight on his religious faith:

“Somewhere along this journey,” he says, “both mine and Miley’s faith has been shaken. That saddens me the most.” When they first came to Hollywood for Hannah Montana, the two of them would drive down the freeway together to the studio each morning, and every day Miley would point out the sign that said

ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY

ATHEISTS UNITED

Just before moving out to Los Angeles, the whole family had been baptized together by their pastor at the People’s Church in Franklin, Tennessee. “It was Tish’s idea,” he remembers. “She said, ‘We’re going to be under attack, and we have to be strong in our faith and we’re all going to be baptized…'” And there, driving to work each day in the City of Angels, was this sign. “A physical sign. It could have easily said ‘You will now be attacked by Satan.’ ‘Entering this industry, you are now on the highway to darkness…'”

Do you really see it in such clearly spiritual terms—that your family was under attack by Satan?

“I think we are right now. No doubt. There’s no doubt about it.”

It’s nice to see that Miley has survived her father’s narrowmindedness.  I hope it’s an inspiration to her fans.  I will continue to count myself among them.