Ask an Atheist with Sam Mulvey

Billy Ray Cyrus – Devil's Plaything

Here we see Minnie harvesting souls

Billy Ray Cyrus did an interview in December that was published in the February issue of GQ where he comes clean about his feelings regarding his daughter’s show and its effect on their family.  I have no issues with what the guy is saying until we get to the end.

Initially Cyrus talks about how he blames the show for his divorce, his daughter’s “wild” behavior (hitting a bong at your 18th birthday party doesn’t strike me as particularly wild in and of itself, but different strokes and all that), and the destruction of his family.  That’s right kids – Hannah Montana is serious business.

“I hate to say it, but yes, I do [wish the show had never happened]. Yeah. I’d take it back in a second,” Cyrus said. “For my family to be here and just be everybody OK, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic. Heck, yeah. I’d erase it all in a second if I could.”

Cyrus and his wife, Tish, filed for divorce in October. They have three kids together — Miley is the oldest — and two from Tish’s previous marriage.

Billy Ray Cyrus said when he asked about the rumored video footage of his daughter smoking from a bong at her 18th birthday party in December, he was told it was none of his business. He refused to attend the party, saying it was wrong to have it in a bar.

Cyrus, a native of Flatwoods, Ky., had his own success as a country singer beginning in the early 1990s with his huge hit “Achy Breaky Heart.”

He told the magazine that he is scared for his daughter and compared her current path to those of other stars whose lives ended tragically, including Kurt Cobain, Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson.

All of that makes sense.  It sounds a little whiny coming from an affluent and somewhat successful entertainer, but I think everyone can agree that money does not ensure happiness so I’m not even going to go down that road here.  The problem I have comes next:

He said his entire family was baptized before leaving Tennessee for Los Angeles to protect themselves from evil, and he believes Satan is attacking his family.

“It’s the way it is,” Cyrus said. “There has always been a battle between good and evil. Always will be. You think, ‘This is a chance to make family entertainment, bring families together…’ and look what it’s turned into.”

Yeah, Billy Ray, that’s it.  Your familial troubles have NOTHING to do with the choices you and your family made.  Nope, it’s pretty clear that your “hard knock” life is the work of Satan.  You guys are pawns in an epic game of good v. evil.

How so very important.

Or it could be that you sold your kid to Disney, Disney did with your kid what it usually does with kids – use them in any profitable way imaginable – and now you want to be a victim of an evil industry that took away everything you had instead of taking responsibility for the effects of something you willingly participated in.

This strikes me as just another example in an endless list of examples of people opting for religion in order to remove themselves from personal responsibility.  If bad things happen, Satan must be gunning for you.  If good things happen, you’re God’s chosen soldier.

As long as we can all agree – Billy Ray Cyrus as a father and a person with previous experience within the entertainment industry who played a key part in making Miley into Hannah Montana had nothing to do with his current family troubles.

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Garry Burgin

Money,religion and fame.Not a good combination.

Melissa

Well, blaming satan is the obvious choice right? I mean what else could it be?

I totally agree with you, I don’t like it when people can’t take responsiblity for their own actions! Instead they just blame it on satan! what a load of poo, he knew what he was getting miley into.. period. Besides she wanted to be in showbiz, and I don’t really see him complaining about the millions of dollars that he has now because of her fame…was that because of satan too or did god bless them with that money?

Helena

Yeah, it has nothing to do with the fact that you let everything get out of control until your little girl blossomed into a grown up skank. The devil made her do it.

JN Hudson

Who can blame poor Billy Ray? It’s not as is Disney has ever showered fame and money on young girls (who have then gone on to use both of them in spectacularly destructive ways) before. It’s not like there was a Brittany Spears, or Lindsay Lohan to show how fame can fuck up young girls who’s parents whore them out for Disney to use to print money with…. Oh wait….

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