Alright, I'm going to go there...

I've really been trying to wrap my head around what has been going on for the last 24 hours or so on Twitter, but I just can't. It all began with someone tweeting about the fact that Ryan admits to being bi-sexual in his upcoming book, Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown. Suddenly everyone was buzzing about it, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a trending topic for a few minutes there, which really bites since we all tried so hard to trend BuellShit to no avail.

It seemed to be a lot of "oh my gosh" and "can you believe it" posts, which I guess is somewhat to be expected. Then came the supportive posts from the people who respect, care for, and consider Ryan a friend. When I first heard this, my reaction was amazement at how open Ryan had chose to be with the public and I was very proud of him for it, considering how difficult it had to be for him. Most people have a hard enough time coming out to family and friends, let alone the whole world.

Today, sadly what we had all hoped wouldn't happen, did. Someone on Twitter decided to attack Ryan for his honesty, using his religion as a weapon. I can't imagine just how much that may have hurt him, but he handled it with dignity and rose above the close minded person, even tossed in a joke.  His strength amazes me.

"when all you got to keep is strong, move along, move along like I know you do. Even when your hope is gone, move along, move along just to make it through" - Move Along by All American Rejects

Now I'm going there...oh, wait, you thought I already had? Well no, I'm going to touch on the dreaded religion and prejudice. This is where things could get nasty, so keep in mind, this is just something that rolls around in my head when situations like today come to light. I thought about separating these posts, and maybe I should, but they seem linked, so I'm going with it.

When I was a child, I believed in God and I went to church just like all the other little girls (sadly in one of those hideous frilly dresses and usually it was pink *cringe*). The only happy church moment that I can recall was when I finally memorized enough bible verses and was presented with my very own "grown up" bible. I thought, at the time, that it signified something amazing, like new world opening up. I remember that I went home, and 7 year old me began to read the bible in search of those secret worlds.

As I got older, I guess I got more cynical and jaded. When I read the bible at 12, I began to wonder about how accurate the words were. The bible spoke about love and around us, people were constantly singled out for different reasons (race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, marital status).  My mother was appalled when I finally told her that I couldn't believe any longer. She told me to speak with our reverend, but I didn't feel the need.

My biggest problem with religion is what we saw today, someone using the words of the sacred texts (which ever one it may be) to justify ignorance and hate towards another person  or religion for some reason. I thought that religion was about love, maybe that was the silly dreams of that little girl in pink frills. Inside, I think a part of me longs for the connection that comes with having faith, but I just can't let go of the reasons I turned my back in the first place, and all the reasons I've seen since. Maybe one day I'll find that faith, until then I'll hope for change.

"Right back what is wrong. We move along." Move Along by the All American Rejects