I get being religious. No! Really! I get it! I'm not religious at all. I wouldn't go so far to say that there is absolutely, proof positive, NO higher being of any kind. Highly unscientific. I've come to the conclusion that given the world the way it is, that if a higher being existed, its behavior and attitude towards our universe would be such that from our vantage point, it is as if it doesn't exist. Weird huh? But a God that never interferes in our affairs under no circumstances other than keeping the universe going is pretty much the same as there being none. Only difference is what happens at death, but even then, there may be no difference.
I digress.
My life is usually too busy to keep up with the news cycle. I work two jobs and am starting a new business in January (with a ton of lined up customers!) Of course, this is a miracle given the socialist policies of President Obama, but I have somehow survived. Ayn Rand would be proud (I guess?) But, I noticed that there was a lot of fanfare over the Pope. I remember him as he took the office, but honestly speaking I didn't care. Catholicism holds no sway over me, and while I know a lot of Catholics, most of the ones I know fall into two categories:
"I'm a Catholic, but I don't practice any of its doctrines and disagree with the clergy on several key issues despite the fact my religion is so strict that it doesn't allow for that sort of thing. But I'm a generally nice person and I can't ignore my upbringing."
OR
"I am super educated or just super materialistic, and I believe in Catholic doctrine because of my *insert authoritarian relative/ancestor here* who also did and my personal feelings of weakness and inadequacy make me want to hew towards his beliefs in a vain attempt to be a stronger human being vicariously. Abortion, gays, poor people suck and Bible verses mean what I say they do."
Not exactly impressive. But that's okay. Like I said, I get religion and I get why people are religious. Hell, even if I didn't, it's not like they're going anywhere anytime soon. Then I hear a lot of my left wing Catholic friends slobbering over Pope Francis. "He's prioritizing the poor!" I raised my eyebrow. That was already plainly stated in the Bible over and over, ad nauseum. What part of "Bible verses mean what I say they do" was unclear to you? "He wants to not talk so much about abortion and gays!" Again, Catholic doctrine is pretty clear on that. It ain't changin', as they say. I let these thoughts bounce around in my unconscious, until someone finally verbalized them.
I hate to say this, but Pope Francis presents nothing new. I mean, a lot of Right Wing idiots will hate the thought of having to do something other than revile the poor for not being rich and ruining their prestige. Who wants to be reminded that Jesus and God aren't celestial vending machines for prosperity? Caring for the poor was something that was already state a million times in the book they revere, yet never read, and now that the Pope is telling them to listen up, they haz a sad. However, they should rest assured that gays will never be allowed to marry, that convoluted intellectual arguments based on Catholic supremacy (but never overtly so) will continue to be used to support dying in childbirth, and that the church itself will remain ultimately a human enterprise: well meaning in some cases but ultimately fallible.
It's a lesson in not being caught up in narratives and emotions created by sources who profit from them both in monetary terms and in terms of general support. That was how well meaning liberals and Democrats were tricked into the Iraq War. "I'm not going to let some dictator threaten me and do nothing like some pacifist!" I actually heard a very liberal Democrat say this, until I reminded them that the exclamation only enters the realm of validity if A) A dictator is indeed threatening you B) If those threats actually mean something and C) that Pacifism somehow means literally doing nothing. Shut him up right quick, but not soon enough for him to withdraw from the throngs of people screaming for the Iraq War until they saw 8 years of bloodshed, death, and little to show for it.
Before people take a liking to the new Pope, I'd just like to remind them that the flock is still around, and the Shepard hasn't changed.