RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE NEW POPE

Of course, I'm not a Catholic so Catholics shouldn't care one whit about what I think about the new pope. But as he seems to be conservative in an uphold Biblical principles sort of way, I like him. He seems to upset all the right people, so I can't think it's a bad choice. Obviously I have fundamental problems with the Catholic Church, so I don't even endorse the idea of pope in the first place, but that's why I'm not a Catholic. It seems to me that all the faux Catholics running about--you know, "I'm a Catholic, but I reject all of the Church's teaching on anything of importance."--would be much happier if they would simply find a religion to play around in.

FIRING WITH AN UNLOADED GUN...I watched a bit of Scarborough Country on MSNBC last night (I'm at my parents where they have many more cable channels than I do.). They were discussin, you guessed it, the pope, and one of my favorite political commentators, Pat Buchanan, was on so I watched. Joe Scarborough, appealing to his Baptist background, kept attempting to join the debate with his insights and recollections of Scripture (his favorite Biblical quote: "Let those without sin cast the first stone." Profound.). Now I know what happens to kids who sleep through Bible class when they grow up. They get their own show on MSNBC.

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND...My old roommate Raymond Arroyo, EWTN broadcaster and sometimes writer for National Review Online (but I forgive him for that), was on Hannity & Colmes last night (and will be again tonight). It appears Raymond interviewed then Cardinal Ratzinger a couple of years ago, an interview that is now a hot property. Way to go Ray!

HOW LIBERALS DEBATE...One of the common lines you'll hear from liberals in regard to the Catholic Church and the new pope is how there needs to be an open exchange of ideas. We need to debate all these issues like contraception, abortion and women priests. That's all fine and dandy until one day, say, the Vatican says "okay, we'll allow women priests." Suddenly debate and free exchange of ideas is no longer welcome. The liberals have fulfilled their agenda. Any further discussion of disallowing women priests would certainly be "turning back the clock." Liberals love debate...until they get what they want. The only decided issues are liberal issues.

AND THE DARKNESS DID NOT COMPREHEND IT...A talking head--a Vatican "analyst" (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)--on one of the networks was telling us about the new pope. He's the sort of fellow, you see, who actually thinks Christ is the only way to heaven and that Christianity is actually a superior religion to other religions. Some people might consider that--gasp!--offensive. And he wants to return the Catholic Church to its traditional core values thus leaving some people feeling cut out of the process and marginalized. It's really instructive watching how a relativistic world reacts to someone with strong convictions and belief. They really don't know how to react. To see a pope's view that Christ is the only way to heaven treated in any way as "news" tells us a lot more about the news reporters than it does about the pope.

FILLED PEWS OR NO?...In response to a conservative lay Catholic activist, a liberal Catholic pointed out how Catholic attendance has been dwindling over the past generation. A clear statement, he seemed to think, that it was high time the Vatican got with the modern program. On another show it was pointed out that in American old-line liberal churches (eg, Episcopalians) have lost members right and left (well, mainly right) as conservative churches are bursting at the seams. The liberal Catholic priest piously pointed out that Jesus seldom went with the majority.