papa...

Joseph Ratzinger is the new pope. Hmmm... I guess it's a pretty powerful position, right? From what I understand, it is. I am a little bit out of the catholic loop, and I really may not know what I'm talking about, but I've done a bit of research and feel pretty darn good about the decision that was reached earlier today.

I think I've always been a little bit bothered by "progressive" ideas. Wait! I'm already digging myself into quite the hole and I don't know if I could work my way back out. I am also very in-favor of many progressive ideas.

I just tried to make a list of progressive ideas I'm in favor of. I tried to make it where this paragraph now lies. The problem is, the only progressive ideas I'm in favor of are somewhat out-dated and no longer considered very progressive at all. For example, racial/sexual equality. As a white, middle-class, straight male, I now am regarded as the scum of the earth by many "progressive" groups. This is a little over-the-top if you ask me. Whatever happened to the ideal of equality? I don't want to be repressed and spit on anymore than anyone else.

So, maybe the time has come for me to consider myself a fairly conservative guy. As a youngster growing up in a rural community I wasn't exposed at such a young age to the variety of issues and ideas that exist in the world. In my late teens I made the naive mistake of thinking that issues I was just learning about were in fact new issues. In reality, I was just learning about things that had been around long enough to have become relatively mainstream.

I don't know exactly what I mean when I say "issues" or "ideas". This is my problem. I really don't have the foggiest idea what I think. I always bank on sorting out my ideas once I start writing. In reality all that happens is that I get confused and don't make much headway in understanding myself. Depressing.

Anyway, why should I have to justify a bit of a change in thinking? Most near everyone gets more conservative as they age. Why should I feel a need to justify my conservative viewpoints, just because historically I've been a bit more liberal? Why? I don't have to.

I'm glad the new pope is conservative. I'm glad that he is pretty hard-nosed when it comes to abortion and stuff. I may not agree with all of the doctrinal viewpoints of the catholic church, but I'm glad that they're standing for something. If birth control remains unacceptable in the eyes of the pope (an opinion I am not in agreeance with), I'm fine with that. I think it's better. I think it's pathetic when people push for progressive change in a religion. What a stupid idea. I think it's fundamentally against what religion is supposed to be.

Not that a religion can't change it's stance. It can. But it shouldn't be due to social pressures. However... boy... I've really got myself in deep.