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| Pople Francis/ Wikipedia |
Recently, Pope Francis either said something perceived as
controversial or had his words interpreted to mean something outrageous in the
views of conservative Christians.
Protestant fundamentalists have a long history of attacking
the Pope and Catholicism. And Catholics have fought against Protestants. Some
of the recent attacks on social media focus on the Pope rather than Catholics. What
is difficult at present is the presence of a Catholic running for president of
the US. If elected, he would be the second Catholic president—the first was
John F. Kennedy. Those who recall the Kennedy campaign know conservative Protestants
were skeptical of Kennedy and Catholics in general.(About Kennedy and
anti-Catholic bias).
So, what’s the big deal this time?
1. Firstly, a topic of great concern to conservative
Christians is same-sex relationships. The Pope cannot win on this topic. From
one perspective, he appears kind and conciliatory toward people in same-sex
relationships. He empathizes with their desire to live in loving relationships—that
sounds nice for some, but not all. From a second perspective, he does not
support a Christian marriage—only civil unions, which leaves same-sex couples in
an inferior position (e.g., CNN).
From a third perspective, the Pope endorses sin because he does not condemn “homosexuality”
and same-sex relationships.
2. Secondly, the Independent
story from 2015 was recently (October 2020) circulated on social media with
the headline, “Pope Francis assures atheists: You don’t have to believe in God
to go to heaven.” When you read the story, there is nothing at all about
atheists going to heaven. The story quotes the Pope as emphasizing God’s love
and mercy:
“…God’s mercy has no limits if you
go to him with a sincere and contrite heart. The issue for those who do not
believe in God is to obey their conscience.”
Why is that news? And why are conservative US Christians
posting this a few weeks before the election that has a Catholic ahead of a
Protestant in the polls?
Here’s one
relevant Bible passage that of course can be, and has been, attacked by people who
wish to interpret it differently (Romans 2: 13-16 (NIV).
Perhaps a
different example is relevant. Sincere Christians who believe people must
confess belief in Christ have wondered what happens to people who have never
heard the Gospel? The concern is something like would a loving and merciful God
send them off to hell? Christians are divided on this but most want to trust
God to be just.
A related conundrum is the worry of parents about infants
that die without a salvation experience. Most belief that infants go to heaven
despite the lack of expressed belief in Jesus as Savior. No one wants a
preverbal baby or a toddler to burn in hell for eternity for lack of salvation because
they did not express their belief in Jesus as is commonly taught in many
churches. Instead, exceptions to the “belief” requirement are provided. You can
find a Googleplex of ideas about infant salvation—I found over 3.6 million in less
than a second! You might also know that people worry about salvation for the
intellectually disabled who do not understand the gospel and the traditional requirements.
Well, I am not a theologian or a Bible scholar so I won’t
wade too deeply into these murky waters.
*********************
Some thoughts on the attacks
It is no surprise that Christians are divided over doctrine.
So many are certain they have the right answers and make proclaim these answers
in a haughty manner.
It is also no surprise to see Protestants attack a Pope. Nor
is it surprising to see charges of antichrist hurled at the Pope as I saw this
week. Sadly, social media does not permit people to hold a civil discussion with
each other or humbly interact with the Pope to understand his thinking or even
a greater context.
Although most of us are dependent on news sources to get
information about leaders we will likely never meet, news sources are usually out
to earn a profit. Headlines get attention and entice readers like you and I,
which are important to ad revenue. Click, click, $$.
Election battles can be vicious affairs. Adding religion to
the mix increases tension and divides one group against another energized by
hatred and feelings of moral superiority.
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