I agree with Matthew Yglesias: there is an odd obsession with many in the media and the idea that public opinion is somehow relevant to the question of what the new Pope should do (or how an existing Pope should behave).
In the past everytime the Pope would visit the US there would be all these stories about how Americans viewed the Church’s teaching on abortion, ordinantion of women, etc. and the inevitable question would be asked as to hwo the church should “adapt” to these views. Now, I am not a Catholic, but I know that the Church is hardly run by public opinion polls. Rather, the whole idea is that the Church instructs its members, not the other way around. The Pope is supposed to be a conduit for Truth and Truth doesn’t change based on public opinion.
I am not certain why this concept is so hard for so many to grasp.
Update: Along the same lines, James Joyner asks:
If one wants to belong to a hierarchical church that performs most of the same comforting rituals but without all the dogmatic rigor, why not simply become an Episcopalian and be done with it?
As they say: Heh. (And, for that matter: indeed).
Sphere: Related Content
Highly intelligent and insightful folks who agree with me
For the past couple of days, I’ve done little besides excoriate the press for its clueless coverage of the late pope and the Church. Today, for a bit of a change, I’m linking to some very astute observers around the nation, who excoriate the press fo…
Trackback by Sean Gleeson — Monday, April 4, 2024 @ 12:04 pm
Polls and the Magisterium
Matt Yglesias:Am I the only one who thinks running polls on what American Catholics think the next Pope should say about various sex-and-gender issues is a bit weird? The idea that that could be relevant seems to misunderstand the nature
Trackback by ProfessorBainbridge.com — Monday, April 4, 2024 @ 2:33 pm
Public opinion and religion simply do not mix and for those who think it does Public Opinion has, in turn, become their religion, a justification for those who simply do not agree with current church doctrine.
Comment by Chris V — Monday, April 4, 2024 @ 3:23 pm
Polling for Doctrine
Its been sort of amusing to listen to various pundits and columnists ramble about how the church just isn’t with it on sex, gays and women in the priesthood. Notably, these are comments by agnostics. Professor Bainbridge collect some pithy…
Trackback by UNCoRRELATED — Monday, April 4, 2024 @ 5:15 pm
Like everything else, the media tries to drive the train.
In years past, events occurred and then the media reacted to it. Today the media acts and then the world reacts to it. I say bravo, to any institution that does not succumb to their pressure.
Comment by LASunsett — Monday, April 4, 2024 @ 9:34 pm
The attitude of many non-religious can be summed up in this quote from a story at LGF: (a non-muslim speaking about Islam) “It’s a way of life, not just a religion.”
Somewhere this guy latched on to the idea that a religious person is like a Trek fanatic. Sure, you wear your Klingon suit to the conventions and have a few posters put up and such, but in *real life* you’re an accountant.
[Note: not making any statement about Islam. The man quoted could have used any religion and the statement would have the same irony.]
Comment by Meezer — Monday, April 4, 2024 @ 9:50 pm
Florence King had a wonderful line a while back about there being a technical name for Catholics who wanted to pick which tenets and practices of the Church to believe and adhere to: they’re Protestants.
Comment by Danno — Tuesday, April 5, 2024 @ 6:49 am