Popeulism

Modern Christianity

Anyone who cares at all about traditionalism and conservativism is probably not too happy with Pope Francis. And for a good reason. Whether it's loosening of the Church standards regarding abortions and promiscuity, or whether it's suicidal love of Christian-hating immigrants, Pope Francis acts almost as if he has been infected by his own specific version of Toxoplasma Gondii. He's doing all the stuff that the liberal left would want him to do, which would be quite understandable if he was the part of the liberal left. But he is not, and as a matter of fact, he's sadly in control of the only institution in the west that might be strong enough to resist the leftist singularity. But just like Toxoplasma infested mice, he rushes towards his enemies, doing whatever they want him to do.  I am inclined to believe he will end up just the same as those mice usually do, except he may end up dragging with him the whole institution over which he presides.

This may be just pathological altruism, which really is an inseparable part of Christian faith. Let's not forget, after all, that Jesus died for all of us and asked nothing in return. Did such a sacrifice make a permanent change in human nature? Hardly. The spread of Christianity was one of the factors that brought the Dark Ages, and even after the world recovered, missionaries who spread the word of Christ hardly did it in a peaceful and Christian way. Let alone the Christian conquistadors, who often singlehandedly caused the deaths of millions.

It may also be extreme cuckservativism. Just as the Jewish guards in Nazi concentration camps thought they might get away by turning their coats and treating their compatriots even more brutally than the SS guards, maybe the Pope thinks he'll save himself and the church by bowing down in front of his new leftist overlords. If that's the case, one must realize that such a strategy didn't work for Jews, and it most likely wouldn't work for the Catholic church either.

Finally, there's the possibility that he's just trying to regain the church following. Because, in the age of multiculturalism, nations and traditions just aren't what they used to be. 200 years ago, it was unimaginable for someone to miss the church on Sunday. Today, it's almost odd to see someone actually go to church every Sunday. Not that I favor compulsory church ordinance, but this is just one way of showing how much things have changed.

In the age before the left took over, church was not just a feel-good place to go to when you felt lonely. It was also an institution that kept people in line and told them how they should behave. Sure, it overstepped its bounds more often than not, but it's what kept the social order. And for a society, it's more important to keep order than to have people feel good about themselves just for being what they are.

But in a modern day and age, where religion can be chosen freely, and having a lack of one is considered a perfectly acceptable stance, the church really has no way of forcing people to behave as they should. If the rules are too harsh and the rewards too little, you can give up and go to a different church that promises you more goodies for less work. Keeping the church pure may keep it tight, but it will also keep it small. In order for the church to stay large, it must be watered down to unrecognizability. And so it is gradually transformed from an institution that told you what to do into a newage-esque institution whose only purpose is to tell you how great you are just for being what you are.

But without any standard to uphold, entropy takes over and society starts to crumble. Human nature is for the most part horrible, while institutions and social pressure are the only things that keep the bad part of it contained. Without those factors, people start turning into crack-addicted morally insufficient trash. Multiculturalism destroys both the institutions and the social pressure. Because cultures have to compete for followers, they must keep making themselves more accepting or fade into irrelevance. And by becoming more accepting, they lose their corrective aspect. And when individuals are not corrected for their behavior, Dr. Jekyll will soon turn into Mr. Hyde.

Pope Francis seems to love Mr. Hyde, but even if he didn't he'd be forced to choose whether he wants his following to be made of  a small number of Jekylls or a horde of Hydes. Without multiculturalism, he'd never be forced to make that choice.