The Patriot Post® · Papal Authority Proliferates

Joel Osteen, one of America’s best-known evangelical pastors and leader of the Lakewood Church in Houston since 1999, enlarged on the statement of Pope Francis about homosexual clergy, “Who am I to judge?” Osteen finally had courage to speak to the gay issue, “I’m not here to be preaching hate, pushing people down… God absolutely approves of everyone, including homosexuals. It doesn’t matter who likes you or who doesn’t like you, all that matters is God likes you. He accepts you, he approves of you.”



That leaves one not insignificant problem: God loves every one of his human creation but God does not approve of people breaking his Ten Commandments in particular. The axiom applies to parents who love their children but hate their wrongful activity. “Love the sinner; hate the sin” is the commonly quoted saying. Pastor Osteen is wrong on one other aspect of his preaching in that he emphasizes monetary-type rewards in this lifetime for monetary gifts to his church that is not necessarily synonymous with “Christian Church.”



Pope Francis opened a Pandora’s Box as his not disapproving words about homosexuality among offending clergy who sexually exploited and abused young altar boys, caught favor with the LGBT community and their sympathizers, as well as various church denominations like that of Joel Osteen.



Seems like everyone wants to be their own pope, dictating almost anything pertaining to religion. Many individuals have been turned off and away from organized religion, perceiving it to be intrinsically evil and responsible for many human tribulations. Most often quoted are deaths from religious wars over the millenniums, but current generations have far exceeded those atrocities for no particular cause. Their rationale is much like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. A 4% universe of clergy sexual offenders is their pathway to 100% exclusion and dismissal of all organized religion.



Overlooked is the fact that the church itself is community that traditionally unites at least weekly to pay homage to the Creator. Many younger citizens turn up their collective noses at organized religion, opting to honor the Creator in nature from sea to shining sea, and everything in between, including prairies, mountains, forests, etc which is well and good, and certainly proper, but nonetheless, incomplete.



There is more than nature because humans are social animals and as such do many things communally, such as attending stadiums and venues to cheer and applaud their favorite sport teams, musical groups, rock stars, shows, political gatherings, and the list goes on and on. So why should there be objection to offering the Creator the same type of homage in similar venues reserved for just such purposes? Church is not just a building, but is a place to gather, to congregate, to use the church building for the congregation as groups to thank, respect, and pay homage to the Creator. Sports enthusiasts gather in stadiums to cheer their teams on, and church buildings perform the same function, a gathering place to cheer for and applaud the Creator.



Back to Pope Francis who is a Jesuit and since I am Jesuit educated as are two daughters and a granddaughter, I have many stories I can tell about Jesuits and their philosophizing. The most embarrassing for me personally is that I bought into logic of a Jesuit priest who advised on how to beat the fasting requirement by liquefying solid foods. That defeats the entire spirit of fasting guidelines. My principle worry now is what will a Jesuit Pope do about Jesuit institutions of higher learning that have strayed from catholic carved-in-stone dogma?



What Pope Francis does not seem to understand is that his random interviews can do more harm than good in that like addicts, people hear what they want to hear, which is too often far from the truth. Jesus ordered his disciples to spread the gospel, not corrupt the gospel.



Jesus never sought to win popularity contests and the fact popes become popular does not necessarily make them right. Popularity can be dangerous to the soul. Current waves of presidential popularity border on pagan principles and lead to corruption of constitutional principles. President Obama and liberal factions including many of our young rely on undefined “American Values,” that include taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, elevation of homosexuality above that of traditional marriage and family, free contraceptives for all, along with infringement of the Bill of Rights.



Christians are perceived as being anti-American and subjected to so-far bloodless persecution, but has any noticed that popular young people are often on the dark side of ethics and morality, while many young girls want the “cool” guys, so what can be expected? And has anyone noticed that all of America’s Military are volunteers but when they return home from pre-emptive wars with life-changing injuries, government ignores them, treating them like it is their own fault for volunteering?



A minority quietly calls for impeachment, of President Barack Obama but that cannot happen as along with his ruthless Chicago political machine with his chief protector, Attorney General Eric Holder who is still pursuing the Zimmerman/Trayvon case, holds sway over GOP opponents who have terrible baggage of their own.



Obama getting away with his rape of the Constitution was foretold by Pogo, the comic strip alligator who is famous for his 1970 quote, “We have met the enemy and they is us.” I cannot get through to but a few friends and associates in the choir, but others criticize me for fighting the system, for being negative, for not staying positive, for trying to change something that cannot be changed. Talk about a country of lemmings following false leaders over the cliff.



Well, I am positive as a co-worker in the early 1960s was quick to say, “Don’t worry Al; nothing is going to turn out alright.” To a large extent, the country is comprised of lemmings marching to the drumbeat of free lunch, ObamaPhones, rent, medical, education, housing, computers, and free everything.



In a fable there is a Pied Piper who is hired to get rid of the rats and when finished, payment is refused, the Pied Piper applies the same routine to get rid of the children. The Pied Piper will be paid, perhaps is being paid as we speak, as about 55 million of our children have been sacrificed since Roe v. Wade in 1973, not including about perhaps another 55 million that would have been born to the murdered ones.



The country has been so immunized to this evil along with blatant homosexuality that seemingly is bent on destroying normal traditional families along with Christianity in particular, that is being persecuted in fact by the  Allah-Bama. Overwhelming on the one hand and underwhelming on the other hand.


The political system is corrupt and effectively there is a one-party two-party system. Voting has been rendered irrelevant. One thing is clear: There are no patriots in the White House, Congress, or the Supreme Court, and the state of the Republic is proof positive that nothing good will happen any time soon.