I LIKE THIS POPE

I watched with interest Pope Francis's recent visit to the United States. It was the first time in a long while, that I had a positive feeling about the Catholic Church.

I am not a Catholic or even a Christian, but I like this Pope. I was impressed by both what he said and what he did. To me he exemplified the teachings and what we know of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. His homilies were teaching, not preaching as most religious leaders are prone to do. He was forthright, blunt and forward looking. He seemed to have a clear understanding of the nuances of American politics and because he shared his concerns for those less fortunate, was labeled a "Liberal" by some less insightful observers. 

The Pope is a conservative Catholic and the changes he has promulgated in the Church were long over due. As an outsider my view of the Catholic Church has been of a huge very insulated bureaucracy that cares more about self preservation and orthodoxy than the people it is supposed to serve. He is prodding the Church to become more relevant in the modern world and that will be a good thing. I wish him well.

I have always had a very strong interest in religion, so I was impressed with the Pope's activities here as he demonstrated what I believe a religious leader must do. Lead by example, such as visiting a prison, eating with the homeless and embracing people at random. I believe his behavior exemplified what Jesus would have done, had he returned to us in 2015. 

It bothers me to see how modern religions from Christianity to Islam have totally ignored and distorted the original messages of their respective religious founders. In this country, for example, the current message from some conservative Christians of intolerance,  bigotry and even racism would be completely foreign to Jesus whom these folks claim to worship. I think Pope Francis's words and deeds have come closer than any religious leader in my lifetime to answering the question--WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

BEN CARSON---MESSIAH OR SOFT SPOKEN ELMER GANTRY?

On a recent visit with relatives, Ben Carson was being interviewed on TV. Two people watching quickly volunteered that they will vote for him. I asked one of them why he supported Carson and he said "Because he is a good Christian man". His message definitely resonates with conservative Christians. He is saying what they want to hear and his mild approach fits their idea of a paster or even a Messiah.

Reporters have been looking into his past and some of the events he has described in his books. They have raised questions about the truthfulness of some of his stories he has been telling on the campaign trail. When confronted with some inconsistencies, he has reacted defensively and his campaign staff have refused to discuss any of the  questions.

He appears to be living a pretty lavish lifestyle while on the road and has collected many millions of dollars in donations. However, he has spent more than half of it on direct mailings to get more money.

Over the last couple of weeks he has spent his time on a "book tour" instead of actually campaigning. Some have suggested that he is not really running for President, but using the process to sell books and make money.

Because he comes across as soft spoken with a solid conservative message, the evangelicals and others have flocked to him. These folks see the country as an increasingly secular society that does not share their "values" and he gives them hope that as President he would turn things around. Meanwhile they are pouring money into his campaign.

Is Ben Carson a gift from God sent to "open the door" for the religious to rule or is he just a soft spoken Elmer Gantry?

DEMOCRACY IS ALIVE AND WELL IN LEBANON COUNTY

On election day, I spent 11 hours at the polling place at the Campbelltown  Fire Company handing out information in support of Dr. Rugh Henderson's bid to retain his seat as a South Londonderry Township  supervisor.  He lost the election, but he was happy with the effort  and under the circumstances, did the best he could with the hand he was dealt.

It was a great day to experience American Democracy  at its  best.  There was a steady stream of voters and as they approached, I would thrust a handout about the good doctor toward them. Almost all of them accepted the paper or politely said "no thank you".  My optimistic view for the future of our nation was reinforced by seeing voters show up with the entire family.  One lady came carrying a baby in one arm and holding the hand of a toddler with the other; and yet she still was willing to accept my slip of paper. I heard very few negative  comments and both Republicans and Democrats at this location were visiting, discussing events of the day and generally seemed to be having a good time.  I met 3 of the 4 County Commissioner candidates, ate chicken corn soup and hotdogs provided by the fine cooks of the fire company and generally felt the day went very well.

All over Lebanon County citizens were running for political office.  Despite the national media's obsession with the often divisive social issues, I heard little or no talk of them in any of the local elections.  It was all about what really matters---dealing with issues people genuinely care about.
There was as usual some give and take, but the rancor and bad feelings often associated with elections in other areas of our country just were not evident. The citizens of Lebanon should be proud of their efforts on Election Day 2015.  Now if only the rest of the Country could do the same.