The Hypothetical Progressive Pope
I�ve been trying out hypothetical as a way to show believers where their beliefs originate. The best example I�ve worked out is directed specifically toward Catholics. I ask: If a future Pope reversed the Church�s position on gay marriage, would you also reverse your position on gay marriage? The word Pope could be substituted for �religious leader� to make this less Catholicism-centric, but the Catholic Church is fairly unique in that it�s doctrine trumps even the Bible in the eyes of its congregation. Seeing how the Pope is the infallible spokesperson for the Church, his word matters immensely. Now, let�s look at what the possible answers mean. If a believer who opposes gay marriage answers in the affirmative, they show that their assessment of morality and their opinions of what is or isn�t discriminatory are based solely on authority. Whatever the Church thinks is how they think. The Pope is the Borg Queen in this scenario. If the believer instead says they would maintain their o...