Liberals in a conservative church

As I was leaving for work today, I saw on Fox that the cardinals have elected a new pope. German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected and will now be known as Pope Benedict XVI. I didn't have the time to see the whole story. I probably could have turned on the radio during my commute but I'm in the habit of listening to fast and upbeat music before I have to work. It sort of gets me in the mood. I did know, however, that he was a front runner for the position and that a lot of people in the U.S. were hoping to get a more liberal pope.

Cafeteria Catholics. I had never heard of that term before until today. Apparently that term is applied to American Catholics because they pick and choose which part of the church teachings they want to embrace. I was reading through Mike's blog and it got me to thinking about this particular subject. It deals with American Catholics beginning to fall away from the church. I find it kind of odd since I hear a lot of people saying that Americans are a bunch of religious right wingers or fundamentalist. Or maybe it's just the protestants that it applies to? If American Catholics are having such a hard time with the church's position on some issues, it's not as if they are doomed to hell. Look at me, I don't agree with my church on a few things, but I still go. And if it ever gets to the point that my church is going to throw me out, then fine. I think what I believe has more weight with God than just going through the motions at church.

So this is what I have to say to those liberal American Catholics out there. Does the election of a conservative as pope really have any affect on how you can live your life? If you are having a difficult time with the Church, leave it. It's not like you are going to hell if you do. You've already made a decision to ignore the directives given by God's representative. If you're not going to hell for that, you're not going to hell for jumping to another denomination or just believing on your own.