In 1977 we lived in the basement of the subject of an early crush, Cindy Lewis. One day, she introduced me to a bus pastor named Louis O'Neal, who attended Waldo Avenue Baptist Church in Independence, MO.Long story short, I became a rabid Christian, attending church on Wednesday nights, Saturdays (for pastor
training and 'recruitment'), and of course Sunday mornings and evenings. Mr. O'Neal took me, a poor 13-year-old urchin kid, under his wing. He and his wife were amazing, and were like family to me. People like Lou don't exist anymore.
At any rate, after witnessing the financial vehicle that is an organized church, and watching them spend a fortune on a building, the pastor, and the property, I realized that priorities were all wrong. And being the science-based individual I am, I knew religion wasn't for me.
So as I watch a man like Pope Francis lead by example, in a way no person in any church has in a very long time, I am at least heartened. It won't change my mind about the existence of a 'God', or that I perceive as wholly antithetical the practices of most church entities as they relate to Christian teachings. But, as a Humanist, I'm glad to see a man who displays the best traits of the human race from perhaps the loftiest perch on the planet.
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