Bill McKibben: Pope Leo has stirred awake a progressive Christianity. It can rise again

[Major Nikon]

3. The idea that Christianity can somehow be "retaken" just isn't all that great

Since well before Christianity, religion has been used as a tool to manipulate the masses for nefarious purposes. When a complete idiot who is a known rapist, crook, and serial adulterer commands more influence over Christianity in the US, including Catholicism than the Pope, you can be well assured the entire religion just isn't that hard to corrupt. And it's not as if it's ever been anything but corrupt.

On it's best day, including now, Catholicism from the very top is still used unapologetically to shame and marginalize half the population. How anyone could imagine it's somehow an effective force for progressiveness is beyond me. The very nature of the entire theology is regressive.

People tend to have this notion that we can somehow cherry pick the "good" aspects of organized religion while completely ignoring the bad in hopes that it will just go away. It doesn't work that way. It never has. It never will. If people want to use their personal beliefs as motivation to do good things, more power to them, but the idea the institution itself can be turned around is really misplaced.