THE SMOKE IS WHITE

Fox is the only major network not broadcasting the white smoke. (That's Fox entertainment network, not FoxNews.)

But the biggest point that stands out to me now is the false separation between many people of strong Christian faith and those who put little focus on religion. 

Religiosity covers a vastly wide scale. There is the quiet believer who seeks zero attention for his personal connection to God (and Jesus). There are the Bible-thumpers who are at "war" with the world for not having Christianity a required aspect of everyone's daily life.

There is a strange disconnect in comparing the latter group to the America around us. Just look at television media. Even the most liberal outlet has virtually hourly coverage of pundits eagerly discussing who the next Pope may be. Now (with the exception of Fox who is airing the Ricki Lake Show), every major tv network with a national news dept. is covering the white smoke with the same intensity of a Presidential election.

Don't get me wrong. I know announcing a new Pope is a huge moment for any Christian, but that's the point. America is filled with Christians. Quiet Christians and loud spotlight Christians. Your political affiliation does not matter. As a Christian, you personally follow the teachings of Jesus. In America as a Christian, you are an overwhelming majority.

Yet this false American Christian persecution-complex does not go away. Granted, it is kept alive by wealthy talking heads who profit from selling such an idea as a "War on Christmas", but the absurdity being sold does only damage to bringing focus on the good that can be achieved through church programs. When those profiting off of selling their fictional "War on Christmas" also advocate for cutting programs that do what Jesus actually taught, the good of the church only gets buried further from view. 

The big disconnect between Sarah Palin announcing her new book on the "War on Christmas" and the national attention on the just-announced Pope is one that is hard to swallow.

With that false divide addressed, I only hope that once all the spectacle of ushering in the new Pope has passed, the church truly helps lead a focus on what Jesus concerned himself with the most. Unconditional compassion and a nonjudgmental helping hand to the least amongst us.