Posting and running but this was too good to pass up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17859114
Rising Republican star Paul Ryan has been condemned at a top Catholic university for remarks that his budget plan was inspired by church teaching.
Faculty members and priests at Georgetown said they could not condone a spending blueprint they warned would hurt society's most vulnerable.
The House budget chairman delivered a keynote lecture at the Jesuit college on Thursday morning.
Mr Ryan's plan has been praised by presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
"We would be remiss in our duty to you and our students if we did not challenge your continuing misuse of Catholic teaching to defend a budget plan that decimates food programs for struggling families, radically weakens protections for the elderly and sick, and gives more tax breaks to the wealthiest few," said the letter by 90 faculty members and priests to the Wisconsin representative.
The letter adds: "In short, your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
Mr Ryan, who unveiled his budget last month, recently said the church doctrine of "subsidiarity" was reflected in his budget proposal.
"To me, the principle of subsidiarity, which is really federalism, meaning government closest to the people governs best," Mr Ryan said during an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.
But the letter from Georgetown University rejects this claim, saying: "Subsidiarity is not a free pass to dismantle government programs and abandon the poor to their own devices."
Correspondents say the letter offers a perspective from within the Catholic community that distances the Church from conservatives.
Catholic leaders recently criticised the Obama administration's decision to require employers to offer contraceptive services to their employees through their health coverage.
President Barack Obama attacked the Ryan budget proposal days after it was approved in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives last month.
He labelled the plan "social Darwinism" that would impose a "radical vision" on the country. He also noted in his remarks that Mr Romney had said the plan was "marvellous".
Re: Georgetown faculty members skewer Paul Ryan budget plan
When I was accepted to Georgetown i received two priceless comments:
My grandmother: don't listen to those Jesuits they aren't real Catholics.
My cousin: don't wear that Hoya gear around here or we will all be shot.
Seriously speaking, a not insubstantial portion of the conservative Catholic community hates Jesuits.
I am a little bit proud for the Catholics right now.
Me, too! Good for them! I often wonder why christians tolerate so much foolishness in their savior's name. I would love to see this type of thing happen more often, both in religion and in politics.
In other words the sky is blue. Though I would question how large that population of conservative Catholics actually IS....
Signed,
Proud graduate from another Jesuit university whose Conservative Catholic Parents are ALSO grads from said Jesuit university....
food blog | garden blog | curly dogs blog
You just know I'll be asking my FIL about Jesuits once we sit down to Sunday dinner, right?
I wouldn't count on that being standard. We have a numbers of Jesuit schools here and, gasp, well known as Catholic (hi school or colleges). Maybe it is a Midwest thing as I rarely see here on the East Coast.
Sorry. Go with Jesuits aren't cChristians. That Should do it!
Above Us Only Sky
I'm not sure where the Jesuit hate comes from to be honest. There are plenty of Jesuit institutions in the Midwest as well. I believe Jesuits are actually one of the largest Catholic religious orders in the US and globally.
For a while I thought it might be generational--since Jesuits were purported to be behind liberation theology they were not so popular for a period of time (particular within the Vatican), but I know a lot of Catholics who grew up at the zenith of LT and never got that vibe from their parishes or schools.
My husband's grandparents and parents joke about it (they're in NM and VA) but I don't think they actually hate Jesuits. It's just a thing you say. Like Georgetown releases a press release and you're like "oh, Jesuits!"
And if you ask an actual Jesuit about it, they won't give it to you straight