I wonder if you, as a "poor person who receives an extremely generous amount of government aid" have thought about what the Ryan budget will do to your quality of life? Will you get a special government exemption due to being Catholic or pro-life? Probably not. Will the church be able to compensate for that loss of income?
For those of us apparently thrown into the "nasty atheist anti-Catholic" category, the issue of poverty and the Ryan budget will directly affect the lives of millions of people in this country. People who pay taxes everyday through sales taxes at the state, county, and city level. People who pay ever rising fees established by various governmental entities. People who are working hard to survive and are constantly denigrated as "deadbeats" by many of our nation's leaders. People about whom Jesus spoke extensively in the Bible.
Abortion affects a very small section of our society by comparison, and is an issue used to divide people who would normally be on the same side of issues, like poverty. Abortion is only tangentially addressed in the Bible.
The budget crisis only recently became an issue when a democrat was elected president. During the Bush years, running up that enormous budget was hardly even addressed, nor was the issue of how to pay for two wars and a massive tax cut.
The right to life is your issue, but it is only one of many issues that affect our country. And many of those issues are directly traceable to the issue of poverty and inequality.
The real message here is the US is going to go broke trying to support Health Care. The issue here is whether it is the government that goes broke or the people that go broke.
The US has the highest obesity rate (26%) in the world because of poor diet and lack of exercise. People have to stop smoking, eat right and get proper exercise if the US is to save themselves from a crippling rate of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. A million dollars worth of prevention is worth a billion dollars worth of health care.
In law there is something called precedent.
It applies largely to theology as well, although it isn't formalized.
Christianity is a specific religion, of which Catholicism is the originator. All Christianity came out of Catholicism. By the same token, before Jesus came, God's people were, doctrinally, the Jews.
So let's start with what the Old Testament said, and then look at what Jesus said, and then finally look at what the Church has historically said and or done:
In the Old Testament, many names are attributed to God that relate to his relationship to the poor:
Defender of the fatherless and widows (Deut. 10:18; Psalm 10:16-18; 40:17, 68:5; Jeremiah 22:16)
Protector of the poor (Psalm 12:5)
Rescuer of the poor (I Sam 2:8, Psalm 35:10, 72:4, 12-14, Isaiah 19:20, Jeremiah 20:13)
Provider of the poor (Psalm 68:10, 146:7, Isaiah 41:17)
Savior of the poor (Psalm 34:6, 109:31)
Refuge of the poor (Psalm 14:6, Isaiah 25:4)
Further the OT is very clear on where God's blessings and curses lie in regard to the poor.
For those who bless the poor, God promises to bless them (Ps 41:1-3; 112; Prov. 14:21; 19:17, 22:9, 14:31, 28:27; Isaiah 58:6-10).
But, He promises to judge those who oppress the poor (Deut 27:19, Prov. 17:5, 21:13, 22:16, 28:27; Isaiah 10:1-4; Eze 18:12-13, 16:49).
Pretty clear.
What about Christ though, what did he say and do?
Well:
Luke 6:20-21 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luke 4:16-19 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.'
Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."
Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.
And as for the rich?
Matthew 19:24A nd again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God
Luke 12:16-21 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
So no, there is no scriptural way in the old or new testaments to defend Paul Ryan's views. What about historic Catholic dogma?
Historically throughout the world the Catholic Church has worked to eliminate poverty. It continues that work to this day. In the US, well, let's see,
On health care for all:
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has long advocated
health care for all. In their pastoral letter, Health and Health Care, the
bishops called for a “comprehensive health care system that will ensure a
basic level of health care for all Americans.” Pope John XXIII, in his
encyclical Peace on Earth , listed health care among those basic rights
which flow from the sanctity and dignity of human life. In the same
tradition, Pope John Paul II addressed the need for health care in On
Human Work, where he focused on the availability and affordability of
health care for workers.
In Health and Health Care, the bishops explain that, for the Catholic
community, health and the healing ministry take on particular
significance because of the Church’s involvement as provider of health
care services through its various ministries and as a major purchaser of
health care insurance for its employees.
In the debate over health care insurance, the bishops will continue to use
as their guide the “criteria for reform” from their Framework for
Comprehensive Health Care Reform. Among the criteria for health care
reform they will apply to policy proposals are:
· Respect for Life — Whether it preserves and enhances human
life from conception to natural death.
· Priority Concern for the Poor – Whether it gives special
priority to health care needs of the poor, ensuring that their
health care is quality health care.
· Universal Access to Comprehensive Benefits — Whether it
provides universal access to comprehensive benefits sufficient
to maintain and promote good health.
· Pursuing the Common Good and Preserving Pluralism —
Whether it allows and encourages the involvement of all
sectors, including the religious and voluntary sectors, in all
aspects of health care, ensuring respect for the ethical and
religious values of consumers and providers.
on caring for the poor --
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops urges strong FEDERAL action -- ( http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/safety-net-income-support/temporary-assistance-to-needy-families.cfm ). Further they have specifically written in support of raising the minimum wage to help those at the very bottom of the economic scale. ( http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raise-federal-minimum-wage-catholic-bishops-urge-congress-53349332.html )
The simple fact is that Paul Ryan is completely out of step with historic Catholic and Christian teachings, with the words of Jesus Christ, and even with the proclamations of the Old Testament. For him to attempt to defend his false and wrongful positions as Catholic is disgraceful. As for the Archbishop willfully misusing Catholic teachings, he should leave the church.
Paul Ryan should believe whatever he wants, he is a lay member, but he should not present it as being in accord with a Church that has done more to alleviate world hunger and world poverty than any other organization. The Church and Ayn Rand have NOTHING to do with each other, as Ms. Rand was happy to assert over and over and over when she was alive. If he is serious about his faith, Mr. Ryan might seriously want to consider that as well - but that is between him and God.
Regards
This is actually the biggest farce happening in the world today. Anybody can say they are a refugee and people say shame, they come into the country and every thing is sorted for them then 1 or 2 weeks later buy a cell phone for 295+ Euro. Anybody coming into a country no matter who and how many, the resources are so stretched making that the actual people of that country have to come short. Causing everything to go sky high and you get corporate greed, and like the Olympics you get monopolies taking root on top of price collusion. These big corporates like Nestle' Unilever are just as guilty of this mode of business ethics. Stuff getting smaller and prices like Ricoffy going up by 300% in a matter of months Mack Donald's is not alone in this Corporate greed phenomena hitting the world and especially the third world countries like South Africa where a person starts wondering who is getting what to keep the status quo.
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