Ryan is a shitty Catholic - post in GD

[cbayer]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021115425

[Angry Dragon]

1. and your point being??

[cbayer]

2. My point? Just to point out a good thread. Why?

[rug]

3. This is why Romney's attempt to appeal to Catholics will backfire.

The contrast between Ryan and Biden is stark.

[cbayer]

4. I agree. It's an appeal to tea baggers, nothing more, imo.

[Pericles0753]

5. Nominal Catholic

I'm a Catholic, one of the 98% Catholics. Ryan is a nominal Catholic. He just uses the name to appeal to Tea Party demands. His doctrine of self-sufficiency is belied by the results of his budget if it comes to pass. He is a brutal materialist and essentially an Ayn Rand atheist. He has absolutely no concern for the middle class, much less the working poor. I really am not a fan of one's touting their religion in the political arena, but I do get suspicious when someone uses it for ulterior ends. I think Ryan is a fascist ideologue, a cold calculating opportunist and a danger to America. Beware.

[cbayer]

6. Very much agree. Welcome to DU, Pericles, and to the Religion group.

[trotsky]

7. I will repeat what I just said in another thread to someone who postulated the same idea.

You aren't going to get a "No True Scotsman" defense from other atheists, because there's nothing about the lack of belief in a god that tells you what your political positions should be.

However, Ryan claims to be a Catholic, and there are plenty of right-wingers who reconcile their hatred for government programs for the poor by (accurately) pointing out that Jesus never said that government should do those things, he commanded them of his followers. It could very well be a sincerely-held belief that if we had minimal government, minimal taxes, that people would have enough money to donate to churches and charities to take care of the less fortunate.

And until and unless one of us can read minds, we have to take Ryan and other right-wing Christians at their word.

I'll add one more thought here: by accusing every mean right-winger of being an atheist, it implies only an atheist could be so cold-hearted as to oppose funding programs for women, minorities, and the poor. I doubt any other group could be labeled like that on DU without rightly calling it bigotry.