Ted Cruz’s Father: “The Bible Tells You Exactly Who To Vote For”

[cbayer]

http://time.com/110436/ted-cruzs-father-the-bible-tells-you-exactly-who-to-vote-for/

Elizabeth Dias
May 23, 2014

At a conference for pastors, Rafael Cruz explains the biblical prescription for the ballot box


Rafael Cruz speaks during a tea party gathering on Jan. 10, 2014, in Madisonville, Texas.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s father, Rev. Rafael Cruz, has voting advice for Christians nationwide who find themselves unable to decide at the ballot box.


“Let me shock you a little bit,” he said Thursday in Washington, D.C. “Did you know that the Bible tells you exactly who to vote for?”

He made the claim at the Family Research Council’s annual Watchmen on the Wall briefing, where Cruz counseled some 600 pastors and church representatives that it is time to put Judeo-Christian leaders with Biblical morals in office. In the last election, by Cruz’s calculation, 48 million evangelical Christians did not vote. “If the righteous do not run for office, if the righteous are not even voting. . . that leaves the wicked electing the wicked,” he says. “We get what we deserve.”

The Bible, Cruz went on to explain, tells you exactly how to vet a politician. He turned to Exodus 18:21 and made his case. Moses is in the wilderness trying to govern the Israelites, where his father-in-law gives him leadership advice: “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, ruler of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”

more at link

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. 'men of truth, hating covetousness'?

So that pretty much rules out all the corporatists and plutocrats. We'd have to get rid of 99% or so of Republicans, and at least half of the Dems currently in office to get rid of those who are 'covetous'.

If he actually pretends to believe what he says, I don't see how he ever votes for any Republican, his son included.

[spin]

2. That sounds like a good idea for biblical times. ...

Today elections are far more expensive which leads to the fact that politicians have to sell their souls to special interest groups in order to get the funds necessary to run for office. Consequently they end up bought and owned as in order to get the money for reelection they have to deliver results to their funders.

In my opinion we need to find a way to overhaul our system of electing representatives and eliminate the influence of Big Money. The problem is how to accomplish this.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. Ted Cruz inherited the weirdness

[DontTreadOnMe]

4. Tax the Churches!

Religion is the source of hate.

[cbayer]

5. C'mon now.

Religion can also be a source of love and taking away the tax exempt status that churches share with other charitable organizations isn't going to do anything for those among us who need our love the most.

Attack Ted Cruz's father for his loathsome position, but to use the opportunity to just hate on religion just proves the point that religion is not the only source of hate.

[Prophet 451]

6. OK. Cruz Sr is a prick n/t

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Where do you think that man got the idea that the non-christians are the 'wicked'?

Because he is obviously fronting an Us/Them evangelical Christians vs. the Wicked meme.

[cbayer]

8. Do you think I am defending him in any way?

[AtheistCrusader]

9. It was just a question.

[DontTreadOnMe]

10. The tax free benefits religion receives does not equal the benefits they provide

Let religion pay for itself, just like all other taxpayers. Why are we subsidizing religion with public funds?

We need to prioritize our public budgets... so please don't think that your beliefs are being hampered... but don't ask for me to be forced to contribute. They are my tax dollars too. Tax money should go to the majority of our needs. Our current representative system is broken, and the majority of people are not being taken care of sufficiently. Charitible organizations are a failure... just look at the poverty rate in the United States, and then looks at the net worth of Religious property alone.

[cbayer]

11. BS. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't

It's the responsibility of the IRS to evaluate and make that determination.

They are subject to the same rules as other tax-exempt agencies and to treat them differently would be a 1st amendment violation. Be careful where you go with that, because that is a very slippery slope.

You think our social safety net is a failure now? Just try to imagine what it would be like without the participation of religious organizations in this country. But get your data together first, because you are under some false beliefs about what they do and don't do.

Show me the stats to back up your premise about it costing more to subsidize the churches that are breaking the rules than their overall contribution to the most marginalized in this country. You can't.