Sunday, April 17, 2016

Cruz's Father Urges Churches To Violate Tax Exemption Law And Engage In Political Activities

Rafael Cruz, the father of Ted Cruz, spoke in Evansville Saturday morning at Boeke Road Baptist Church "on behalf" of the Republican presidential candidate.
Rafael Cruz at Evansville church with Cruz campaign staffer (Courier & Press Photo)
Rafael Cruz, the father of GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz, made a campaign appearance on his behalf at a church in Evansville on Saturday where he encouraged churches to violate federal tax laws prohibiting religious organizations from engaging in political activities. "It's time we become biblically correct instead of politically correct," Cruz told supporters gathered at the Boeke Road Baptist Church. "I will tell you this: no church in America has ever lost its tax exemption for speaking on politics. It's an empty threat," the Evansville Courier & Press reported, quoting Cruz. "Let's stop electing the village idiot," he said.

The elder Cruz's speech touched on the "dangers" of hot button social issues, including abortion, same-sex marriage, political correctness and the "secularization of America" by removing religion from our schools. "How can you call Bible study a political issue?" Cruz said. "The consequence of that silence: teen pregnancy skyrocketed and so did violent crime." "… (The church has) been sleeping for way too long. And I'll tell you what, the sleeping giant is waking up," he said. The Courier & Press said Cruz was accompanied to the event by Christian Collins, who refused to answer questions about hosting a political event at a church. Collins' Linkedin page identifies him as a Cruz campaign staffer and professor at Lone Star College.

Boeke Road Baptist Church Pastor Stephen Russ told the Courier & Press he was not worried about the church's tax-exempt status. "(Cruz's) speech had to do with the involvement of Christians in our politics at any level and it was taken from a historical context," he said. "I would just say that we appreciate (Cruz's) stand for religious freedom and his unique perspective, having been under an oppressive regime," he said. (It) was both enlightening and inspiring."

Advance Indiana has previously told you about the strange background of Cruz. He claims he fled Cuba in 1957 to come to the United States out of fear of political persecution by the Batista regime, although various reporters attempting to corroborate Cruz' account have come up short and he refuses to answer questions about his past. The elder Cruz quickly made his way to the University of Texas in Austin where he earned a mathematics degree and wed his first first wife. He took a job working as a computer programmer for the oil industry in Dallas and New Orleans during the 1960s where he met and married his second wife after divorcing his first wife. The two moved to Calgary, Canada where they both worked for the oil industry and where their son, Ted, was born. They did not return to the United States until 1975.

Cruz's father and mother became estranged after returning to the U.S., although they weren't officially divorced until 1997. At some point, Cruz left the Catholic Church after going through a religious conversion. He claims to be a minister, although it doesn't appear he has been ordained one or has served as pastor for any church. He is a self-described Dominionist who opposes the separation of church and state and believes America is a Christian nation that must be governed according to Biblical principles.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

He just represents so much that is wrong with religion in politics. Whether its someone with a long history in their faith like Franklin Graham or converts like the Cruzs, they always seem to believe everyone should follow their religion. They just seem oblivious to people of other faiths, people who aren't religious, and those who just believe in the separation of church and state. Personally, I believe its a form of fascism to insist that government operate under religious parameters and that everyone must comply. This is how the Taliban operate. If they don't believe girls should be educated, they close the schools, beat the girls etc. So I wish Cruz senior would just shut up. He won't, of course. But hopefully his listeners will recognize the danger of actually believing and following the man. Cruz senior lives in an old testament world where cutting off hands for stealing is biblically correct. He's dangerous, full of hate and people in Indiana should stop inviting him to their churches.

Anonymous said...

The law in question had no debate. It was smuggled into a bill by LBJ. I think it was in 1954 or so. It is a bad law and likely needs to be challenged on OBVIOUS grounds. Lying about history began with the Everson Decision of 1947 and the Mason SC majority got away with it. I am always amused about Christian Churches who fail to resist this bad law or regulation. Can anyone imagine St. Paul (or any of the early church sorts) kowtowing to a Roman edict telling them what they could say? Oh the horrors, I might lose a tax exemption said no Apostle ever.

Flogger said...

Oh if I could I would Love to allow Churches, etc., get as political as they want. However, they would lose all their various tax dodges. They would be taxed like any other business is taxed. The flock would no longer be able to take deductions on their taxes for contributions. So go for it Mr. Cruz.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how it is everywhere else but in Indianapolis they preach politics from the pulpit all the time, and even the church ladies with their big hats that run the church social events are the ones who run the voter registration drives and fundraisers. Whether any of them have lost tax exempt status I don't know. But they definitely mix politics and church business on Sundays in Indianapolis black churches, everybody knows that, they campaign for black politicians and have them to the church to speak. Probably not big money enough to worry the IRS, but I bet if it was a big, rich white church in Carmel they'd be afraid to do those things.

I guess 10:44 doesn't believe in separation of church and state. How come people want us to leave that doctrine and have dominionism or whatever that is where the religion and the government are the same. That sounds kind of radical.

Eric Morris said...

It is so Christian to carpet bomb the Middle East.

It's almost like these warvangelicals on the Pentagram-CIA-Bankster payroll want to create more enemies. Maybe they should be Papists (pun intended, Robert Pape) rather than Zionist tools:

http://foreignpolicy.com/2010/10/18/its-the-occupation-stupid/

LamLawIndy said...

C'mon, Gary! Julia used to visit churches all the time to GOTV. Plus, many urban churches use their vehicles to transport elderly church members to the polls. This is not exactly new territory.

Anonymous said...

Come to think of it, not even Jesus was tax exempt...."render unto Caesar that which is Caesars".