On the front page of today's New York Times, there is an article entitled G.O.P. Rivalry Simmers as Paths Diverge.
The article discusses the political aspirations of Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, the rift between the Tea Party and the rest of the Republican Party and the manner in which each of them is approaching the issue. Ho-hum. Nothing to see there, really, IMO. Nothing in the article is especially 'ground-breaking' if you pay attention to politics. A real 'yawner.'
There is, however, one thing that stuck out, and that is the following description of Senator Cruz:
Mr. Cruz, 42 — a Texan, a born-again Baptist and son of an evangelical preacher — also connects naturally with Christian conservatives, many of whom have become foot soldiers in the Tea Party and view Mr. Paul as too unorthodox on social issues.
Do you see what I see?
"... a Texan, a born-again Baptist and son of an evangelical preacher...."
That's it?! I think they are playing 'safe-ball' here, and they glossed over a really relevant part, namely: Dominionism. While not every 'born-again Baptist/Evangelical' is a Dominionist,
Much of the controversy over the issue of Dominionism is caused by writers who use the term carelessly, often conflating the broad term Dominionism with the narrow term Dominion Theology. Some on the Left have implied that every conservative Christian evangelical is part of the Christian Right political movement; and that everyone in the Christian Right is an active Dominionist. This is false. Some critics even state that the Christian Right is neofascist. Few serious scholars of fascism agree with that assessment, although several admit that if triggered by a traumatic societal event, any contemporary right-wing populist movement could descend into neofascism.
some, like Sen. Cruz,
are. In case you're not aware, here's a quick brief on Dominionist theology:
Dominionists celebrate Christian nationalism, in that they believe the United States once was, and should again be, a Christian nation. In this way, they deny the Enlightenment roots of American democracy.
Dominionists promote religious supremacy, insofar as they generally do not respect the equality of other religions, or even other versions of Christianity.
Dominionists endorse theocratic visions, believing that the Ten Commandments, or "biblical law," should be the foundation of American law, and that the U.S. Constitution should be seen as a vehicle for implementing Biblical principles.
Scared yet?
Christian Reconstructionists believe that as more Christians adopt Dominion Theology, they will eventually convert the majority of Americans. Then the country will realize that the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights are merely codicils to Old Testament biblical law. Because they believe this is God's will, they scoff at criticism that what they plan is a revolutionary overthrow of the existing system of government.
How about now?
Let's just see what 'Ted' Cruz has said about this:
May 1, 2013
"We understand that our rights come not from a king or queen, not from government, but from The Lord God Almighty. Today there are great challenges facing our nation, but if America is going to continue to stand strong, we must first be on our knees.
If that doesn't scare you, you are a Republican.
Now, there's been a bit of talk lately about Cruz' (Cruz's ?) father being a 'birther.' I don't give a fuck. I'm more concerned with some of the other things Rafael Cruz, Sr. has to say. To wit:
"The pastor [Huch] referred to Proverbs 13:22, a little while ago, which says that the wealth of the wicked is stored for the righteous. And it is through the kings, anointed to take dominion, that that transfer of wealth is going to occur. God, even though he's sovereign, even though he's omnipotent, he doesn't let it rain out of the sky - he's going to use people to do it."
If you think
that's weird, try this:
"There are some of you, as a matter of fact I will dare to say the majority of you, that your anointing is not an anointing as priest. It's an anointing as king. And God has given you an anointing to go to the battlefield. And what's the battlefield ? The battlefield is the marketplace. To go to the marketplace and occupy the land. To go to the marketplace and take dominion. If you remember the last time I was in this pulpit, I talked to you about Genesis chapter 1, verse 28, where God says unto Adam and Eve, "Go forth, multiply, TAKE DOMINION over all creation." And if you recall, we talked about the fact that that dominion is not just in the church. That dominion is over every area - society, education, government, economics...
It get's better (worse?):
"Kings who are anointed for a totally different reason than priests. Kings who are anointed to take dominion. Kings who are anointed to go to war, win the war, and bring the spoils of war to the priests. So the work of the kingdom of God could be accomplished. And I'll tell you - the king needed the blessing of the priest in order to be successful in battle... [in Deuteronomy] Before the king went to battle, the priest came and blessed the king and blessed the warriors. And the king needed the blessing of the priest in order to be successful in battle... Now, the priest also needed for the king to be successful in battle, because the priest needed the spoils of war in order to repair the temple, in order to carry out the ministry that God had entrusted him. So the king and the priest complimented each other, and they were both very, very interested in blessing one another.
For those who say "The sins of the father shall not be visited on the son.", let's make it clear: Rafael Sr. was an active campaigner, and even a
surrogate for his son on the campaign trail. They frequently have appeared together. There appears to be little daylight that shines between the two.
If you're still not sure,watch this video
In the video, Tea Party potentate Ted Cruz is blessed by pastors who claim the Constitution is based on the Old Testament, appear to endorse biblical slavery, depict gay marriage as a socialist plot against the traditional family, and call for a Christian war on secular society.
The first two attributes in that list belong to an evangelical leader David Barton - who Ted Cruz has warmly endorsed, in a September 2013 statement to Politico in which the Texas senator called Barton "a good man, a courageous leader and a friend" whose "historical research has helped millions rediscover the founding principles of our nation".
In the lead-up to the Iowa pastors' event, in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody, Ted Cruz suggested that gay marriage would lead to Christian pastors being charged with hate speech. During his address to the hundreds of pastors assembled at the two-day Iowa Renewal Project event, Senator Cruz cited militant Biblical scripture such as Ezekiel 33, depicted opponents of a Texas ban on late-term abortions as Satan worshipers, and claimed Christians in the military can be court-martialed for sharing their faith.
I'm calling out the NY Times on this because I feel they failed to give full disclosure. Ted Cruz is a rising star on the right, and clearly has higher ambitions. While many consider him a joke, it is
entirely possible that he could end up on the 2016 ticket...I mean, George W. Bush made it, so
anything's possible. It's important to point out his radical theology at every turn, because
if he were to somehow win the Republican nomination for 2016, he
could be your next President.
Scared now?
Please read War on Error's excellent diary "CHILLING Exposé: Ted Cruz & his Dominionist Roots", and check out the following links:
Ted Cruz's Father Suggested His Son Is 'Anointed' to Bring About 'End Time Transfer of Wealth'
Ted Cruz's dad is a pastor with Purifying Fire Ministries, which is run by Benny Hinn isn't that weird?
As an afterthought, let's revisit the words of Thomas Muthee, as he 'anointed' Ted's BFF, Sarah Palin:
"In a moment, I'll be asking you that we pray for Sarah, and I'll tell you the reason why. When we talk about transformation of a community, we are talking about God invading seven areas in our society. Let me repeat that one more time. When we talk about transformation of a society, a community, it's where we see God's Kingdom infiltrate, influence seven areas in our society.
Number one is the spiritual aspect of our society...(snip)...[Sarah Palin joins Muthee and two Alaska pastors onstage]
Thank you, Jesus. Let's all pray. Let's pray for Sarah. Hallelujah! Come on, hold your hands up and raise them. Hold them and raise them up here! Come on, talk to God about this woman! Come on, talk to God about this woman we declare favor from today. We say favor, favor, favor! We say praise my God! We say grace to be rained upon her in the name of Jesus. My God, you make your judgement, you make room. You make ways in the desert, and I'm asking you today, we are asking you as the body of Christ in this valley, make a way for Sarah, even in the [inaudible]. Make her way my God. Bring finances her way, even in the campaign in the name of Jesus, and above all give her the personnel, give her men and women that will back her up in the name of Jesus. We want righteousness in this state. We want righteousness in this nation. Because you say [inaudible] in the name of Jesus. Our Father, use her to turn this nation the other way around. Use her to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers so that the curse that has been there long can be broken. In the name of Jesus. Father, we thank you today. We come in the hindrance of the enemy, standing in her way to there. In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus! Every form of witchcraft, it will be rebuked in the name of Jesus. Father, make her way now. In Jesus' name, Amen.
I
know you're scared, now!