Ted
Cruz Destroyed By Forbes for His Lies about Christian Persecution
By
Samuel Warde
To
hear Ted Cruz (R-TX)
tell it, there’s a war on Christians of epic proportions being waged by
liberals and progressives in the USA these days.
The
presidential hopeful was speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in
Waukee, Iowa, recently when he declared that Democrats have become so extreme
and “intolerant” of religious freedom that “there is no room for Christians in
today’s Democratic Party,” adding that “there is a liberal fascism that is
dedicated to going after believing Christians who follow the biblical teaching
on marriage.”
Enter Forbes contributor Rick Ungar, who takes the tea party senator to task for such asinine
comments, in an article entitled: “Ted Cruz And
The False Narrative Of Christian Persecution.” (You might recall
that this is not the first time Ungar has taken on Cruz.
Back in March he dismissed Cruz for pandering to the religious right, noting that he “suspect[s] Ted Cruz will ultimately be forgotten in the big picture of American history.”)
Back in March he dismissed Cruz for pandering to the religious right, noting that he “suspect[s] Ted Cruz will ultimately be forgotten in the big picture of American history.”)
Pointing out that the last time he checked “all but 30″ of the Democrats serving in the House of Representatives “identify as Christian,” Ungar writes that “these numbers might lead a more rational and less politically motivated observer to conclude that there is still quite a bit of room for Christians to be a part of the Democratic Party and its leadership.”
Ungar
goes on to quote Paul Waldman, who “so aptly wrote a few years ago in The American
Prospect” that:
“The impulse to jam that crown of thorns down on your head is a powerful one in politics. It means you’ve achieved the moral superiority of the victim, and the other side must be the victimizer. The problem is that these folks don’t seem to have much of a grasp on what second-class citizenship actually looks like. Last time I checked, nobody was forbidden to vote because they’re a Christian, or not allowed to eat in their choice of restaurants, or forced to use separate water fountains, or even be forbidden by the state to marry the person of their choice. That’s what second-class citizenship is. Having somebody on television call your views retrograde may not be fun, but it doesn’t make you a second-class citizen.”
Ungar
then delivers a knockout blow to Cruz, writing:
“It seems unlikely that a victim of religious persecution would be permitted to make the statements we hear Ted Cruz utter—in his effort to rally the religious right to his cause —without suffering some form of personal repression or punishment. Can anyone testify to the effort being made by our government to silence Senator Cruz? So far as I can see, he remains completely free to say and do what he wishes, including publicly making fun of a grieving father who has just suffered the loss of his eldest son. Has he been forced to change his religious practices under threat of penalty? Has Ted Cruz’s life or status in society been altered in any way merely because he is a Christian believer? Further, is it unfair to ask why the cries of religious persecution pouring forth from those now claiming great offense are missing in action when a person of color, or one with a different sexual orientation, is treated with less respect or opportunity? Galatians 3:28 states, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.'”
Samuel Warde is a writer, social and political activist, and all-around troublemaker.