Sen. Ted Cruz, papa pastor Rafael, and Dominionism

A previous post "Tea Party racism, Dominionism, tear at fabric of democracy" discussed the pernicious trend in the extreme right to rip apart our cherished secular republic with Dominionism, an Evangelical belief system designed to replace secular Constitutionalism with Christian orthodoxy. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was called out as a Dominionist based on his statements and close connection with his Dominionist pastor father Rafael Cruz, who heads up a Texas based Dominionist cult known as the Purifying Fire Ministries. This post expands on that general condemnation.

Pastor Cruz is a charismatic firebrand preacher who asserted to an Irving, TX mega-church last year that Christian believers are "anointed by God to take dominion of the world in every area: society, government, education and economics". He's also endorsed "end-time transfer of wealth" in which, as a prelude to the second coming of Christ, God will seize the wealth of the wicked (non-believers) and redistribute it to believers (Cruz & Company). Christian Zionist pastor Larry Huch introduced Pastor Cruz with this political insight: "God will begin to rule and reign... not Wall Street, not Washington, but God's people. I know that's why God got Rafael's son Ted Cruz, elected the next senator." Then at an Iowa Dominionist gathering, Dominionist pastors blessed Sen. Cruz, calling him, a "king" who would help "usher in the Kingdom of Christ".

If Sen. Cruz was not a Dominionist one would expect him to renounce this anti secular democratic lunacy from his daddy and his fellow Dominionists. The reverse is true. Cruz the Son rose to power in Texas employing Pastor Cruz as a political asset, routinely campaigning with him. Pastor Cruz has bragged how he shaped Ted's development by having him indoctrinated in extreme political philosophy while in middle school.

One viewing of a Pastor Cruz Dominionist speech easily gives any patriotic American the creeps and instant dismissal of an utter crackpot. But look again at the movie star handsome, silver tongued Harvard educated son in the Brooks Brothers suits who essentially believes the same evil and destructive philosophy. Sen. Cruz's background explains the callousness in which he bragged about shutting down the government he considers evil and illegitimate. All that $24 billion in economic damage is nothing compared to the furtherance of a fanatical religious cause and the millions it brought into his Dominionist coffers from his True Believers.

Back in 1954, I watched another out of control demagogic senator try to hijack the American political process. It took four years for Wisconsin Sen. Joe McCarthy to self destruct before our eyes on national TV. Let's pray it doesn't take that long for his 21st century version to do the same.