Senator Ted Cruz : GENUINE Risk of Houston Pastor's Arrest for Protesting LGBT Laws

CBN ^ | 2014-10-17 | David Brody, CBN

[Patton@Bastogne]

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Ted Cruz Tells Brody File: "Real Risk" Of Pastors Being Jailed For Preaching Against Homosexuality

In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, Senator Ted Cruz says pastors being hauled off to jail by the government for preaching against homosexuality is a “real risk” in the future.

““I think that is a real risk,” Cruz tells me. “Some in the media ridicule that threat saying there is no danger of the government coming after pastors. That is the usual response.”

But he adds: “The specter of government trying to determine if what pastors preach from the pulpit meets with the policy views or political correctness of the governing authorities, that prospect is real and happening now.”


Watch the clip below along with a partial transcription.


The Brody File traveled to Houston Texas Thursday to interview Cruz after his press conference in defense of Houston pastors. They are under a severe religious liberty attack by city officials.

The Mayor and the City Council are trying to subpoena the sermons of these pastors because of their supposed outspokenness on homosexuality and a controversial LGBT ordinance.

The pastors are refusing to give in.

More Brody File analysis on Ted Cruz and evangelicals here.

MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN NEWS/THE BRODY FILE


David Brody: “One of the next battles in this culture war could indeed be right there in the pulpit. Are we going through a potential period or could we very well soon go through a period where pastors are hauled off to jail for a hate crime because they are speaking for traditional marriage?”

Senator Ted Cruz: “I think that is a real risk and you and I have both pointed to that risk in the past and some in the media ridicule that threat saying there is no danger of the government coming after pastors. That is the usual response.”

Senator Ted Cruz: “The specter of government trying to determine if what pastors preach from the pulpit meets with the policy views or political correctness of the governing authorities, that prospect is real and happening now.”

Senator Ted Cruz: “When you subpoena one pastor, you subpoena every pastor. If government has the power to force the pulpit to knuckle under, if government has the power to insist that pastors hand over their sermons for government approval then we’ve lost the very first freedom that begins our bill of rights. We’ve lost the freedom that this country was built on. That’s what this fight is and I very much hope that this serves as a wake-up call to Christians, to people of faith, I hope it serves as a wake-up call to pastors to speak out and make abundantly clear that we will not give up our religious liberty. We will not go quietly into the night but we will stand and fight for principles that are right and true and will speak the truth and the pastors of this country will not be muzzled.



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[ifinnegan]

“faiths which consider homosexuality sinful are at odds with the secular laws.”

Like marron, says, that has nothing to do with tax status.

[Patton@Bastogne]

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Dilbert San Diego ...

Sir ... you have nailed this "perfectly" !

Well done !


Is having tax exempt status more important than preaching the tenets of your faith????



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[Guardian Sebastian]

If they give up their tax status, they won’t have a leg to stand on to refuse to marry LGBT couples.

[Paulie]

I did view your post. Well written and quite compelling.

I stand corrected.

[reg45]

If they cannot use the tax code they will use things like zoning ordinances.

[marron]

The problem under Rome wasn’t tax status, it was totalitarianism. The church didn’t seek tax protection but they still wound up in the catacombs and being slaughtered for entertainment.

We have elected totalitarians into office, and somewhere around half of America favors it. Thats the problem. So, claim your tax deduction, or don’t claim it. The fight is coming. Get ready for it.

Pastors have already been jailed in Canada, Sweden, and Germany for opposing homosexuality publicly. I don’t think taxes had anything to do with it, its a much older war coming to the surface.

[BeadCounter]

Secular Humanism as a Religion too is a point made by some people.

[trubolotta]

Sorry, but there is a provision in the Constitution that exempts churches from any form of government control:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ... “

Taxes violate the free exercise provision because it sure as hell isn’t free if it is taxed.

As I said earlier, government does not have the power to bargain for rights in exchange for privileges.

[neocon1984]

Black churches are extremely political. Obama joined the Reverend Wright’s church in order to get bonafides in the Black Chicago neighborhood where he had previously lost in his run for state senator.

Any chance they will ever lose their tax exempt status?

[marron]

If they cannot use the tax code they will use things like zoning ordinances.

You're right. They are already doing it, I've seen that already. They are going after child custody in some cases. They'll use whatever is at hand.

The notable thing to me is that some of your fellow Christians will find a way to side with the attacker. Its human nature.

[Patton@Bastogne]

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“faiths which consider homosexuality sinful are at odds with the secular laws.”


Marron is CORRECT.

Even the SCOTUS has acknlowledged that "religious faith" (in it's purest, simple form) has NOTHING to do with government tax-exempt status.



However, Houston's Mayor is NOT addressing Christian Pators that are the "leaders" of "a pure simple religious faith".

Houston's Mayor and lawyers are (Knowingly, Deliberately) speaking to the "Chief Executive Officers" (CEOs) of "charitable religious corporations".

These men ARE NOT simple "Christian Pastors" like Peter, James and Paul.

These Houston Pastors are corporate CEOs.

Houston's Mayor is simply DEMANDING that these Corporate CEOs OBEY the "terms and conditions" of their IRS 501-C3 "federal contact".



Of course, these Houston Pastors (corporate CEOs) can DUMP their IRS 501-Ce "federal contract" ANYTIME THEY PLEASE.

It's just that these Houston Pastors are TERRIFIED that their "faithful congregations" will BAIL ...

once their "faithful congregations" CAN NO LONGER deduct their church gifts/tithes/offerings on their annual U.S. Federal Income Tax returns.



It's all about the money.



Questions ?

With all "genuine" good will and respect, I "gently" CHALLENGE every Christian in America ...

to ... this Sunday ...

ask their Pastor (after church) ...

WHO is the CEO of his church's "charitable religious corporation" ?

WHO are the Members of the Board of his church's "charitable religious corporation" ?

in what STATE is his church's "charitable religious corporation" registered ?

a copy of the 2013 "annual filing report" that your Pastor's "charitable religious corporation" was REQUIRED to file.




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[ForYourChildren]

“Unalienable rights, such as freedom of religion, conscience and speech, are not government’s to give or rescind.”

“No, a Tax Exempt status for a Church is a natural right under the Constitution.”

“the Bill of Rights is an unambiguous legal guarantee of our God-given rights.”

I understand what you are saying about our Constitutional rights being natural rights or God-given rights and therefore not up for regulation, taxation, termination, or whatever. But recent history regarding 2nd amendment, 10th amendment, etc., has shown that the liberals and most conservatives believe that the Bill of Rights are rights given to us by the constitution and can they can therefore be regulated, taxed, terminated, or whatever. This is exactly what the liberals are arguing regarding all the rights.

There was a time when this position would not have entered into people’s minds, liberal or conservative. But look at the current administration and all the people that voted for them (and most conservatives), it is internalized into their being. It is what they are.

So, while I agree with you, the majority of people in this country have lost the true meaning of God-given rights. And those people, when given the power and authority will forcibly take God-given rights away.

[piytar]

You nailed it. Patton@Bastogne is mistaken as to the Constitutional issues involved.

[trubolotta]

This is all the more reason to fight and for churches to be outspoken on natural rights. Mega-churches and most tele-evangelists are pathetic religio-tainment centers for exactly the constitutionally ignorant dumb-asses that attend. Real churches need to become much more vocal, aggressive and determined to deliver God’s Word, not PC compliant scripture twisted to suit government toadies.

[ForYourChildren]

In nazi germany in order to do what they did to the Jews and other “undesirables” they passed laws, because to make it legal was to make it lawful, or so they thought.

In this case, the 501c3 is the legal handle by which the government can use to after churches, ministeries, church colleges, etc. Remove the 501c3 and you at least remove that handle.

[Patton@Bastogne]

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Aye ... Transparent Aluminum ... now, that's the ticket, Laddie ..."

Sir ...I humbly stand corrected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSmGjB-G6v8

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[jonrick46]

There is a fundamental reason why churches are tax exempt. What is it?

. . . . The clock is ticking.

[Patton@Bastogne]

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"Pure, Simple Churches" are not under government control, per the U.S. Constitution, as I've said repeatedly.


However, "charitable religious corporations" are CREATIONS of THE STATE (did you get that ?) ...

are thus, under government control.



From a legal perspective, these Houston Churches "religious charitable corporations" are NO DIFFERENT than a carrot garden that you plant in your backyard.

"You" own the carrots.

The Federal Government "owns" the "charitable religious corporations" they created.



Fortunately, these Houston Christian Pastors & Churches do have an ESCAPE to be able to pursue a "more free" expression of political opposition to the Houston Mayor's LGBT political agenda.

JETTISON / DUMP / FLUSH their IRS 501-C3 "federal contract" ...

and pay their FULL taxes ... like Jesus Christ did.



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[ForYourChildren]

“Taxes violate the free exercise provision because it sure as hell isn’t free if it is taxed.

As I said earlier, government does not have the power to bargain for rights in exchange for privileges.”

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Completely agree.

But a couple of things here.

We know that the government has been using taxes, and regulations, and whatever, to subvert our God-given rights.

Another point, and this is about as simple as it gets for me anyway, is: if you enter into a contract with another entity, don’t be surprised when the other entity wants to enforce the terms of the contract.

[freedumb2003]

I was sure you would say something to the effect of “I post all this analysis about how our 1st Amendment rights are bring actively assaulted and THAT is what you take away?”

(lol)

Good analysis, BTW. And yes, I am very worried — not about the assault (I am pretty confident it won’t pass legal muster) but how BRAZEN it is.

The left is like the Raptors from Jurrasic Park — keep testing and testing and testing until you find a weakness. That is what led to obozocare and gay “marriage” and now is trying to silence all opponents.