Free Republic

“Bravo, sir (or ma’am!)”

Thank you. I am a male in my early 60s.

I don’t mean to say that Senator Cruz is a perfect man or that he has God’s endorsement (God alone knows hearts). However, I am saying that if one wants to be logical and social/morale issues are of prime importance to them (which they are to me), then Senator Cruz is the logical choice of those candidates in the top tier.

I would also consider Governor Huckabee or Senator Santorum to be good choices for a social/moral conservative voter to pick, but they just don’t have enough support which leaves Senator Cruz. Senator Cruz is indeed a consistent social/morale conservative in addition to being fiscally conservative. He also strikes me as being strong on national defense, but in a balanced way.

Regarding Mr. Trump. I genuinely have extreme misgivings about him, and especially so because he is absent on social/moral issues. IMO he does not care about those things because he perceives they would not advance whatever agenda he has. Mr. Trump says he wants to make America great again. I will not call him a liar and say he is just saying this. However, I will state clearly that he is horribly misguided if he thinks any country can be “great” while suffering from Godless moral rot. To paraphrase scripture, you labor in vain to build a house without God’s help and blessing. God will not bless what is totally contrary to His revealed will. Open homosexuality enshrined in legal legitimization as is the continued slaughter of the innocent unborn? How can God bless what He clearly condemns?

So how can Mr. Trump make America great again when he only gives token attention to building a solid moral foundation that God would approve of? The answer is he cannot.

It grieves me to see so many of my fellow conservative Christians being deceived by Mr. Trump and the pragmatism of supporting him because “he is more electable.” It seems foolish to me.

“He is squishy on some social issues - I know it and it does bother me, but I still am supporting him because if we don’t deal with some big issues like terrorism, and illegals we won’t have a country to worry about social issues.”

It scares me when “Christian” folks (I notice you quote Spurgeon) makes compromises like this. You should know that the opposite it true. You get the social/morale issues right THEN the other stuff will fall into place. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...”

“For all these reasons love him or hate him - Trump is the most logical candidate.”

I see it as exactly the opposite. Because Trump is absent on social/moral issues and only supports what is truly conservative when it suits whatever his current agenda is, he cannot be trusted. The “logical” choice for a true conservative (especially one socially so) voter is Ted Cruz.

I cannot ever vote for Donald Trump. Not in a primary or general election. I have zero trust in his judgement and his moral character. I “believe” that many social conservatives (I am evangelical) like myself will just stay home or leave the ballot blank if this man is on it.

This is not a pout. I cannot stand before God and say I voted for this person. Every fiber in my being screams that he is not a person to be sitting in the chair of POTUS.

“But I agree with Trump that Cruz’s ineffectiveness as a legislator (which is very dramatic) is not a sign of future success in the realm of electoral politics.”

How will Trump, who will tick the legislative branch off ten times as much as Cruz ever has, be able to make any difference? The answer is he will not. At least Cruz has experience in Congress. Trump has never held any public office.

“Did you remember any word out of the President’s mouth about the Christians being crucified in the Middle East?”

No, of course not. He doesn’t want to upset “allies” in that region. He is wrong to let ignore the problem, but what can one do right now? Mike Huckabee has addressed this, but is ignored because he isn’t in serious contention for the nomination and has fallen off the front page completely.

Hopefully, Senator Cruz (a solid Christian) will speak more about this and get noticed.

“Because?????”

We have had many soldier infected return to this country. It is NOT contagious and requires transmission by the sand fly which does not exist/live in our climate.

This disease is nothing new. It is only a problem when we are operating in that part of the world.

We have been operating in that part of the world long before 9-11, but also after over 10 years of intensive military operations with thousands of military personnel being there, it has NOT spread here. The Sand Fly cannot live here.

This NOTHING to be worried about. Don’t extrapolate from a problem in that region due to inadequate medical treatment because of ISIL driving off physicians to it spreading to this country. There are plenty of real concerns. Stick with them.

Leishmaniasis has been a problem for our soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan. One of its common names is the “Bagdad Boil.”

I do not believe there is any danger of it being spread here in the U.S.

“There are three or four headlines on the CNN front page promoting Satanism. Sad but not unexpected.”

What really scares me is that even I am not surprised by this.

However, all the MSM seems to be anti-Christian:

CNN = “Christianity? No Never”
ABC = “Anything But Christianity”
NBC = “Nothing aBout Christianity”
CBS = “Christianity is Bull Sh**”
(I am certain others can come up with more clever use of acronymns)

Seems like FOX is the only one with token Christian support when they have stuff by Todd Starnes.

“You can’t see that they want Cruz because they think they can take him out later? You can’t see this is a jobbed effort to take down Trump?”

I think you ascribe more intelligence to the MSM than they have. They don’t like conservatives is true. However, Cruz is way more a real conservative than D.T. So, they would never “favor” Cruz and risk him being the nominee. They just don’t have the intelligence to conduct a long range scheme you attribute to them.

Face it, you are just upset because, at least for the moment, Cruz is getting some much deserved attention instead of Mr. Trump. It is about time a consistently conservative candidate - Senator Cruz - got the attention instead of a “conveniently conservative” like Mr. Trump that is liable to change with the political wind.

“Islam knows no other way than eradication of the infidel.
I am sure that if it boiled down to the last handful of Christians and he was one of them, he too would have stood up for preservation and hope for mankind.”

You missed the point of what I wrote. I was not discussing an undisputed fact that true Islamists will kill those that don’t believe as they do. Nor was I remotely making a case for being passive in the face of Islamic aggression.

What I was discussing was that Christ loves all men everywhere and died to save all men everywhere IF they will believe in Him as he commanded. His love is not conditional on their belief, only their foregiveness is.

The FR poster I was responding too appeared to be sarcastic in saying Christ “loves” Muslims. I was being clear that Christ loves ALL sinners and unbelievers be they Muslim or a rich businessman that only nominally associates himself with true Christianity.

The Apostle Paul in the New Testament actively hunted down and put Christians to death until God intervened and brought Paul to faith in Jesus Christ. He went from being a killer to one of the most influential persons of the Apostles and wrote most of the books (letters) of the New Testament. If Paul can be saved, then so can a Muslim. Of course they will no longer be Muslim! They will be a genuine Christian.

The point is that God through Jesus Christ loves all...even the wicked and violent...and desires their conversion.

“Oh yes, Jesus would have LOVED Muslims.”

I am assuming you are being sarcastic...if not forgive.

Jesus Christ most assuredly “loves” Muslims the same way he loves you and me. He loves us in spite of our sin of unbelief and is ready to save those who will turn to Him in repentance and belief. That includes all mankind....but it does require believing He is who He said He was/is (God in human form). If you, me, or a “Muslim” will turn in Faith to Jesus, he will save us.

Now does the Lord Jesus approve of what the Muslims are doing -following a false prophet in unbelief of the truth, or for that matter anyone’s unbelief? NO, most certainly not. Muslims are just another group of lost sinners...as are a great many of unbelieving persons in this country.

Jesus Christ came to SAVE that which is lost. Muslims are lost, as are any unbeliever. But HE does love them and desires their repentance.

Now, one more thing. Is the writer of this article off base. Yes, because his theology is off. That does not change the fact that “all we like sheep have gone astray.” Jesus desires to save those lost sheep.

“For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person - though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” Romans Chapter 5 verses 6-8

“Cruz is the real deal, and some who are not real are having a hard time dealing with a tried and true conservative. Too Christian for some, not pretty enough for others, but for those who love liberty and the Constitution he is a candidate with no equal.”

Agreed. He is the most logical/rational choice. He is the most balanced. He has my vote in the primary.

I just pray he doesn’t sell out and become Trump’s number 2. That would soil him in my thinking.

If he cannot win the nomination, then he should continue his work in the Senate.

This quote from a college student on USA Today caught my eye relative to the implication of the article this thread is about:

Name: Hannah Kohn
School: College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia

“Several months ago, I was home driving with my grandma when she started crying describing Donald Trump. ‘He is just like Hitler,’ she said. My grandma is a Holocaust survivor — the Nazis stole her nationality, her brother, her home as 11 million people who shared her faith were murdered. Today, we see Trump’s words incite the same kind of hatred my grandma fled from. His bigotry affects not just Muslims but also other black and brown people. Complacency is the fuel to his fire. We need to stretch ourselves past the limits of our own perspective so that when we say “never again,” we really mean it.”

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/12/09/students-react-to-trumps-muslim-stand/#slideIdslide-3

I have no way to know if the student made up this story, and I am NOT endorsing what she said. However, I do think it worth posting for consideration....and most likely vigorous condemnation by most here on FR that strongly support Mr. Trump.

“Couldn’t believe it, myself— But, I put up the thread today about Cruz disagreeing with Trump.. Someone else put it in breaking news - 400+posts, say 95% bashing Ted. Should check out the first 10 posts on the thread— one name will floor you.”

Scary is the only word that comes to mind. I am amazed that so many can be tricked into believing Mr. Trump’s rhetoric. Even otherwise long time posters to Free Republic. It breaks my heart that otherwise great folks can be so very gullible.

Maybe he is a big Star Wars fan. He is going to be a new Obiwan Konobee!

“Is that the cause of your frustration & attack on Trump?”

Prez. Obama is a clear evil that nobody on this forum fails to see as such. It is obvious that he is bad news and does not need my attention...plus he is a lame duck.

Mr. Trump, on the other hand, is -IMHO- an insidious evil. He has many normally conservative voters (like here on FR) believing his rhetoric. Which - IMO - is just a lot of useless talk that he either has no intention of really doing, or will be totally incapable of doing. Either way, good people are being played for fools by a man that is either intentionally misleading many or is possibly deluded into believing his own propaganda.

I don’t have a “guy” per se. I am a social conservative and that is what I care about first and foremost. Mr. Trump is not remotely a social/morale conservative. I do plan to vote for Senator Cruz because he is the -IMO- rational choice of the field of candidates. He is close to my views, and I believe him to be genuine....something I do not think Mr. Trump is. Notice I will vote for Senator Cruz, but I am not a “supporter” per se. I am not sending him donations, nor do I plan to.

The honest truth is that I will not support Mr. Trump with my vote either in a primary or general election. This isn’t a “pout” that my guy didn’t get the nomination. I truly believe that a Trump administration would be a nightmare for everyone - and my conscience will not let me vote for him. He will not keep all the grandiose promises he is making, and when his currently ardent supporters turn on him (and I believe you will), he is going to turn on you. It will not be pretty. I feel pity of how disappointed so many are going to be when the reality of what has occurred about 6-12 months after a potential Trump victory. I believe there will be great buyer’s remorse.

This election cannot not be for me just about keeping Mrs. Clinton out of office, when I don’t see Mr. Trump as a true viable alternative. I don’t trust him, in fact I deeply distrust him. That is my opinion. If he wins the GOP nomination....I stay home or leave the ballot blank. I have voted for the GOP candidate since 1976 when I first left my 4 years of military active duty. I won’t vote for Mr. Trump, and take part in what I perceive to be a major train wreck in the making.

“I’ve been a big Cruz supporter. But this is a problem for me.”

Why should it? Mr. Trump is engaging in extreme rhetoric he cannot ever bring about. It only serves to please what I, IMHO, believe is a mob mentality which Mr. Trump is playing to.

However, Senator Cruz is answering in a rational way. I think it makes Senator Cruz look mature in contrast to Mr. Trump.

“You obviously don’t know business nor the founding principles of this nation.”

Actually, I humbly submit that you don’t understand what real leadership is about. Dictating to employees of a business you own is entirely different than “leading” a constitutional republic where you cannot “dictate” anything. Unless, of course, you want Mr. Trump to behave like Pres. Obama with no regard for the law or constitution?

“You’re wrong, but you just refuse to see it.”

Well, that most certainly could be so. However, so could you. By the way....I engaged you on the statement “recent.” Now you mention “old.” Not the same thing at all.

Slavery was an acceptable practice in this country’s past, as was the import of slaves. Should we go back to that merely because it was done before? Our country’s past is replete with things we would never allow or do today.

IMHO you are engaging in logical fallacy to appeal to discredited old practices. Have a good night, and I truly do not mean you any disrespect. Please try to be the same way.

“Horsefeathers: we discriminate like this all the time based on wealth or education, etc.”

That is true and a good point to make. (thank you) However, I really don’t think I need to explain to you that those criteria are not remotely akin to someone’s religious beliefs or color of skin (should it come to that).