Cruz received the largest number of caucus votes in the history of Iowa politics, and he did it by not giving one red cent to "the Lord". According to Will Weissert of the Associated Press,
"He [Cruz] and his wife donated less than 1 percent of their income to charity and nothing to churches, including to their own in Houston, according to tax returns from 2006 to 2010, the most recent Cruz has released."Of the less than 1% that Cruz did donate to charitable causes, NONE of it went to churches, although Ted did give to some "faith based organizations". But that doesn't satisfy God's desire for 10% on the gross, as we all know that to give to "the Lord" is to give to your church. Apparently Ted knows, like the Watchdog, that this is a bunch of malarkey. Good for Ted.
So despite Robert Morris saying that non-tithers like Cruz are "thieves", and subjecting their marriages to divorce and their kids to the "devourer", Cruz won Iowa and his marriage is in tact and the Cruz kiddos have not been devoured.
And amazingly, Ted won Iowa with "stolen" money. According to Steve Gaines, Ted is living in a stolen house, driving stolen cars, sending his kids to school with stolen money.
In fact, despite Ted Cruz popping off all around Iowa that he is a Christian, Ronnie Floyd - the nicely groomed Southern Baptist Convention president - has declared that Cruz can't possibly be a Christian, since not to tithe is to show that you don't know the same God that Ronnie knows. But Ted knows Ronnie is a boob and charlatan.
I respect Ted on this. Not a single penny to his church. That speaks volumes of what he thinks about how churches spend money. Ted is a member of a megachurch, and apparently didn't want to give large sums of money where more than half would be spent on seminarian salaries and buildings that sit empty 6 days a week.
Preachers often say that they can tell a person's priorities by looking at their checkbook - well, using that criteria, Ted has his priorities right. According to Will Weisert's article, when Ted was asked why he didn't give any money to his church:
"Cruz responded that he'd 'worked and saved to build a solid financial foundation to provide for my children.'"Cruz knows that he is better off investing his money for his family's future, rather than forking it over to the local 501(c)3 and "man of God".
Cruz will now have a hard time pandering to the religious crowd seeing that he did not contribute to his church. This fact will come up in future interviews but knowing the mindset of the right wing crowd it will have to be explained away some how. Cruz turns out to be pretty much of a phoney when talking and acting like a holy joe. At least he is smart enough to see the way some churches are nothing but country clubs with stiff dues to pay to be considered a good member.
ReplyDeleteI am from Texas. I do not like Ted. I do not trust Ted. And I have voted Republican since 1976.
ReplyDeleteThat said, his tithe and his win in Iowa had nothing to do with one another. His " ground game" was just better than Trump's.
His name is "Eduardo" and he should be required to put his real given name on the ballot, as should all candidates.
ReplyDeleteThe "religious crowd" is the most fickle of all voter groups. They cannot be counted on, and should not be pandered to.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a Cruz fan, but maybe he did give to his church, maybe he didn't. Some people can and do give anonymously, without seeking the tax deduction.
ReplyDelete“I will readily admit that I have not been as faithful in this aspect of my walk as I should have been.”
ReplyDeleteCruz admits his shortcoming. Does not elaborate or suggest what he considers fair.
I think most agree that the responsible thing is to offer money to the church you belong to or attend. If you have it and give 0, then what is that? If you don't have it and give it, then that makes you better?
We all need reminding from time to time and leave it at that.
Tom Kelly - Don't give anonymously. They will call you a coward and spit at your anonymous gift. I put my name on it when I give.
ReplyDeleteBrother Deacon
If you want Ted to put Eduardo on his ballot did you also want Barak Hussein Obama to put his name on there too?
ReplyDeleteAnother sad day for the SBC, Steve Gaines is to be nominated for President. Heaven help us, please.
ReplyDeleteHah, the real reason why certain evangelicals were endorsing Trump.
ReplyDeleteHi Watchdog.
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile since you've posted anything. I hope you're well and everything is okay.
If not, is there anything I can do to help?
Love, Faithful
You need to check out Ed Young's latest sermon series. His first sermon was another tithe extractor, called Juice. He's juicing the people in his church!
ReplyDeleteAttention Christian Conservatives: I'm confused with a party that claims to represent God, but spends half its time trying to cut off income, food stamps, and healthcare benefits for the poorest citizens, while allowing most of the production jobs to be shipped out of the country.
ReplyDeleteAttention Christian Conservatives: I'm confused with a party that claims to represent God, but spends half its time trying to cut off income, food stamps, and healthcare benefits for the poorest citizens, while allowing most of the production jobs to be shipped out of the country. That's real Christ-like, I bet.
ReplyDeleteI think it is the lower income groups that really get hit with this tithing scam.... I mean how many rich families believe the road to continued wealth is giving 10% of your gross income to your local mega church????
ReplyDeleteI think all of these 'famous' preachers will fall all over themselves supporting Ted Cruz in spite of his 'zero' Church contribution. The politics override greed when it comes to wanting power for your 'causes', especially when the 'causes' bring in more money as the chosen targets are 'the enemies' in the culture wars.
ReplyDeleteIntegrity? What is that to people seeking power and control over others?
...Or, maybe not! ;)
ReplyDeleteTed Cruz is now out of the race. Also, though I would vote for him, I never counted him as a spiritual advisor.
ReplyDeleteSo, what has happened to FBC Jax Watchdog, has it finally died? No new blog post in 6 months.
ReplyDeleteHi Dewey - how've you been? FBC Jax Watchdog is still alive, going strong. No new posts in a while, but hundreds of posts here documenting the workings of charlatans and those who follow them and fund them. Still hundreds of hits a day as people search for information.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
WD
Here is a story that you may be intested in:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.commercialappeal.com/news/crime/former-grizzlies-announcer-rick-trotter-recorded-women-at-another-church-in-2010-39bedcc2-20da-6c88--389935171.html