Religious Liberty vs. Gay Agenda: Ted Cruz in Iowa

Christians persecuted for their faith went on stage at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa last night to discuss how they were victimized by their own government and stripped of their jobs, businesses and religious liberty.  Republican presidential candidate and Texas U.S. senator Ted Cruz, hosting the event, told the crowd that America is nearing the end of its founding principle of freedom of religion if Bible-believing Christians don't rise up immediately.

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"Is the next victim of persecution your pastor?  Your charity, where you volunteer your time at a crisis pregnancy center?"
". . . there is this liberal intolerance that says that anyone that dares follow a Biblical teaching of marriage, that is the union of one man and one woman must be persecuted, must be fined and must be driven out of business."
-- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

For background, see Sen. Ted Cruz explain in 2013 how the Gay Agenda will end freedom of religion and also read how it has come to pass in 2015:  Religious Liberty in Homosexualists' Crosshairs

UPDATE 8/23/15 - Sen. Cruz asked about same-sex marriage (CBS News Face the Nation video):


Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Homosexuals Force Closure of Iowa Christian Wedding Chapel

Gay Agenda Forced on Christian Colleges by Supreme Court

Kentucky Forbids Pastors Calling Homosexuality 'Sinful'

Pastors Lead Local Battles Against 'Gay Rights'

Houston Lesbian Mayor Subpoenas Pastors' Sermons

9th Circuit Court Forces Christians into Abortion Business

Atheists, Satanists Force Bible Ban in Florida Schools

Atheists Force Bible Bans at Colleges Across America

13 States vs. ACLU in Appeals Court over Civic Prayer

Also read how President Obama and his federal government agencies are elevating the Gay Agenda above religious liberty.

-- From "Ted Cruz: there is a ‘war on faith’" by Katie Zezima, Washington Post 8/21/15

Cruz, looking to gain traction in an early voting state with a heavy concentration of evangelical Christians, held a highly organized and produced "Rally for Religious Liberty" Friday night. The rally featured live music, interviews with people who said their religious liberty was violated and sermon-like speeches from Cruz, who tried to cement himself as the candidate of choice for evangelical voters in a crowded Republican primary field.

"There is a war on faith in America today," Cruz said, later noting that 54 million evangelical Christians stayed home during the 2012 election.

"I'm here to tell you, we will stay home no longer," he said as the audience, which filled a ballroom and the campaign estimated to number 2,500 people, cheered.

While Cruz will be competing for the evangelical vote with candidates including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former senator Rick Santorum and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, few have been as vociferous about the notion that religious liberty is under attack than Cruz. . . .

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ted Cruz preaches to the field" by Katie Glueck, Politico 8/22/15

First up onstage Friday night were Dick and Betty Odgaard, an Iowa couple who would not host a gay wedding at a venue they owned because they felt doing so would violate their religious beliefs. The two have been the subject of a lawsuit and closed their business. The senator sat down with the Odgaards onstage and prompted them to tell their story, bringing Betty Odgaard to the verge of tears.

“I know this has been a very hard journey,” Cruz told them, leaning over to hold Betty Odgaard’s hand in a rare public display of softer emotions from the senator. “Scripture tells us, God ordered our steps.”

“Amen,” she replied.

“I’m convinced you have gone down this road, endured the pain, endured the attacks, endured the hatred, precisely to put you where you are here today, for such a time as this,” he said, to applause.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "In Iowa, Ted Cruz rallies religious right" by Betsy Klein and Maggie Loughran, CNN 8/22/15

Cruz spoke about his experience defending freedom of religion at the Supreme Court and what he said were the threats facing religious liberty.

"These threats have been growing, they have been growing for decades but never have the threats been greater to religious liberty than they are right here and now today," he said.

"These threats are not imagined, they're not made up. These are real people leading real lives who found themselves facing persecution simply for living out their faith. There is a war on faith in America today."

The event featured guest speakers who had faced consequences of upholding their religious beliefs, from losing a job to vandalism to losing a business.

"They didn't ask for confrontation and the government came to them and said, 'Choose between faith and obedience to government power,' and they said, 'I follow a higher power and that is God almighty,'" Cruz said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Cruz: Threats against religious liberty never greater" by Matthew Patane, Des Moines Register 8/21/15

In his opening remarks [at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center] during the “Rally for Religious Liberty,” Cruz referenced a number of Supreme Court cases regarding religious issues that came down to a 5-4 decision.

“You want to know what this election is about? We are one justice away from the Supreme Court saying ‘every image of God shall be torn down,’” said Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas said.

Iowa radio host Steve Deace, who endorsed Cruz earlier this week, interviewed the other guests. They included Barronelle Stutzman, a florist sued for declining to provide flowers to a same-sex marriage, and Oregon bakers Melissa and Aaron Kline, who declined to provide a cake to a same-sex marriage, among others.

“These are just everyday people like all of you in this room and yet they find themselves on the front line in the battle for the soul of this culture,” Deace said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Ellen Page Confronts Ted Cruz on Gay Rights at Iowa State Fair" by Josh Haskell and Jessica Hopper, ABC News 8/21/15

While Sen. Ted Cruz was grilling pork chops at the Iowa State Fair today, actress Ellen Page, wearing a hat and sunglasses, snuck her way up to the grill and asked the GOP presidential candidate about "the persecution of gays in the workplace and LGBT rights."

"Well, what we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith," Cruz responded.

The Texas senator, 44, went on to argue today that "no one has the right to force someone else to abandon their faith and their conscience."

"Imagine, hypothetically, you had a gay florist and imagine two evangelicals wanted to get married and they decide, ‘You know what, I disagree with your faith and I don’t want to provide flowers,’" Cruz posed to Page.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.



Also read RINO Illinois Gov. Favors Homosexuals over Kids

And read Republicans Going Gay, to be 'Moderate' & Likeable