When Theology Drives a Presidential Race, It is Time to be Scared

We passed a campaign sign for a local race that read “Protect Your Religious Liberties. Vote for  . . . ”

I turn to my husband and said, “As one who has sought to live as Christianly as possible all my adult life, I am at a point where I refuse to vote for anyone who runs on a “Christian” platform because it is just code for “It’s OK to both discriminate AND to frame anyone who disagrees with you as evil and held in the thralls of Satan’s deception.”

I didn’t add but also thought, “it’s also code for the lesser status of women and the insistence that only men can make proper decisions where women’s issues are concerned.”

I just read an analysis of the current Republican field of Presidential candidates who have suddenly realized they need to actually appeal to the female vote. One educated New Hampshire woman said:

“I don’t think Trump really cares about women, and their being equal to men,” Ms. Frechette said. Of Mr. Cruz, she added, “You think he’d be looking at the Bible and say, ‘The man should be the head of the household and the women should do what the men say.’ 

Trump’s crass disdain for females is pretty well-known and is typical of a personality that needs the entire world to adore him in order to feel good about himself.

It’s Cruz’ attitude that scares me the most. Cruz sees himself as the anointed candidate from God to be president and is essentially running for that office on a theological base.

Fortunately for voters, his dominion theology is beginning to surface. It is my hope that others will recognize the danger of it because, frankly, it is similar to the mindset that drove the Spanish Inquisition: either agree to my rigid interpretation of what is right or you will die.

Cruz has made it clear: if you are queer, you will be killed. Unfortunately, I am not kidding here.

As for women. Sigh. As this article puts it,  “Cruz has worked very hard to make sure that women’s reproductive choices come down to asking a man to buy a 50-cent rubber in the men’s room on his way home.” In other words, men own all reproductive decisions. Cruz would have no trouble justifying this in “biblical” terms.

And that scares me as it does a lot of other people. Put “Ted Cruz scares me” in a google search. See what comes up.

The theology that drives Cruz is inherited from his father. It suits the macho male, super smart, take-no-prisoner, messianic “I’m on a mission from God” mentality that has characterized Cruz’ time as US Senator.

I’m aware that anyone who runs for POTUS must have a strong, pretty narcissistic ego in order to withstand the nastiness of politics and the endless criticism that accompanies top leadership positions. Fine. But combine narcissism with the sense of “God WANTS me to be POTUS” and we have a serious problem.

So, yes, I’m scared. I’m also appalled that women would have to start all over again fighting for their rights under a Cruz presidency. And I ache for all my dear friends and colleagues in the LGBTQI community who will suffer enormously should Cruz get what we wants.

We are better than this as a nation. Go find a candidate that recognizes that a president must be the president to ALL the people, not just a chosen minority.