by Pastor Rafael Cruz
Sitting in the Senate chambers, my eyes filled with tears watching my son take the oath of office, nearly caused my heart to burst. Was I dreaming?
Only in America could the son of a Cuban immigrant who came to this great country with practically nothing and unable to speak the language be elected to the U.S. Senate and be an ex-candidate for the presidency of the United States. Six decades before, I had fought against oppression in my homeland to win the freedoms that Americans enjoy.
But our freedoms are eroding. Americans are trading liberty for the oppression and control I once knew in Cuba.
We desperately need true patriots who love America — uncommon men and women committed to rescuing this nation from economic, moral, and spiritual collapse. Men and women with the resolve to abide by the Constitution without hesitation. Our country yearns for leaders who will awaken the sleeping giant and call us to the greatness of our founding fathers.
We need God’s help. Without it, our nation and our way of life will no longer exist. As president John Adams said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
In the summer of 1957, I arrived in America. After being imprisoned and tortured in my native Cuba for my involvement in the revolution against the Batista government, I knew that if I didn’t escape, I would be killed. With very little money and unable to speak English, I paid my way through school at the University of Texas by working first as a dishwasher and later as a cook.
In 1959, after Castro came to power, I returned to Cuba, but the Communist/Marxist policies that Castro had instituted shocked me. Disillusioned, I left Cuba three weeks later, never to return again, but thankful to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Stories about the American patriots fighting for independence from England came to mind. They had sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom — and now I was about to freely enjoy the liberties they had bestowed upon future generations. What a remarkable legacy!
The U.S. government was duped. The American people were duped. I was duped. When people ask me why I supported Castro in overthrowing the Cuban government, I readily admit that I did not realize he was a Communist. His true colors were only revealed when he came to power.
Castro accused the wealthy of oppressing the people, so he confiscated their businesses, factories, and farms, eliminating the ownership of private property. All in the name of redistributing the wealth. The government then became the de-facto owner of all confiscated businesses.
A great misconception about Communism (or Socialism) is that everyone is “equal” under that system. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Students in many American universities have heard this definition from their Marxist professors: “Socialism is the control of the means of production by the people.” But that is a lie! Socialism is the control of the means of production by the almighty government. The people have no power.
Anyone who has tasted Communism firsthand can readily identify the misery, which is unimaginable to those who live in freedom and democracy. After seeing how it ravaged my homeland, I decided to do everything within my power to prevent Communism in America.
The key obstacle that stands in the way of the government enforcing godlike power over its people is the family. Socialist governments systematically sabotage the allegiance of their children and youth to their families through the public-school system.
The people are influenced by secular humanism, and if they don’t believe in God, they cannot rely on God. Individual responsibility is destroyed by the collectivistic concept of social justice, so they no longer feel a sense of self-reliance. If they cannot rely on God and lack self-reliance, the only option left is to rely upon the “almighty government.”
Reverse this destruction by reawakening the American dream. The greatness of America has always been based on the proposition that with hard work and perseverance, anyone can achieve his or her dreams, even in the face of adversity.
Proverbs 24:16 tells us: “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.” We all stumble and fall. But when you fall, you have two options: you can either stay down on the ground, feeling sorry for yourself, or you can get up with twice the determination and continue moving forward.
The gospel of Socialism tells us, “Government is your god.” Note the contrast with the U.S. Declaration of Independence:
If your rights come from government, and not from God, then it follows that government can take them away.
The only way we can dig out of our political hole is by involving ourselves in the civic society and restoring the Judeo-Christian principles that have undergirded America, the driving force behind American exceptionalism.
I feel compelled to “shout it from the housetops,” as Jesus exhorts us to do in Matthew 10:27. I tirelessly share the message of restoration for America. The future of America is at stake, the future of our children and our children’s children. It is for them that we must fight with all our might. Remember President Ronald Reagan’s words:
I hope that you will say with me “I am not willing to have that conversation with my children and grandchildren. I will fight now, while we still have time.”
In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says:
It is our choice! We can either be passive and allow the forces of evil to encroach our lives and steal our freedom, or we can stand in the gap in prayer and in action, letting our voices be heard and doing all we can to restore America to that “shining city on a hill” to the glory of God!