Dear Mr. Cruz
I am American. I am not Christian. I am Texan. I am not Christian.
My faith and skepticism have evolved and changed throughout my life. I’ve grown as a person and as I see more of it, my views on the world are ever changing. One thing I have seen is that differences divide us. To say we need to let in the Christians but not another religious sect is one of the most appalling things I’ve heard in a long time. It’s un-American. It’s not Christian. It further divides us. It puts us into compartments. It ostracizes. It hurts us.
You represent an entire state, not a religion. I would hope that instead of filling the air with your vitriol about non-Christians, you can instead lead with grace and speak for the various groups of people you supposedly represent. However, I feel that hope is lost. You don’t represent Texas anymore. You represent yourself and your hopes of gaining more and more power.
You are walking the line of intolerance. As a non-Christian, hearing these words from you and our esteemed Governor’s mouth is frightening. When do you start rounding up people who don’t believe what you believe? Please stop representing the Christian church and represent your people. Our country was founded on the very clear idea of separation of church and state and you are letting your religion guide your policy. It has to end now or our country begins a spiral of intolerance and bigotry. A spiral that ends with a world much worse than it is now.