A Christian TikTok star says he's lost 'thousands' of followers after denouncing LGBTQ people and other religions
- A famous Christian TikToker with more than 16.4 million followers says he's lost thousands of fans after making a series of TikToks about how he doesn't support other religions and LGBTQ people.
- The teen, Cash Baker, is the younger brother of TikTok-famous music duo Cash and Maverick.
- Starting on August 8, Baker came under fire for the videos, which asked non-Christian viewers to read the Christian Bible and pray to Jesus instead of "a false God" and "false prophets."
- Baker also said that although he "loves everyone," he believes being gay is a sin.
- In an update, Baker said that he expects to lose sponsorship deals from spreading the "gospel," but many other Christians have denounced his sentiments.
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One of the most popular TikTokers is reeling from a weekend of backlash after he announced he doesn't support the LGBTQ community and non-Christians.
17-year-old Cash Baker is a musician alongside his older brother Maverick, and one of the most popular teens online. Together, the two have nearly 30 million TikTok followers, and Cash carries more than 16.4 million of those. But on August 9, he announced he'd lost "thousands" of fans and possibly future sponsorships with brands.
In his most controversial video, Baker suggested that non-Christians study the Bible and pray to Jesus
Baker has since deleted his most controversial videos, starting on August 5, which asked his non-Christian followers to read the Christian Bible and pray to Jesus so they would know Christianity is the only way to go to heaven. Baker prefaced his TikTok by saying he wasn't trying to convert anyone, but he went on to ask non-Christians to question their beliefs and follow his if they want to avoid spending eternity in hell.
"Guys all I'm asking you to do is take a second, take a step back, and really study for yourself," Baker said.
"If you're in a religion just because that's what your parents were, that's what you were taught, really take a step back and study and find out what you believe in for yourself."
Cash Baker fans outraged calling his latest videos homophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic etc. In rants, Cash says he does not support LGBTQ+ community and other religions because of the Bible—rants and reactions in thread. Cash has 16.4M TikTok followers. What are your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/psAe20TN98
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) August 8, 2020
Baker specifically mentioned Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism in the videos , which led critics to brand his statements as Islamophobic and anti-Semitic. The TikToker claimed that his religion "says if somebody is worshipping a false God, I need to tell them that." He also said that any blowback to his videos would mean the critics were disrespecting Christianity, but later deleted the videos himself.
"If you open up a Christian Bible and start reading it and pray to Jesus guys, and actually mean it, not trying to prove religion wrong, you actually truly want to see, I promise you, God will reveal himself to you," he said in the since-deleted TikTok.
Cash Baker adds to his rant about other religions. Cash say “If you’re in a religion because that’s what your parents were, that’s what you were taught, really take a step back and study”. pic.twitter.com/sJlomr6IKx
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) August 8, 2020
That wasn't the only controversial stance Baker took while preaching the "gospel" to his followers. He also made a TikTok about how he can't support the LGBTQ community — although Baker says he "loves" everybody, his remarks were still characterized as faith-based homophobia, which stems from a belief that being gay is a sin.
Some Christians reacting to Baker's videos were quick to point out that many religious individuals identify as members of the LGBTQ community themselves, and many if not most are accepting of other faiths.
@cashbaker I love everyone with all of my heart we are all sinners. I AM A SINNER! We are all the same❤️❤️
♬ Fearless Motivation THE UNIVERSE IN ME - xx3n1xx
In follow-up TikToks, Baker said his friends and peers cautioned him about losing money because of his beliefs
Within four days of posting the TikToks disavowing the LGBTQ community and non-Christians, Baker made a follow-up video to say he loves "everybody" and wasn't being disrespectful to other religions.
@cashbaker I love you no matter who you are. Sorry that it might of got Misinterpreted on what I was trying to say❤️
♬ original sound - cashbaker
Later, he also posted about how his peers and friends cautioned him against making the videos, warning him that he would lose fans and possibly brand deals and sponsorships, which allow TikTokers to monetize their content.
"So a lot of my friends and supporters and stuff have said, 'Stop preaching the gospel, you're going to get cancelled, you're going to lose followers and sponsorships and not make money anymore. Brands aren't gonna want to work with you because you're too problematic,'" Baker said in a follow-up TikTok.
"I mean, that might be true, I've already lost thousands and thousands of followers, brand deals probably won't want to work with me as much because I'm preaching the gospel and I'm too problematic."
Baker also said his TikTok views have decreased significantly since posting his anti-LGBTQ and pro-Christian videos. He estimated that he received more than a million views per TikTok prior to the statements, and that his views had fallen to around 200,000 to 300,000 per video.
@cashbaker Jesus loves you❤️
♬ UNDERWATER WONDERSCAPES (MASTER) - Frederic Bernard
"I know it's going to make a lot of people hate me, for preaching the gospel, but guys, I'm just trying to preach the truth and what the Bible says. I only do all this because I love you guys," Baker said.
He mentioned, however, that his non-Christian and LGBTQ viewers were going to end up in hell.
"Tell me this, if you believed in a hell and you believed that some of your family and some of your friends, even people you don't know, might go to hell and burn in hell for the rest of eternity, would you tell them about it or would you just stay quiet and not say anything? You would most likely tell them about it, right?" Baker asked his viewers. "And that's what I'm doing."
Baker's management didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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