Franklin Graham

[[File:Franklin Graham 2016.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Franklin Graham during his Decision America tour at the Nebraska State Capitol Building in Lincoln, Neb.]]
{{Christianity}}
'''Franklin Graham''' {{lived|1952|}} is the son of the famous [[evangelical]] pastor [[Billy Graham]]. 

==Islamophobia==
{{main|Islamophobia}}
Franklin Graham called [[Islam]] "a very wicked and evil religion".<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/1010/Rev_Franklin_Graham_Islam_evil.html</ref><ref>http://www.religioustolerance.org/reac_ter18b.htm</ref><ref>http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/franklin_graham_tells_cnns_campbell_brown_islam_is_evil_surprise_surprise/</ref> He also stated on ABC's television show ''This Week'' that, “They want to build as many mosques and cultural centers as they possibly can so they can convert as many Americans as they can to Islam".<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/1010/Rev_Franklin_Graham_Islam_evil.html</ref>

He has combined his islamophobia with [[Barack Obama]] conspiracy theories, by saying that Obama was born a Muslim and is infected with "the seed of Islam".<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/WN/franklin-graham-president-obama-born-muslim-pew-poll/story?id=11446462 The Rev. Franklin Graham Says President Obama was 'Born a Muslim'], ABC News, 20 Aug 2010</ref> He claimed that with Obama's help the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] infiltrated the highest levels of the US government.<ref>[https://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/franklin-graham-christians-muslims/2011/03/18/id/389992/?s=al&promo_code=BE61-1 Franklin Graham: World’s Christians in Grave Danger], NewsMax, 18 Mar 2011</ref>

==Progressives==
Graham assumes without evidence that [[progressive]]s are mostly [[atheist]]s.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/11/06/franklin-graham-progressive-is-just-a-code-word-for-godlessness/ Franklin Graham: "Progressive" is Just a Code Word for "Godlessness"]</ref>

==Gay agenda==
{{main|Homosexual agenda}}
Franklin Graham believes that the American government is pushing a  "gay agenda" and that homosexuals are actively involved in "recruiting" and "exploiting" children.<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/franklin-graham-every-turn-gay-and-lesbian-agenda-being-pushed%20</ref> He supports [[Putin]]'s anti-gay laws<ref>https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/march-2014/putins-olympic-controversy/</ref> and was on board for [[North Carolina|North Carolina's Amendment 1.]]<ref>http://www.wxii12.com/news/local-news/north-carolina/Franklin-Graham-backing-N-C-marriage-amendment/-/10622650/12179220/-/yxjytm/-/index.html</ref>

Graham accused the cartoon ''Arthur'' of "promoting the LGBTQ agenda" by depicting a same-sex wedding between two minor characters in 2019. He feels that "behavior the Bible says is sinful" should be removed from TV by government action.<ref>https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article230464929.html</ref> So he supports censorship against gays but loves free speech for himself.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/12/30/evangelist-franklin-graham-claims-facebook-is-censoring-free-speech-after-being-blocked/</ref>

A Charlotte Observer analysis of his Facebook posts on January 30, 2020 concluded that [[abortion]] and [[homosexuality]] are really the only [[Sin|sins]] Graham cares about.<ref>[https://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article239751753.html "Franklin Graham’s deceptive defense of bigotry"] by the Charlotte Observer Editorial Board, Charlotte Observer, 2020 January 30</ref>

His focus on anti-homosexuality certainly did not please the [[United_Kingdom|United Kingdom]] when Graham planned a tour in 2020 -- all seven venues that planned to host him eventually dropped Graham after learning about his [[bigot|bigoted]] views.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/uk/franklin-graham-uk-tour-scli-intl/index.html "Evangelist preacher Franklin Graham planned a seven-city UK tour. All seven venues have dropped him"] by Rob Picheta, CNN, 2020 February 6</ref> (Graham's response to the cancellations, naturally, was that it was [[Persecution_complex#In_Christianity|''himself'' that was being discriminated against for his "Christian" beliefs.]])<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/trump-ally-franklin-graham-condemns-british-venues-barring-talks-over-anti-lgbt-views-says-hes-1484357 "Trump Ally Franklin Graham Condemns British Venues for Barring Talks Over Anti-LGBT Views, Says He's Being 'Discriminated Against'"] By Chantal Da Silva, Newsweek, 2020 January 28</ref>

==Trump and neo-nazis==
{{main|1=Donald Trump|3=Neo-Nazism}}
Following the [[Unite the Right]] demo in Charlottesville, VA, at which a white supremacist killed an anti-racism protestor, Graham rushed to defend Donald Trump and the continuing presence of [[American Civil War|Confederate]] statues, saying that the removal of these monuments to racists and traitors was responsible for Heather Heyer's death. While many people had condemned Trump for stoking racial tensions and refusing to condemn American neo-nazis, Franklin issued a Facebook post saying "Shame on the politicians who are trying to push blame on President Trump for what happened in #Charlottesville, VA. That’s absurd. What about the politicians such as the city council who voted to remove a memorial that had been in place since 1924, regardless of the possible repercussions?"<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/FranklinGraham/posts/1610777732311735], FranklinGraham, Facebook, 13 August 2017</ref>

==Looking for God (in all the wrong places)==
In June 2016, Graham said that he had no hope for the [[Democrats]] and the [[Republicans]] and that he's "running a campaign to put [[God]] back in the political process."<ref>http://www.startribune.com/evangelist-franklin-graham-urges-voting-even-in-disgust/383311471/</ref> He later spoke at [[Donald Trump|Donald Trump's]] inauguration.<ref>http://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article127687134.html</ref> Putting these two facts together, it would seem that Graham thinks Trump is chosen by God, cause, you know, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations he's such a Godly person.]

Graham also spoke in defense of accused sexual predator [[Roy Moore]] during Moore's campaign for the US Senate, saying:<ref>[http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article185452903.html Franklin Graham blasted Roy Moore’s critics. That didn’t go over well on Twitter.] by LaVendrick Smith (November 18, 2017 06:04 PM) ''The Charlotte Observer''.</ref>
{{cquote|So many denouncing Roy Moore when they are [[Not as bad as|guilty of doing much worse]] than what he has been accused of supposedly doing. Shame on those [[hypocrite]]s.}}

==Graham versus Ephesians 4:29==
{{bible|Ephesians|4|29}} states:
{{cquote|Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.}}
When confronted with the news that [[Donald Trump]] made a remark in which he referred to some nations as "shithole countries", Graham's response was to [[Fake_news|deny it happened]] and to attempt to change the subject by claiming Trump "stood strong for religious freedoms."<ref>[https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/369399-franklin-graham-defends-trumps-sh-hole-comments-hes-being "Franklin Graham: Trump 'beaten up' for something 'he says he didn’t say'"] by Julia Manchester, The Hill, 2018 January 17</ref>

==Graham versus the Seventh Commandment==
When faced with the news that [[Donald Trump]] paid hush money to {{wpl|Stormy_Daniels|Stormy Daniels}} in order to cover up an affair (a clear violation of the [[Ten_Commandments#Seventh_Commandment:_Adultery|Seventh Commandment of the Bible]], which forbids [[Adultery|adultery]]), Franklin Graham hem-hawed around the subject. First he stated that "I don’t think (he) has admitted to having an affair with this person", then followed this up by [[Fake_news|attacking the accuracy of the source]]. He then followed this up by bizarrely declaring Trump to have "a concern for Christian values", in spite of the above evidence. Finally, he attempted some [[Whataboutism|whataboutism]] by saying that "our country's got a sin problem", which for some reason does not appear to include Trump's sin problems.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/evangelist-franklin-graham-defends-trump-against-stormy-daniels-reports-n839496 "Evangelist Franklin Graham defends Trump against Stormy Daniels reports"] by Asher Stocker, NBC News, 2018 Jan 20</ref> 

Even a commentator at the ''[[National_Review_Online|National Review]]'' called Graham out on this one, pointing out that [[Hypocrisy|hypocritically, Graham wrote an op-ed]] in the [[Wall_Street_Journal|Wall Street Journal]] complaining about [[Bill_Clinton|Bill Clinton's]] morality during the {{wpl|Clinton–Lewinsky_scandal|Clinton / Lewinsky scandal}} in 1998.<ref>[https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/franklin-graham-and-the-high-cost-of-the-lost-evangelical-witness/ "Franklin Graham and the High Cost of the Lost Evangelical Witness"] by David French, 2019 April 25, National Review</ref>

==Graham versus Christianity Today==
On December 19, 2019, ''[[Christianity Today]]'', an evangelical Christian magazine founded by his father [[Billy Graham]], penned an article that Donald Trump should be removed from office for being a "grossly immoral character" with a "blackened moral record", and warned that evangelical support of Trump would mean that nobody would "take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come".<ref>[https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/trump-should-be-removed-from-office.html "Trump Should Be Removed from Office"] by Mark Galli, Christianity Today, 2019 December 19</ref> Franklin Graham, in a way more overtly political rant, responded by complaining that Christianity Today sided with the Democratic Party (the Christianity Today article actually was critical that the Democratics "have had it out for (Trump) from day one") and claimed that Christianity Today represents "the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism".<ref>[https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/My-father-voted-for-Trump-Franklin-Graham-responds-to-Christianity-Todays-anti-Trump-op-ed-566374111.html ""My father voted for Trump:" Franklin Graham responds to anti-Trump op-ed",] WVLT, 2019 December 20</ref>

==Graham versus Good Samaritans==
{{main|Good Samaritan}}
Contrary to the general Biblical message to welcome strangers ({{bible|Matthew|25;35}}), Franklin Graham has for the most part been a strong supporter of [[Donald Trump]]'s hard-line immigration policies, which do anything but.<ref>[https://baptistnews.com/article/franklin-graham-is-dead-wrong/ "On immigration, Franklin Graham is dead wrong"] by Mark Wingfield, Baptist News Global, 2017 January 28</ref> However, in a [[stopped clock]] moment, he blasted Trump and [[Jeff Sessions]]' "zero tolerance" immigration policies rolled out on May 2018, that would happen to separate immigrant parents from their children, calling the policy "disgraceful".<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/franklin-graham-blasts-trump-border_n_5b223db7e4b09d7a3d7a7c16 "Franklin Graham Blasts Trump’s Immigrant Family Separations At Border"] by Willa Frej, Huffington Post, 2018 June 14</ref>

==Graham on domestic violence==
Graham counseled a woman whose husband was imprisoned in [[Iran]]. He was concerned that she might be committing [[adultery]] during their long separation, but when it was revealed that the husband was a chronic domestic abuser, he pushed her to return to her husband after he had been released from prison.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/06/20/franklin-graham-domestic-abuse-abedini/ How Franklin Graham pushed a domestic abuse victim to return to her husband: He asked whether she was cheating on her husband. “It was a good question to ask,” Graham said. “I would’ve asked it again.”] by Sarah Pulliam Bailey (June 20, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Baptists]]
[[Category:Birtherism]]
[[Category:Chickenhawks]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Homophobes]]
[[Category:Islamophobes]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ministers]]
[[Category:Political pundits]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Sexists]]
[[Category:Transphobes]]
[[Category:We're on a mission from God]]

Categories: Atheophobia, Authors, Baptists, Birtherism, Chickenhawks, Christians, Conspiracy theorists, Homophobes, Islamophobes, Living people, Ministers, Political pundits, Racists, Right-wing activists, Sexists, Transphobes, We're on a mission from God