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‘Pray for the Christians’: Graham Urges School Boards to Fight ‘Godless Socialist Agenda’

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A kerfuffle in Loudoun County over critical race theory and the rights of transgender students to go by their chosen names and pronouns has attracted the attention of right-wing evangelical activist Franklin Graham. Which is the last thing Virginia needs.

Evangelical and anti-LGBTQ activist Franklin Graham is urging Americans to “pray for the Christians” who are fighting what he calls a “godless socialist agenda,” an agenda he says now includes critical race theory and “concerning transgender policies.”

Pointing to an article about Loudoun County, Virginia, currently a hotbed of controversy over transgender students’ rights and the teaching of critical race theory (which is not actually being taught in public schools, only in colleges and universities), Graham patted himself on the back for traveling to all 50 states in 2016 to urge Christians to run for office, especially school boards.

He says those local boards’ decisions “impact our children and our grandchildren’s lives, and they impact the future of our country, so it is vitally important. I’m thankful for the parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, who are speaking up and working to keep things like critical race theory and concerning transgender policies out of their schools.”

“We have to stand up against the godless socialist agenda trying to divide us and take over this country,” he claimed.

“Pray for the Christians in Loudoun County, that they would stand strong and speak the truth in love. And pray about how you can get involved in your city and make a real difference. Will you?” Graham urged.

Conservatives have been infiltrating local school boards, where they have the opportunity to indoctrinate children at a young age into far right wing extremism, the pro-Trump MAGA movement, white nationalism and white supremacism, and an anti-science agenda.

In April TIME reported, “QAnon Candidates Are Winning Local Elections,” and asked, “Can They Be Stopped?”

And earlier this month the National Education Association (NEA) asked: “Is QAnon Radicalizing Your School Board?”

“Proponents of QAnon allege that Satan-worshipping pedophiles are secretly running the country, and they also have spread false information about COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, the recent election and more,” the NEA article revealed. “When they get elected to local offices, they endanger citizens because their potential decisions — around budget, safety, school curriculum and more — aren’t grounded in reality.”

And in 2017 Media Matters reported on “How The Hate Group Alliance Defending Freedom Is Infiltrating Public Schools.”

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image via Facebook

Franklin Graham Launches ‘Religious Freedom’ Attack on ‘Godless, Secular Agenda’ of ‘Sinful’ LGBTQ Voters

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A lot of shrill voices on the right can’t handle the fact that Donald Trump lost the presidential election; if you ask anti-LGBTQ preacher Franklin Graham, Trump’s loss should be blamed on the LGBTQ community.

Franklin Graham unleashed a vitriolic attack against “sinful,” and “extremely dangerous” LGBTQ Democratic voters over the weekend, striking out in apparent rage after it became quite clear that Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States. Graham, who is an unofficial advisor to President Donald Trump and wholly supports him, vented his anger at his favorite target.

“LGBTQ activists within the Democratic Party are pushing their godless, secular agenda with a potential Biden Administration,” Graham declared on Facebook, pointing to a Christian Post article Saturday night.

“If you don’t conform to their ideology, agree with their sinful beliefs, teach what they say is right, they want to close you down,” he said of LGBTQ people, ignoring that the religious right literally created “cancel culture.”

“They will pressure and bully politicians to get their way. It is extremely dangerous if they are permitted to proceed unchecked. If they are allowed free reign, they will go after the accreditation of Christian colleges, then Christian ministries and churches next, to strip them of tax-exempt status and try to force them to operate under policies that go against biblical teaching.”

Graham runs a Christian “ministry,” and any rescission of tax breaks for religious institutions would greatly hurt Graham’s bottom line.

“This is not only an attack on free speech and expression, but also an attack on our religious liberty. The presidential election isn’t finalized yet,” he says, feeding Trump’s lies about the election, “but this shows why who we vote for is so important. We’ve had four years of an administration under President Donald J. Trump that staunchly defends religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the church. We can see that the one who holds the office of President of the United States has tremendous ramifications on our day-to-day lives and for the future of this nation.”

Graham seems to have been set off by the Human Right Campaign’s “Blueprint 2020,” which, in part calls for a Biden Dept. of Education to ensure religious institutions are not allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

The Trump Dept.of Education, under Secretary Betsy DeVos, became a tool to attack LGBTQ students, students of color, the handicapped, and other minority children.

Graham is literally arguing for the “right” of government-accredited schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students and faculty.

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image via NCRM

Franklin Graham Goes Apoplectic Over Pope’s Push for Civil Unions for Gays

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Pope Francis’ recent statement of approval for gay civil unions shows hope for an improvement in relations between Christians and the LGBTQ community. But, as Franklin Graham is quick to remind us, not all Christians.

Franklin Graham is enraged. The 68-year old Trump-supporting scion of Southern Baptist minister and advisor to 12 presidents, the late Rev. Billy Graham, took to his Facebook ministry to attack Pope Francis after the pontiff called for civil union laws to protect same-sex couples.

Graham sees the Catholic Church’s new regard for supporting LGBTQ people in law – not religion – as so dangerous to the Christian faith he says it would mean Jesus died for nothing.

“For Pope Francis to attempt to normalize homosexuality is to say that Holy Scriptures are false, that our sins really don’t matter, and that we can continue living in them,” Graham told his nine million Facebook followers. “If that were true, then Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection wouldn’t have been needed. The cross would have been for nothing.”

To be clear, Graham sees simple legal protections for two people united in love – not even marriage – as so despicable he believes it is a direct threat to Christianity and civilization.

“I find these comments from the Pope unthinkable in light of the Word of God,” he proclaims.

Graham concludes by serving up some red meat to his flock of homophobes and bigots: gays are going to hell unless they repent.

“I want everyone to know the truth and to find the peace that comes only from fully surrendering our lives to Him and His commands. The consequence of an unrepentant, unbelieving heart is also clear in the Word of God — eternal death. Unless we repent and receive His offer of forgiveness, surrendering our lives to Him, we will spend eternity as part of a different family when we leave this earth — the family of the condemned.”

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image: Vice President Mike Pence joins Franklin Graham at his Washington, DC Prayer March. Photo via Facebook

At RNC Franklin Graham’s Daughter Attacks Trans Girls as ‘Boys’ Who ‘Put Our Little Girls at Risk’

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First Billy, then Franklin, now Cissie. At the Republican National Convention, a third generation of the evangelical Graham family publicly condemned the LGBTQ community. Is this who we want to have the ear of our elected officials?

“Cissie” Graham Lynch is following in the footsteps of her father, far right wing evangelical Franklin Graham, delivering an ugly and hate-filled attack on transgender girls on national television in prime time, when thousands of young, vulnerable LGBTQ children and teens may be watching.

During Tuesday’s Republican National Convention Cissie Graham called transgender girls “boys” who “put our little girls at risk.”

Graham told millions of viewers that “during the Obama Biden administration … Democrats pressured schools to allow boys to compete at girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms. Those are the facts,” she claimed, falsely, since transgender girls are girls – and the courts agree. Graham went on to say that President Donald Trump “withdrew the policies that placed our little girls at risk.”

What President Trump, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos did was place transgender boys and girls at risk, by withdrawing guidance protecting them. President Trump would go on to systematically erase every protection for LGBTQ Americans President Barack Obama had put in place.

Just like her father, Cissie Graham falsely frames Democrats and LGBTQ people as faithless, which is not a “fact,” it’s a lie.

She told Republicans and Americans watching that under President Obama religious freedoms “were under attack.”

“But then we the people elected Donald Trump, people of faith suddenly had a fierce advocate in the White House,” she claimed, equating “people of faith” with “right wing Christians.” Trump’s Muslim ban negates her false claim.

Watch:

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Photo via NCRM

Franklin Graham Claims He’s Not ‘Bashing People Because They May Be Homosexual’

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“If you want to continue living like this, it’s the flames of hell for you,” evangelical pastor Franklin Graham has said. But in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, he swears he’s not homophobic.

Franklin Graham is doing some public relations work for his Samaritan’s Purse conservative Christian non-profit after the organization was met with great concern and warnings for requiring its medical professionals and even its volunteers working at its Central Park coronavirus field hospital in New York City to sign a document agreeing to support Graham’s anti-LGBTQ beliefs.

After Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who has an ugly history of anti-LGBTQ and white nationalist remarks, announced on-air Wednesday that she was sending Samaritan’s Purse a “significant” donation, she asked Graham why the left is concerned about his anti-LGBTQ policies.

“We have a statement of faith, Laura,” Graham said, as Media Matters reports (video below).

“We believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. And that’s — that goes back to the beginning of time to the first man and woman that God created,” Graham claimed. “And this is our standard, and so for people that we hire — we are a Christian organization. We are a religious organization, so we want to hire people of like mind, and we have a statement of faith that we require our employees to sign. And in that is ‘a marriage is between a man and a woman,’ and this is very offensive to some people and the gay community.”

It’s also very offensive to the majority of Americans. Last year Gallup found nearly three out of four Americans (73 percent) believe same-sex relationship should be legal, and more than six in 10 (63 percent) believe marriages of same-sex couples should be legal.

“And listen,” Graham continued. “I’m not homophobic, and I’m certainly not going around bashing people because they may be homosexual.”

Graham literally is going around bashing people because they are gay.

“I believe in that God loves all of us. He created us all, but we also are sinners, and our sins separate us from God. And I want people to know how they can have a relationship with God, and that’s through faith in his son Jesus Christ. So, I don’t bash homosexuals. I want homosexuals to know the truth, that God does love them.”

Graham also wants gay people to know “the truth of the Gospel,” he has said, but as he preaches it.

“I’m not afraid of homosexuals, I’m really not — matter of fact, I love them,” Graham has said. “I love them enough to care to warn them that if they want to continue living like this, it’s the flames of hell for you.”

Last year Graham infamously warned Pete Buttigieg he will suffer “eternal damnation” if he does not “repent” his homosexuality.

“God’s Word defines homosexuality as sin,” Graham added, criticizing the former Indiana mayor for kissing his husband in public. It’s “something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised, or politicized.”

Graham’s use of the Bible as a weapon is very selective, as NCRM reported last year.

In 2018 he claimed now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged attempted rape was just something “he did as a teenager” – apparently no repentance required – unlike being gay, according to Graham.

He has also called an alleged child abuser (the details are horrific and sickening) a “great patriot.” Apparently no repentance required there, either.

And Graham has defended Trump’s affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels as “nobody’s business” — although he insisted in 1998 that Bill Clinton’s “sins are not private.”

Watch Graham and Ingraham on Fox News via Media Matters:

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image via NCRM

Franklin Graham Is Behind NYC’s Central Park COVID-19 Field Hospital

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Volunteers are asked to “support” Graham’s anti-LGBTQ beliefs, while a New York state senator warns the organization not to discriminate.

North Carolina’s infamous anti-LGBTQ activist, Franklin Graham, a religious extremist who is closely tied to President Donald Trump, is behind the emergency COVID-19 field hospital in New York City’s Central Park. Graham founded and runs the evangelical ministry Samaritan’s Purse, whose mission is neither healthcare nor disaster relief, but “to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

It’s unclear how a far right wing anti-LGBTQ Christian evangelical organization was allowed to build a 68-bed field unit that will be managed by a top New York City hospital, Mount Sinai, which has Jewish roots and whose president is openly gay – both of which violate Graham’s mission.

Gothamist notes that Graham has “a track record of using humanitarian missions to proselytize an evangelical agenda.”

The New York Times once described Samaritan’s Purse as an “American evangelical relief group that is using private donations and United States government money to help victims of two earthquakes,” and reported it “has blurred the line between church and state as its volunteers preach, pray and seek converts among people desperate for help.”

Graham wants only Christian medical staff, including doctors, to work in his field hospital.

According to Samaritan’s Purse, volunteers are asked to support Graham’s extreme anti-LGBTQ beliefs.

“The primary mission of Samaritan’s Purse is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we seek volunteers who have the same mindset. We ask that volunteers review our Statement of Faith and agree to support the ministry guidelines of Samaritan’s Purse.”

His Statement of Faith includes this belief:

“We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”

New York State Senator Brad Hoylman on Monday warned Graham to not discriminate.

Graham has also sent his “mobile ministry center” to NYC.

Written by David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement. Image via NCRM