Shortly after the attacks of September 11, Graham had commented, "I don't believe [Islam] is a wonderful, peaceful religion." Asked by NBC News on Friday to clarify his statement, he repeated his charge that Islam, as a whole, was evil.Posted on 11/21/2001 9:28:59 AM PST by truthandlife
In what is believed to be a first in American history, there were prayers to Allah last night at the White House where President Bush hosted a formal Ramadan celebration with dozens of Muslim leaders.
The Ramadan event was another effort by the Bush Administration to prove its war on terrorism is not a war against Islam. However, conservative voices like Gary Bauer have been sharply critical of that effort. He says he has heard from a number of people within the U.S. intelligence community who are shocked and demoralized that some of the Muslim leaders who have been spending time with the President have been known to speak out in favor of terrorism.
Bauer notes that while these people are getting the red carpet treatment at the White House, reports indicate the President is distancing himself from one of the country's best-known evangelicals. According to reports, Franklin Graham upset the Bush Administration when he recently referred to Islam as being "wicked, violent, and not of the same God."
Shortly after the attacks of September 11, Graham had commented, "I don't believe [Islam] is a wonderful, peaceful religion." Asked by NBC News on Friday to clarify his statement, he repeated his charge that Islam, as a whole, was evil.
"It wasn't Methodists flying into those buildings, it wasn't Lutherans," he told NBC News. "It was an attack on this country by people of the Islamic faith."
In a follow-up statement yesterday, Graham said he is deeply concerned with "the teachings of Islam regarding the treatment of women, and the killing of non-Muslims or infidels."
The son of Rev. Billy Graham and the designated successor of his father's extensive evangelical ministry, Graham delivered the benediction at Bush's inauguration in January. As NBC News observed, "A presidential friend and supporter now finds himself at odds with both the Muslim world and the message from the White House." But conservative columnist Chuck Baldwin calls Graham "a breath of fresh air" for standing firm and not apologizing for his statements.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports a Muslim advocacy organization has sent a letter to Graham inviting him to meet with them to discuss his remarks. In the letter, Nihad Awad of the Council on America-Islamic Relations says, "Negative impressions of Islam are most often based on a lack of accurate and objective information."
Positive Outcome
As a national holiday approaches, President Bush says Americans of various faiths will be "joined in prayer" this Thanksgiving. "On this holiday, we give thanks for our many blessings and for life itself," Bush said. "Thanksgiving reminds us that the greatest gifts don't come from the hands of man, but from the Maker of heaven and earth. This week, American families will gather in that spirit."
Since the September terrorist attacks, church attendance has increased and there have been more prayer gatherings on Capitol Hill. Evangelist Pat Robertson believes people have been shocked into examining what their true values are.
"What we're seeing is that this awful attack, as horrific ... and as heart-rending [as it was], is bringing about one of the greatest spiritual revivals in the history of America," Robertson says. "[T]he churches are full ... people are turning to God, they're turning to their families, they're turning to the fundamental values, and they're getting away from all this fluff of the last decade."
Robertson made his comments today on CNN.
See if the media says "Well, Bush didn't have his eyes closed" or if they say, "Bush is siding with religious extremists again, Christian supremacy has no place in a free America".
Free Republic is in trouble with everyone. It's why I find this place so charming.
You have no idea what Christ is like.
He was always blunt, and truthful, calling a spade a spade. - He challenged the Pharisees on every encounter, accusing them, and rebuking them. - The truly repentant, he blessed.
Graham is following his example very well IMO.
Even the demons know the name of Jesus. We all accepted on faith that he was born again..but to be truthful I have not seen any "fruit" have you? He has good speech writers...he smiles nice..does he go to church on Sundays.........NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO but he does tell us daily what a wonderful religion Islam is and he does stand in prayer with the heathans and their moon god...
I see no evidence by which I should consider him one of the brethern...Jesus will be the judge of his soul ..but in the meantime he is subject to fruit inspection..just like the rest of us..
Would you stand in agreement with a prayer to the moom god for the conversion of our nation?
Just asking
I thought that Christians accepted that all men are born sinners. To be pardoned for their sins they mearly have to accept the Jesus Christ is their saviour.
If Bill is a Christian, he must be a sinner because he was born a sinner like all Christians. Why get upset when he acted in a Christian like way and sinned? Why should any Christian get mad at any other Christian when they act out their birth destiny and sin?
Clinton probably does accept Christ as his savior and thus is going to be saved. Meanwhile he can continue to act like a sinner as is his Christian birth right.
Yes, mullahs we are on to you.
Your opinion and belief. I don't share it. There are more non-Christians in the world than Christians. And in "Christianity", you have many, many different varieties....Catholocism, Mormanism, Christian Science, Church of God, etc, each with their own interpretation of the 'correct' way to be a Christian. Then, of course, there are the Southern Baptists who won't pray with the other groups. I hope you have picked the right brand of Christianity.
George W. Bush is our POLITICAL leader, not a spiritual leader. Article IV of the constitution says that there shall be no religious test for political office.
The motto of Free Republic is "Defending out Constituion". Get used to it.
You too girl!
BigMack
Get a documented statement out of Bush that Allah is equivalent to Jesus and I would change my mind. Not until.
"If you proclaim me with your lips I will prclaim you to my Father in heaven"
Silent prayer doesn't cut it..his silence shouted louder in the heavens than any mental prayer he may or may not have said.You just speculate,the tapes say otherwise
Search FR..there is a thread here today about the growth of Islam in America since 9/11 the Islamic clerics credits the positive image painted of Islam by the politicians and press for the conversions..
I cannot judge God's position in this matter. We are granted grace when we don't deserve it and blessings that we haven't earned.
In what is believed to be a first in American history, there were prayers to Allah last night at the White House where President Bush hosted a formal Ramadan celebration with dozens of Muslim leaders.The Muslims want to kill us all, and we let em in the front door...stupid, stupid, stupid.
The true God is Jehovah (Yahweh), and when you boil it down, He is the only security American has, or has ever had.
Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. -Psalm 127: 1
Islamists praying to a false God (one that represents tyranny and murder) in our White House offends the h*ll out of me, but if I were the President, I would be more worried about offending the one true God.
The whole thing causes me great concern for our Republic, frankly.
***
Very well spoken, my friend.
Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, 'I am strong'.
Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain; then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed; for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.
-Joel 3:9-21
At least no one here can say that they weren't warned.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision....
This was posted by me yesterday,
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Reply #26 of this thread.
JMO, but RnMomof7 and Osama Bin Ladin have the same mindset(i.e that they think they are the only true defenders of the faith)
Other countries need to acknowledge our freedom of relgion in America rather than gathering with our President (even if he does not agree with the prayer) to pray for our conversion to their faith.
As bad as the DEMOCrATS; we can have bipartisanship if we'll support all the left's policies.
Now you may not like it,but that is the way it is for those that have been born again.
W is a world political leader,and this is a difficult time. But he has chosen to do a hard sell on Islam..and he has chosen to be the first president in history to have Islamic prayer in the White House..
If he had prayed and sought the guidence of God before acting he would not have honored the moon god as he has done.
This demonstrates he does not seek divine guidence before he acts..he acts on the wisdom of men. That is building a house on sand.
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