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Pentagon makes the right call on Franklin Graham
Q: Did the Pentagon do the right thing by disinviting evangelist Franklin Graham from a National Day of Prayer event next week? Should government officials decide who can or cannot speak at such an event? Should the government proclaim a National Day of Prayer? Was a federal judge right to rule it unconstitutional?
The U.S. Army made the right decision to prohibit Franklin Graham from speaking at a prayer event scheduled in May at the Pentagon, an event organized by a group of mostly Christian Right leaders of which Graham is the honorary chair.
The prohibition resulted from Graham's continuous hostile and insulting statements about Islam.
One such statement was made less than a month before ABC-TV stations began airing EthicsDaily.com's hour-long documentary, "Different Books, Common Word: Baptists and Muslims," a documentary that explores how goodwill Baptists and Muslims in the United States are engaged in interfaith dialogue and projects.
At that time, Graham called Islam "a very violent religion" and defined "true Islam" as a religion where husbands can beat their wives and murder their children.
Those and other remarks fueled concern about Graham speaking at an event sponsored by the National Day of Prayer Task Force (NDPTF), which interfaces with the Pentagon chaplain's office.
Army spokesperson Col. Tom Collins said, "The bottom line here is that his presence would be inappropriate. His past statements are not consistent with the multifaith emphasis and inclusiveness of this event."
Regrettably, Graham has a pattern of hostile statements about Islam, statements that, because of the beloved nature of his father, Billy Graham, are thought to be representative of Christianity.
EthicsDaily.com has posted a number of articles about Graham's offensive statements, including these: "Franklin Graham Criticized for Inaccurate Attack on Islam" (Jan. 7, 2010); "Franklin Graham Reaffirms Anti-Islamic Views" (March 17, 2006); "Bush Steps Away From Christian Fundamentalists' Comments on Islam" (Nov. 15, 2002); "Franklin Graham Speaks Before He Thinks" (Aug. 21, 2002); "Franklin Graham Criticizes Islam in Book Tour" (Aug. 19, 2002); and "Franklin Graham Stands by Comments Calling Islam" (Nov. 19, 2001).
When Graham speaks about Islam, more often than not he discredits Christianity and damages the efforts of Christians and Muslims who are working together in the public square to advance the common good rooted in the shared traditions of love of neighbor.
Had Graham spoken at the Pentagon, his presence would have communicated that the American government accepts his religious views toward Islam.
The truth is that Graham and NDPTF reflect only the most negative wing of Christianity - Christian fundamentalism, which generally sees non-fundamentalist Christians as outside the circled wagons of their theological camp. NDPTF is not representative of the best of the Christian community.
Simply put, Christians and Muslims will not agree theologically. Their faiths are different faiths. But theological differences need not negate the moral imperatives in both traditions to seek the good of others. The command to love neighbor and call to do justice are why many goodwill Baptists and other Christians are engaged in interfaith initiatives.
By
Robert Parham
|
April 26, 2010; 2:02 PM ET
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Posted by: gimpi | April 27, 2010 2:13 PM
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Agree East Coast. Furthe, one only need compare the Koran and the Bible to see the two faiths are diametrically opposed and cannot exist together. Walid Shoebat the former PLO terrorist provides excellent reading on the subject.
Posted by: wakeup3 | April 27, 2010 1:00 PM
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"Simply put, Christians and Muslims will not agree theologically. Their faiths are different faiths"
That's an understatement of the monumental differences. One recognizes Jesus as God, the other only a prophet.
The question is: Is Christianity no longer welcome in our government?
Have we fallen that far?
Posted by: EastCoastCommentator | April 27, 2010 12:10 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
"...one only need compare the Koran and the Bible to see the two faiths are diametrically opposed and cannot exist together."
posted by: wakeup3
Cannot exist together, wakeup3? Really? Are you calling for religious genocide? That seems reasonable to you? Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your comments, but that's how they sound. I'm always interested in the endgame. Making statements like that may feel good to you, but where does it go? What exactly would you do?
"The question is: Is Christianity no longer welcome in our government?"
Posted by: EastCoastCommentator
What about this implies in any way that Christianity is not welcome at this event? Other Christians are speaking, aren't they? This whole 'if you're not with me, you're against me' idea is just plain wrong. One can acknowledge the civil rights of both Christians and Moslems without difficulty. And protecting the civil right of its people is the government's only stake in religion, as I see it.