A few weeks ago I went after Black Ministers for their hypocrisy in encouraging their church members not to vote in the Presidential election. Today it’s Billy Graham’s turn on the hot seat. In case you don’t know, Billy is without question the biggest evangelist that America has ever produced. I never shared his beliefs but until this week he at least had my respect. That respect is now completely gone and I have to call the man out as being a huge hypocrite. Here is why….
Billy, along with most other evangelical Christians, has consistently labeled Mormonism as a cult. Let me put it more bluntly…he thought all Mormons were going to Hell. Until this week, Billy’s website had an article clearly categorizing Mormonism as a cult.
(Let me make it clear, I don’t have a dog in that fight. I firmly believe that one of our key right in America is freedom of religion FOR EVERYONE regardless of who or how you worship. Christians, Mormons, Muslims, etc. all share that exact same freedom. I also believe that means FREEDOM FROM religion!)
Now….back to Billy. This week Billy jumped into the 2012 Presidential Election fray, met with Mitt Romney, and endorsed him for president. At the same time his website article about Mormonism being a cult mysteriously disappeared from his website. To put it a little more bluntly (using evangelical christian terms), Billy has cast his lot with the devil (based on his categorization of Mormonism with as a cult and the fact that he is backing a Mormon for president) and is trying to cover it up by removing HIS words about Mormonism from his website. What else do you call that but Hypocrisy with a capital H. To put it into Mitt Romney language, Billy has shown that he is an etch-a-sketch evangelist. Shame on you!
The details from an article on CNN are provided below if you are interested.
Billy Graham site removes
Mormon ‘cult’ reference
after Romney meeting
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
(CNN) – Shortly after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney enjoyed cookies and soft drinks with the Rev. Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham on Thursday at the elder Graham’s mountaintop retreat, a reference to Mormonism as a cult was scrubbed from the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
In a section of the website called Billy Graham’s My Answer there had been the question “What is a cult?”
Answer: “A cult is any group which teaches doctrines or beliefs that deviate from the biblical message of the Christian faith.”
“Some of these groups are Jehovah’s Witnesess, Mormons, the Unification Church, Unitarians, Spritualists, Scientologists, and others,” the site continued.
No longer. On Tuesday, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association confirmed that page has recently been removed from the site.
“Our primary focus at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has always been promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Ken Barun, chief of staff for the association, told CNN in a statement. “We removed the information from the website because we do not wish to participate in a theological debate about something that has become politicized during this campaign.”
Romney is a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members of which are known as Mormons.
The information about cults can be found on cached sections of the website onArchive.org from June 5, 2010.
The theological question of where Mormons fit on the religious spectrum has drawn more attention because of Romney’s candidacy. Mormons consider themselves to be strong Christians. Many traditional Christian denominations disagree, though rank-and-file members have their own views on the matter.
The removal of the post from the Graham group’s website was first noted by the New Civil Rights Movement website and then later by the Asheville Citizen-Times, which reported that the information on cults was accessed as recently as Thursday afternoon.
Last week’s meeting between Romney and Graham was their first.
After the 30 minute sit-down in Montreat, North Carolina, just outside Asheville, Romney campaign spokesman Rick Gorka told reporters that Billy Graham led a prayer for the Romneys, saying “I’ll do all I can to help you. And you can quote me on that.”
The evangelist who has been called America’s pastor and has prayed with every American president since Harry Truman said in a statement following the meeting that “It was a privilege to pray with Gov. Romney — for his family and our country.”
Graham met with President Barack Obama in 2010 and with Sen. John McCain when he was the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in 2008.
“I will turn 94 the day after the upcoming election, and I believe America is at a crossroads,” Graham’s statement continued. “I hope millions of Americans will join me in praying for our nation and to vote for candidates who will support the biblical definition of marriage, protect the sanctity of life and defend our religious freedoms.”
When asked about Graham’s beliefs about Mormonism, Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross said in a statement that “Through an inclusive evangelistic ministry spanning more than 60 years, Mr. Graham was called to preach the transformative message of the Gospel to the whole world, regardless of one’s religious background, affiliation or none. As such, he never proselytized, targeted or labeled specific people, groups, faiths or denominations.
“Neither did Mr. Graham attempt to divide his audience before he had opportunity to preach to them. He has a genuine love for all people, and faithfully proclaimed the love of God to everyone, providing opportunity for them to respond by making a faith commitment.
“Mr. Graham’s calling is not to pass judgment, but to proclaim the biblical truth that Jesus is the only way to heaven, allowing every individual and group to fall along that plumb line,” the statement went on.
“He further stressed that salvation is the work of Almighty God, and that only He knows what is in each human heart,” the statement said.
The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, lists the LDS Church as a theological cult. The Catholic Church also does not recognize Mormon baptisms as being theologically compatible with its own.
The LDS Church has long bristled at being called a cult. Mormons note the many similarities and overlap between their teachings and that of other churches but point to their belief in other scriptures like the Book of Mormon as the reason they split with other churches.
In the 2012 campaign Romney has been generally quiet about his church, though his role as a lay church leader was prominently featured in the Republican National Convention, and his campaign has allowed members of the press pool accompanying Romney to film him attending services.
thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard 