Franklin Graham

Sorry to disturb you, Mikey. I’ve been talking to friends and making posts defending MRFF and you. I can handle the assholes on Facebook and in MRFF’s inbox. Their illiterate, ignorant, exceptionalist, uneducated bigotry (frequently anti-Semitic unless they’re convinced that everyone connected with MRFF is an atheist or a Satanist). In fact, I enjoy winding some of them up because in logical debate, either they can’t find their own asses with both hands, a map, and a mirror; or they stick their fingers in their ears and shout, “La, la, la, la, la! I can’t hear you!”

But Franklin Graham? I had once hoped that he was above headline-grabbing public demonstrations of piety to further his personal agenda. He’s not. He’s as disingenuous as his father and just as much a money-grubbing warmonger. His “charities” have some unsavory requirements before they provide the “aid” his self-deluded followers tout aloud. Here are just two: helpers who pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child are required to add a $7 check to each boxthat they pack (presumably so that Samaritan’s Purse doesn’t have to eat the shipping cost); recipients of aid from Samaritan’s Purse (particularly children) who are not already Christians are required to sign a pledge card, promise, or contract guaranteeing that they will “accept the Lord” and become his flavor of Christians before any aid is given.

I used to think that the Grahams were educated and honorable people. No more. From the posts on Facebook by Franklin and his “followers”…..”rubes”……”marks”…..on your page and his, I see that he is the worst kind of Pharisee that Jesus warned his followers not to become. If he was ever required to read the Constitution, I think he has intentionally forgotten what it says about the wall of separation between church and state (or he thinks he’s too rich, powerful, and politically influential to give a damn). From the tone of his statements about you, he may be teetering on the brink of anti-Semitic slurs, but because he’s probably aware that you and MRFF’s staff, volunteers, and clients are not all atheists, he’s too politically savvy to speak those dark thoughts aloud.

I’m a Christian (Catholic by flavor), but the whole Graham family’s display of superiority, entitlement, and Dominionist exceptionalism makes me pull out my hair and gnash my teeth. My beliefs and Graham’s are so far apart, we’re as close as a hawk is to the moon. One day the Evangelical Dominionists will drive me either to apostasy or to take up strong drink. Is your synagogue accepting converts?

I’m sorry this turned out to be such a long email, but I had to stop these angry thoughts from running amok in my head. I also really want you to know that I and so many supporters are stepping up and have your back. Please keep up your absolutely necessary work and keep fighting the good fight.

Peace & Goodness,

(name withheld)

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Welcome back! This is Pastor Joan and I replied to your wonderful email on 10/22/2015.

 

I spent 32 years (the last 2 as an assistant ordained minister) steeped in the same religion the Graham’s preach. I left it over 12 years ago because my eyes were opened after doing research on the sermons I preached and found out that what I was taught all of those years was wrong. Plus, it became hateful, bigoted, anti-Semitic, militaristic, etc.

 

You are correct on the Samaritan shoeboxes and most people don’t know this. 

 

But, the Billy Graham Crusades are even worse. He doesn’t pay one dime for them.

 

Billy came to our local arena in 1990 and preached for a week. I was one of those people on the floor leading those that came down for salvation to the song “Just as you are.” 

 

Months before the Crusade, he sends a team in to meet with the local church leaders. They have blueprints that show how the staging area is to be completed with the type of pulpit to be built, the color of the carpeting, the color of the flowers, etc. and the churches must supply all of the materials and the workers. They are also to provide singers, ushers and workers on the floor.

 

The ruse they use to sucker these churches into paying for Graham to show up is that they will get more parishioners; depending on how many people each church “brings to the Lord.”

 

We were given the “Sinner’s Prayer” booklets that had in the back of it had a section (2 pages and the cardstock back) that the person signed after getting “saved” with his name, address and phone number. The person got the top copy and the booklet, we got the second copy to bring back to our churches to contact them and the Billy Graham Association got the cardstock copy.

 

After the Crusade was over, Billy left a minister behind who started his own church. Using the cardstocks they received, they contacted those that came forward. Almost all of the churches LOST parishioners (some more than 50%) to the Billy Graham one that was started. Murmurings were heard from the churches that they had been had. 

 

The Billy Graham church is now a sprawling complex on what used to be a strip mall that had a buffet, Chinese restaurant, card store, etc. and they wouldn’t renew their leases and they were put out of business.

 

Billy was here for a week, didn’t spend one penny on it and walked away with a boatload of money besides planting the biggest church in town.

 

More and more people are seeing the hypocrisy of the Graham Association and are disgusted with Franklin Graham.

We feel the same way you do and are on the receiving end of the lies, hate, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism he spews by “Christians” who send the most foul-mouthed emails and some of them with death threats spelled out on gory details.

 

I don’t know how Mikey handles this every day.

 

Thank you and others for supporting us and having our backs. We need all we can get.

 

Remember, we are on the winning side!

 

Thank you for your email!

 

Have a Merry Christmas and blessings in the New Year.

 

Pastor Joan

MRFF Advisory Board Member