Barack Obama Should Be As Homophobic As Vladimir Putin, Says Evangelist
Barack Obama should hate gays as much as Vladimir Putin, according to American evangelist Franklin Graham in a message he sent his flock through his ministry’s official publication, Decision Magazine.
Franklin Graham, son of popular evangelist Billy Graham, said that US president Obama is not doing enough to protect the children of his country from the “damaging effects” of the gay and lesbian “agenda”. He added that Obama, who has been a major ally to the LGBT community since he sat down as president, has “turned his back on God.”
Graham currently heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the ministry founded by his father, now 95 years old, a few decades ago.
Graham says it’s saddening that Russia is ahead in the fight against gays, writing that Obama’s America has “fallen so far” on the issue of homosexuality.
The evangelist, while criticizing Obama, praised Russia for their efforts in protecting their children from the “propaganda” of the LGBT.
Gays and lesbians in Russia have suffered horrible treatment from those who support Putin’s anti-gay initiatives. Many of them have experienced verbal and physical harassment. Some have been beaten, stabbed and a few were even reportedly burned to death.
Marianne-Dudy Burke, head of the LGBT-friendly Catholic group DignityUSA, told Huffington Post that she found it disturbing that a man of God endorses laws that lead to violent treatment of gays and lesbians.
Recently, Barack Obama sent gay athletes to Russia’s Sochi Olympics, a move some interpreted as an indirect protest to the extreme anti-gay laws implemented by Putin. President Barack has also officially expressed his support for gay marriage in the US.
Over the years, since taking over the ministry, Graham has openly questioned Obama’s faith. During the 2012 presidential elections, Graham endorsed and actively campaigned for Republican Mitt Romney’s bid against President Barack Obama.
In the same message, the 61-year-old evangelist also wrote praises for Syria’s Bashar Assad, saying that the president keeps Syrian Christians safe in the midst of the bloody civil war.
Barack Obama continues to condemn Assad for his lack of regard for human rights in Syria. Assad’s regime has been responsible for almost 150,000 deaths in the country. More than 11,000 of them are children.
The success of Obama’s campaigns, both in 2008 and 2012, can partially be attributed to the support of the LGBT community for the first African-American president. President Barack Obama, despite criticisms from the anti-gay crowd, has been one of the most outspoken supporters of the gay and lesbian community.
[Image from Jamie Bernstein via Flickr]
