Billy Graham’s Debate Day Present to Romney – You’re not a Cultist
It’s an odd coincidence, don’t you think, that just in time for the last debate The Rev Billy Graham decides Mormonism isn’t a cult after all? Right when Romney’s Religious Right-friendly agenda needs the Evangelical vote the most?
You know it wasn’t the cookies and drinks Mitt Romney, Billy Graham and Graham’s son, Franklin, shared last week that warmed the cockles of Billy Graham’s heart.
It was a simple matter of political expediency. On Thursday, when they met, Mormonism was a cult on Graham’s website. On Tuesday, the offending passage was gone. Like Moses on Sinai, Billy Graham on his mountain-top in Montreat, N.C., changed the religious landscape with a snap of his fingers.
Moses on Sinai gave us the idea of true and false religion. Billy Graham on Montreat undermined all that by telling the world that expediency was more important than Moses’ unshakeable religious truth.
You see, the Graham admits it was all politics. Ken Barun, chief of staff for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), told CNN:
Our primary focus at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has always been promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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.
Political expediency. In other words, Romney needs the Evangelical vote and Billy Graham was willing to set dogma aside for the sake of political expediency. It’s not, as Barun’s statement might make it sound, as though liberals were the ones politicizing Romney’s religion. No, that was Graham’s fellow Evangelicals, who have problems with the idea of a Mormon heretic suddenly being treated like a spiritual brother.
Some of them have decided that sharing a hateful and bigoted agenda can overcome doctrinal squabbles. Others have more of a problem with it. As Franklin Graham (who gave an unhealthy display of moral relativism himself) said on Morning Joe back in February, “Most Christians would not recognize Mormonism as part of the Christian faith.”
Romney can’t win with the Evangelical house divided. As the Washington Post reports,
Surveys show that most evangelicals do not consider Mormons to be Christian, but most still support Romney’s candidacy. The GOP nominee will need a strong turnout from evangelicals, who tally a quarter of the electorate, to defeat President Barack Obama on Nov. 6.
Here is what the association’s site said previous to its unholy scrubbing: it said that Mormons, as well as “Jehovah’s Witnesess, Mormons, the Unification Church, Unitarians, Spritualists, Scientologists, and others,” were members of a “cult”. It defined a cult as ” any group which teaches doctrines or beliefs that deviate from the biblical message of the Christian faith.”
In a fascinating display of moral relativism, Evangelicals, who disdain and often say they cannot vote for Obama because he is not a real Christian, are willing to vote for Mitt Romney, who is not, according to their own religious tenets, a Christian at all.
But hey, God’s will goes out the window when you can get what you want. Why let a piddling thing like sacred doctrine blow a chance for profit and power? The Vatican didn’t just end up with a private army and a swath of territory that once crossed Italy from top to bottom, by accident.
But what stands out is the embrace of the moral relativism the Church has always claimed to oppose. Look at the weak rationale offered by a Graham spokesman after the fact:
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.
But if this were true, that Graham “never…targeted or labeled specific groups, faiths or denominations” then the statement about heretical beliefs, about cults, would never have been on the site in the first place. Most would consider “cult” a label and the Mormons certainly felt targeted by that particular label, as I know well from my experiences with the LDS. The missionaries who visited me took umbrage at being called a cult. But they were perfect willing themselves to call all those other groups cults.
CNN noted of the unholy sellout: “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.”
It further observed that “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.”
And as for The Catholics:The Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant branches of Christianity reject Mormon claims of additional scriptures, and of the prophetic office of Joseph Smith and other Mormon leaders; they disagree with Mormon charges that they have committed apostasy. Doctrines such as the beliefs about early American civilizations, which are unique to Mormon theology and not found in the teachings of other Christian churches are also causes of disagreement. Nonetheless, many Christian denominations treat Mormons with respect, while not minimizing the differences in belief.[101][102]
In 2001, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith decided not to accept Latter-day Saint baptisms as valid.[103] The Catholic Church generally recognizes baptisms from other Christian faiths in the name of the Trinity, provided the person baptized intends to do as the Church intends. Although, because of differences in Mormon and Catholic beliefs concerning the Trinity, the Catholic Church stated that Mormon baptism was "not the baptism that Christ instituted." However then Bishop of Salt Lake City George Hugh Niederauer stated that this ruling should not be a statement of the LDS relationship with Jesus Christ.
As I have said here before, it has been fun watching Evangelicals twist themselves into knots over Romney’s religious beliefs. He implies they will give them what they want, so in a way, it is like watching Satan tempt Jesus. Jesus gave an unequivocal “no”; but his followers have demonstrated they have far less moral fiber than their Lord and Savior. This is so offensive on so many levels. For years these people have said that Mormonism is a CULT and all of a sudden God have given them prophecy that it isn’t that’s BULLCRAP.
But don’t you also find this amazing. During this current Presidency several Caucasians Pastors have prayed for President Obama’s DEATH…YOU HEARD ME DEATH!
Wiley Drake- Buena Park Calif
Steven Anderson- Yuma Az
Peter Peters -LaPorte, Colorado
But where were all these BIG African American preachers to hold the President up in prayer? NOWHERE!
These Pastors don’t come no where near the Black church to pray for issues that concerns Black people. But say ‘GAY MARRIAGE’ and they come in like a FLOOD! But say Black on Black crime, Education, HIV/AIDS where they at? Let the church say NO MEN?
Then we have the ones who claim he wasn’t a Christian
Rod Parsley
John Hagee
And Good Ol’ Franklin Graham himself said on National Television that The President isn’t a Christian…REALLY? It is not your job to judge President Obama he is NOT a Presiding Prelate of a church. He is THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and has an obligation to see the well being of every American citizen regardless of Race, Creed, religion, and sexual orientation.
Its issues as such will make people really question the whole notion of church being involved heavily in Government. Why would you listen to these people preach one thing and years later say another?
God is not pleased with any of this. Why? Because he is watching all of his so called saints being fooled to believe a Man that practices a faith that is not even BIBLICALLY stated lead you astray for in the book of Matthew 16:26 it says For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
And most of these so called Christians HATE President Obama but claim to LOVE GOD?????
1 John 4:20; If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Oh yeah this too! On the last day, Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, As you chose to deny many that needed gov’t aid in order to allow your rich friends to keep getting tax breaks and more riches.
And as for wanted to GUT The HCA aka OBAMACARE: When I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?" And Jesus will answer them, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"
As for Rev Billy Graham and the MILLIONS of Christians who follow his lead now because he said that Mitt Romney is indeed a Christian like him after years saying that Mormons were NOT!
So I assume you now claim The Book of Mormon is a book sanctioned and envisioned by God?
Well here’s something you should know as I close this.
The book of Revelation Chapter 22
18* I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
19* and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book.
20* m The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
21*The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
I admonish you Christians to be VERY CAREFUL voting for this Man based on your so called faith based principles. Remember this
Luke 12
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
There is a reason for the separation of Church and State!
Unapologetically!
