Evangelist Franklin Graham hit back at Oklahoma officials' decision to remove a Ten Commandments display from capitol grounds, comparing the act to the aggressive way in which the Islamic State has treated Christian symbols abroad.
"What a shame! The granite Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma State Capitol was removed this week," Graham wrote on his Facebook page. "It was taken down at night, under the cover of darkness, to avoid protests. What are these people thinking?"
He continued, "We need God’s laws — these are the laws that have helped society flourish."
What a shame! The granite Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma State Capitol was removed this week. It was taken...
Posted by Franklin Graham on Friday, October 9, 2015
Graham went on to say that the U.S. has been "appalled" by reports that the Islamic State has been destroying Christian symbols, but he accused "anti-God groups" are doing the same within American borders.
"We have been appalled at news reports of ISIS and the Islamic State tearing down all symbols of Christianity in the Middle East ... we’re doing it to ourselves here in the U.S.," he wrote. "Atheists, activists, and anti-God groups like the ACLU, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Military Freedom of Religion Foundation are on a quest to erase or tear down anything associated with the name of Jesus Christ."
Graham said that he plans to travel around the country next year in an effort to preach the gospel and to help stem the tide of secularism.
As TheBlaze previously reported, one week after officials with the Capitol Preservation Commission voted 7-1 to ax the Ten Commandments display from public property, a contractor the state hired began removing the monument shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Monday evening.
The dramatic conclusion came after the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision in June that the display violates a state constitutional prohibition on the use of public property to support “any sect, church, denomination or system of religion," according to the Associated Press.
Advocates for the Ten Commandments display fought fervently to keep it, but to no avail. Read more about the story here.
What do you think about Graham's claims?
Billy Hallowell
