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 Billy Graham says that he "never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage."
May 3rd, 2012
11:49 AM ET
Billy Graham backs North Carolina amendment to ban gay marriageBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor (CNN)– The Rev. Billy Graham, the world's best-known evangelist, has endorsed a ballot initiative to constitutionally ban gay marriage in his home state of North Carolina, a rare move for a preacher who has typically avoided political fights. North Carolinians will vote on the state's Marriage Amendment Act before North Carolina voters next Tuesday. Voters will decide whether to amend the state constitution to say that "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories North Carolina already bans same-sex marriages. The amendment would effectively ban civil unions and domestic partnerships, too. Graham is taking out full-page ads in 14 North Carolina newspapers touting his support for the measure. His website he encourages churches to download a poster that bears his image and the message "Vote for Marriage May 8th." “Watching the moral decline of our country causes me great concern," the 93-year-old pastor, who has prayed with every president since Dwight Eisenhower, said in a statement on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website. "I believe the home and marriage is the foundation of our society and must be protected.” The statement continued to say that Graham "never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage." Graham's newspaper ad will say: "The Bible is clear—God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. I want to urge my fellow North Carolinians to vote for the marriage amendment on Tuesday, May 8. God bless you as you vote.” The bill proposing the amendment says only a simple majority of votes is needed for the amendment to pass. Supporters of the amendment hailed Graham's endorsement. "Reverend Graham understands that we as North Carolinians have a duty to preserve God’s first institution–marriage," said Tami Fitzgerald, Chairwoman of Vote FOR Marriage NC, a group supporting the measure, in a statement. "We cannot be silent as activists work to radically redefine marriage—an institution that has been fundamental to our civilization for thousands of years.” Opponents of the amendment lamented the move. “While we were disappointed to see his endorsement it doesn’t change much,” said Paul Guequierre a spokesman for the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families. The coalition, which includes pastors from across the theological spectrum, opposes the amendment. “We have respect for (Graham) but we will continue to work with our clergy on this.” “People across the country support LGBT equality,” Guequierre said, adding his group was cautiously optimistic about the vote on Tuesday. While Graham may be an internationally known figure, his influence in North Carolina may be even larger. Charlotte is home to the Billy Graham Parkway. When the Billy Graham Library opened in Charlotte in 2007, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter came for the opening ceremony. Graham's son Franklin Graham and daughter Anne Graham Lotz have both voiced support for the amendment and both have taken political stands in the past, in contrast to their father. soundoff (2,998 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Genesis 19:33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
See what perversion does...
@ug – You really should study up on your bible. Lot, the man who did that was the one man that God considered righteous and worth saving. Yet you just called him a perv.
Exodus 21:20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, 21 but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.
Prayer changes things
-Prayer doesn’t not; you are such a LIAR. You have NO proof it changes anything! A great example of prayer proven not to work is the Christians in jail because prayer didn't work and their children died. For example: Susan Grady, who relied on prayer to heal her son. Nine-year-old Aaron Grady died and Susan Grady was arrested.
An article in the Journal of Pediatrics examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied upon faith healing from 1975 to 1995. They concluded that four out of five ill children, who died under the care of faith healers or being left to prayer only, would most likely have survived if they had received medical care.
The statistical studies from the nineteenth century and the three CCU studies on prayer are quite consistent with the fact that humanity is wasting a huge amount of time on a procedure that simply doesn’t work. Nonetheless, faith in prayer is so pervasive and deeply rooted, you can be sure believers will continue to devise future studies in a desperate effort to confirm their beliefs!
Prayer does change things. But believing the rantings of a barbaric ancient middle eastern desert tribe are "God's Word" is not healthy for children and other living things.
Leviticus 25:44 “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
to me and many others in this country, quoting the bible is like quoting 'gone with the wind'. bg is just another dinosaur, soon to be extinct.
His son will take his place...
Just ****ing die already... him and Pat Robinson...
Whats the matter...truth hurts! we don't like perverts...
"we don't like perverts..."
They are not perverts and the experts have proven that. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of SocialWorkers, together representing more than 480,000 mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be “cured."
Billy, you've just lost what respect I had left for you.
Miriam,
I doubt if your respect for Billy Graham and the Bible was that great in the first place.
glad he won't be around to hear about my big fat gay TEXAS wedding some day.
I wouldn't brag about it bong hole bleeder...
Some argue that since homosexual behavior is "unnatural" it is contrary to the order of creation. Behind this pronouncement are stereotypical definitions of masculinity and femininity that reflect rigid gender categories of patriarchal society. There is nothing unnatural about any shared love, even between two of the same gender, if that experience calls both partners to a fuller state of being. Contemporary research is uncovering new facts that are producing a rising conviction that homosexuality, far from being a sickness, sin, perversion or unnatural act, is a healthy, natural and affirming form of human sexuality for some people. Findings indicate that homosexuality is a given fact in the nature of a significant portion of people, and that it is unchangeable.
Our prejudice rejects people or things outside our understanding. But the God of creation speaks and declares, "I have looked out on everything I have made and `behold it (is) very good'." . The word (Genesis 1:31) of God in Christ says that we are loved, valued, redeemed, and counted as precious no matter how we might be valued by a prejudiced world.
There are few biblical references to homosexuality. The first, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, is often quoted to prove that the Bible condemns homosexuality. But the real sin of Sodom was the unwillingness of the city's men to observe the laws of hospitality. The intention was to insult the stranger by forcing him to take the female role in the sex act. The biblical narrative approves Lot's offer of his virgin daughters to satisfy the sexual demands of the mob. How many would say, "This is the word of the Lord"? When the Bible is quoted literally, it might be well for the one quoting to read the text in its entirety.
Leviticus, in the Hebrew Scriptures, condemns homosexual behaviour, at least for males. Yet, "abomination", the word Leviticus uses to describe homosexuality, is the same word used to describe a menstruating woman. Paul is the most quoted source in the battle to condemn homosexuality ( 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11 and Romans 1: 26-27). But homosexual activity was regarded by Paul as a punishment visited upon idolaters by God because of their unfaithfulness. Homosexuality was not the sin but the punishment.
http://www.dignitycanada.org/images/dotclear.gifIn 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul gave a list of those who would not inherit the Kingdom of God. That list included the immoral, idolaters, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers. Sexual perverts is a translation of two words; it is possible that the juxtaposition of malakos, the soft, effeminate word, with arsenokoitus, or male prostitute, was meant to refer to the passive and active males in a homosexual liaison.
Thus, it appears that Paul would not approve of homosexual behavior. But was Paul's opinion about homosexuality accurate, or was it limited by the lack of scientific knowledge in his day and infected by prejudice born of ignorance? An examination of some of Paul's other assumptions and conclusions will help answer this question. Who today would share Paul's anti-Semitic attitude, his belief that the authority of the state was not to be challenged, or that all women ought to be veiled? In these attitudes Paul's thinking has been challenged and transcended even by the church! Is Paul's commentary on homosexuality more absolute than some of his other antiquated, culturally conditioned ideas?
Three other references in the New Testament (in Timothy, Jude and 2 Peter) appear to be limited to condemnation of male sex slaves in the first instance, and to showing examples (Sodom and Gomorrah) of God's destruction of unbelievers and heretics (in Jude and 2 Peter respectively).
That is all that Scripture has to say about homosexuality. Even if one is a biblical literalist, these references do not build an ironclad case for condemnation. If one is not a biblical literalist there is no case at all, nothing but prejudice born of ignorance, that attacks people whose only crime is to be born with an unchangeable sexual predisposition toward those of their own sex
One might also ask why some bizarre old book of superstitions is relevant at all, especially when a lot of its "morality" is horrifically immoral.
Thank you for that outstanding demonstration of rationalizing the word of God into irrelevance. I sure the Lord appreciates it.
Good post!
What is there to understand to get it in the behind or the donut bouncers...and they want to promote their filthy perversion on us as a society and say that they are "normal" when they aren't! No...now we stand our ground and deal with this perversion now and get rid of all the perverts that want to bring this country down to it's knees...we won't let it happen.
"they want to promote their filthy perversion on us as a society and say that they are "normal" when they aren't! "
It's the experts who are stating they are normal. Duh. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of SocialWorkers, together representing more than 480,000 mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be “cured."
I guess if it's in the Bible, it's in our laws. Has Billy Graham ever heard of Separation of Church and State?
If it is in the Bible then it is in our laws, then Billy Graham must want slavery back. The Bible endorses slavery.
Funny how stupid liberals really are...the ones that wanted slavery were libs...a republican got rid of it...do your history...
Yo, "ug." Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. The Republican party of today is not the same kind of Republican that he was. The southern politicians that supported slavery were Democrats – but that doesn't make them liberals. Party affiliation all flip-flopped in the late 1940s and into the 1950s. All of a sudden the KKK dudes, who used to be Democrats, turned into Republicans. Look up Strom Thurmond. There were complex reasons why this happened, but there is a great deal of affinity, at least on social issues, between the Democrats of today and Lincoln Republicans.
It doesn't really matter how the people of North Carolina vote, as the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually step forward and decide the issue, thus proving once again what a dictatorship the federal judiciary is. We live in a democracy? What rubbish! The federal courts have outlawed democracy, and yes they will legalise gay marriage despite what the public wants.
It's called "checks and balances" and is the foundation of our actual democratic republic, has been since it was started. You are a moron and should feel bad. Read a book.
SCOTUS is just enforcing that your democracy has certain entrenched rights and freedoms, and you are frankly foolish to speak out against that. Without those entrenched rights and freedoms, you would be totally at the mercy of the whims of the majority.
@STEELWOLVES
You said, "It doesn't really matter how the people of North Carolina vote, as the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually step forward and decide the issue, thus proving once again what a dictatorship the federal judiciary is."
Fundamental and constitutional rights can't be taken away by vote. The US Supreme Court is the final arbiter in determining whether any law is in accordance with the constitution.
Just for your information, their is currently a pretty solid conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, and all nine members profess to hold religious beliefs (7 christian, 2 jewish).
You said, "We live in a democracy?"
Yes, we do. Even the constitution can be amended in a democratic manner.
You said, "What rubbish! The federal courts have outlawed democracy, and yes they will legalise gay marriage despite what the public wants."
Just because a majority of people are too dense to comprehend the concept of "equal rights", means that unfavored groups relinquish those rights.
You mean we do live in a democracy and we don't believe in perverts...you don't like it here...then leave and take all of your perverts with you huh.
"You mean we do live in a democracy and we don't believe in perverts...you don't like it here...then leave and take all of your perverts with you huh."
It's uneducated statements like this that shows how little people know about this subject. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of SocialWorkers, together representing more than 480,000 mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be “cured."
Wrong and un-christian. If you really read the Bible (considering you believe in it) marriage is very nearly everything but one man and one women. It is everything from a number of women, to a man and his servant (Abraham). Seems to that it was o.k. with God that David had more than one wife, but upset him when he wanted Bathsheba too. Not to mention King Soloman! And perhaps Mr. Graham can explain to me how if there was only Adam and Eve in the beginning who did their sons lay with the begat their children. There are other examples, some involving incest and other couplings Christians say are wrong according to God's word. Frankly I wish their God would Rapture them all out of here right now. The world would be a better place.
Amen.
Then according to your argument, we can open marriage up to brothers getting it on with brothers, and fathers getting it on with their sons. If the government sanctions marriage for one group, they must open it up to all groups (polygamists, etc.).
@Tyrone – Wrong, that's incest and it's wrong for both medical AND mental health reasons. No reason to allow it.
I suppose you haven't read about sodom and Gamorah...find out what it says...you will be surprised...
A true man of God!
Satan's God that is. Not my God.
A true man of God–that is if you believe those who speak God's words are anti-gay and antisemitic.
How often that is established by proving one's willingness to hurt his fellow man!
Too all you perverts out there that want to promote your perversion...remember...God loves you...we all do...just not through the back door...or donut pushing...you do what you want...don't push it on others and when the time comes...you will get what you have coming...all in the end if you get my meaning...so keep being perverts and the rest of us will stand our ground against your perversions...
Who cares?
Unfortunately, a lot of people will. Graham is a highly respected figure.
Cindy Harrell is also from Durham, N.C.
How can you say you love your neighbor Billy when you won't even give them the same rights you have? That's very unchristian of you. Typical Christian hypocrite.
@ Rick: it would not be loving my neighbor to lie to him & say what he's doing is ok.
"it would not be loving my neighbor to lie to him & say what he's doing is ok."
The experts around the world have proven that being gay is totally normal and it is ok.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Association of SocialWorkers, together representing more than 480,000 mental health professionals, have all taken the position that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus is not something that needs to or can be “cured."
You can still love your neighbor and fight like hell to stop the spread of evil that your neighbor is involved in.
@Russ You have no right to JUDGE anyone because they live a different lifestyle than you. That is loving thy neighbor.
@Yeah, but do you pass laws against it? Want to know what Jesus said about adultery and remarriage? Want to pass laws against remarriage since He said remarriage IS adultery?
@ yeahright: you're appealing to human insti.tutions on an issue that requires defining humanity. this is inherently a metaphysical discussion. you're appeal assumes humanity can define itself. do you at least acknowledge that is a faith-based conviction – of the same order as those whose opinion you are mocking?
"You can still love your neighbor and fight like hell to stop the spread of evil that your neighbor is involved in."
That's why adultery is not legal yet you not going out trying to fight to keep them from having equal civil rights. What a hypocrite.
Being gay isn't evil only prejudice bigots say that .
Sorry, meant @Russ
"That's why adultery is not legal"
Is legal take out the word not. LOL!
Russ and Jeff... you are morons... Please tell me a secular reason for not allowing gay marriage... and then tell me how gay marriage affects your every day lives... I'm betting you can't
When does loving your neighbor mean supporting values you don't adhere to? Did Jesus always speak nicely to the Pharisees? No, he called them whitewashed tombs.
@ Linden: I can only assume you are making an appeal to Mt.7:2. otherwise your assertion is equally a judgment of me... and self-refuting.
so, assuming the former, note: as a Christian, it would be contravening the Judge who is Love to claim other than what he has stated very clearly to be the truth. it would be placing MY judgment above HIS.
@ rich: at no point did i claim to be secular. just as at no point (that i'm aware of) did you claim to be Christian. are you one?
why should the discussion require divulging ourselves from our primary metaphysical underpinnings? much to the contrary, it was those very convictions that led Wilberforce & MLK to push for civil rights.
@ Jeff & Russ : "Judge not lest ye be judged", right ? Meaning, it's not up to you to determine your neighbor is evil or not (or him, you). If you believe in God, then you must understand that judgment is His alone. This is the Bible's way of telling you to "live and LET live".
@ Russ Sorry I don't subscribe to religion. The topic should not even have anything to do with religion. It has everything to do with rights. If we lived in a theocracy than I guess it would involve a religious decision. But we live in a representative democracy and those individuals whom are gay have to be represented and given their rights like anyone else in this country.
@ linden: i'm not proposing a theocracy. i'm asserting my convictions, the same way you are. i'm simply being honest about my metaphysical convictions. are you? do you see that you are doing the very thing (from a different set of convictions) that has you so upset with me?
"do you see that you are doing the very thing (from a different set of convictions) that has you so upset with me?"
But you're the on advocating to block someone civil rights they are not do you see the difference? You are just like those in the past who wanted to keep other minorities at a lower class level. Big difference there pal.
@ Lala: Mt.7:2 is one of the verses most quoted out of context. Do you really think Jesus is saying "nobody should judge anybody else"? The entirety of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt.5-7) is to call out the hypocrisy of the religious – to have them JUDGE themselves. Read the rest of the passage. It says: remove the speck from your own eye first – but it doesn't say stop there! help your brother (v.5). it's the only *loving* thing to do.
Point being: Jesus is not telling them "never judge." he's saying: be consistent! judge yourself the same way you judge others.
Nice spin...you must be a pervert huh...rad the bible...go to the section about Lot and sodom and Gomorah...you might learn a thing or 2...
@ Russ I don't get upset over a difference of opinion. It is what it is, no one is going to change anyones mind here. But I will say that our government has an obligation to make sure that everyone in this country is treated equally. That is what this country is about and has always stood for. It doesn't destroy your rights to get married, it just destroys what you think is good and evil.
@ yeahright: exactly on the contrary – Wilberforce & MLK (who were instrumental in civil rights history) appealed to their biblical convictions to bring about societal change. There's no such biblical basis for gay rights.
more to the point: your criticism could equally be made by a pedophile seeking civil rights. would you want to block his "rights"?
@ Linden: would you make the same argument for pedophilia? are they required to treat everyone's personal proclivities as equals?
@ Russ is pedophilia between 2 concenting adults? No. So there is the answer to your question.
@ Linden: but notice, you are changing the basis of your argument (from "the govt has an obligation to treat everyone equally" to 'this doesn't pass the moral standards test'). you're appealing to a moral basis for the decision – which is exactly what your opponents are doing, though you mock them for that.
I could never believe it will also come down to this, when a state has to vote to define marriage, sooner or later the folks that sleep with animals will come up and say they want to get married to their cattle/Dogs and they have the right to do so
really? people still try to use that as an valid argument? too funny.
"when a state has to vote to define marriage, sooner or later the folks that sleep with animals will come up and say they want to get married to their cattle/Dogs and they have the right to do so"
It's amazing how uneducated people are on this topic. DUH! Animals can't consent and neither can children. Do yourself a favor and do some research on this subject.
Typical knee jerk conservatism.
Nice strawman there. However, not only does that argument fail miserably, you failed to even address what is actually being talked about. This isn't about marriage. This is about civil unions and domestic partnerships. There is no defending this BS at this junction. It is blatant anti-gay rights and just hate mongering.
This is a basic HUMAN right. Animal rights are a fully separate category.
In the state of WA a perverted state you can get it on with a horse if you want to and it is not illegal...unless the horse doesn't like it...it is really true...no joke...so why do we have to tolerate perverts...now we stand our ground.
The man has his nose in somebody else's business. I suspect he has enjoyed huge tax breaks over the years because of his religious acts. So I pay his taxes for him and he votes for telling me who I can or can't marry?
Dan, he has the word of God behind him so it's o.k.. Hypocrites always have the Lord to back them up, and it will never change.
And it is perverts like you that try to push your perversion on the rest of us and call it tolerance...we have tolerated enough to the filth you perverts push...now we stand our ground...
He can claim his backing against gay marriage all he wants. Does it make him right? No. As humans we have rights, not rights the bible gave us, but rights as humans that live in a free society. You abolish one humans rights, you abolish all human rights. Besides, your religions should stay in the designated area provided ie. church. Keep it out of politics.
Those who deny absolute truth are hypocritical because that statement is itself an absolute truth. The Bible is absolute truth. God created man and women. He also provided laws – such as not killing, not coveting, etc. So no, I disagree that human rights means we can make our own sets of laws.
Then keep it out of our schools and our society to push the perversion that it is!
@ alastingwill : There were laws before the books of the Bible. Do you really think no one thought it was wrong to rob, cheat, kill, or covet before they read the Bible ? Primitive tribes who'd never met a Christian – or any other religious beyond their own shaman-types – have laws against doing these things. Our laws are founded on humanist principles, not Biblical ones.
I thought he died several years ago. Obviously not. Funny how he "came out" of the woodwork to express his personal opinions. Hopefully the people of the great state of North Carolina are more open-minded than he and those of the same ilk.
It's going to happen across the nation.......these are just the death throes and folks dragging their feet on an obvious equal rights protection issue.
Being open-minded does't mean repression of your beliefs and a stifling of your voice to express your opinions.