Many riff on Donald Trump for his comments about Muslim immigration—prominent evangelical leaders like Russell Moore among them—but could there be a shred of truth in Trump's arguments?
Evangelist Franklin Graham is weighing in through a series of social media posts that have received hundreds of thousands of likes and shares.
"Are you sick of hearing about Islam?" reads a post from Dec. 15. "I am too--but it is a very real threat to the world and to our security here at home. Many are asking—Who can save us? Well tonight in the last GOP debate of the year, the Republicans will tell you they can. And the Democrats will argue that they can. But the Bible says that there is only one—Almighty God. 'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.'"
But that's not all.
Graham, who is preparing for his 2016 Decision America tour, touted his political position recently, telling followers he is endorsing prayer this election cycle.
He says he's praying for leaders with biblical values, calling the election one of the most important in the nation's history.
"Our politicians are not listening to the truth—my prayer is that God will open their eyes," Graham says in a Dec. 9 post. "This affects our security and the future of our nation."
Part of his concern rests on recent research studies, which he cites on Facebook.
"Research shows that there are 2.75 million Muslims living in the U.S.," Graham writes. "According to a poll commissioned by the Center for Security Policy, 51% of Muslims living in America believe "Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to sharia" (Islamic law) instead of the U.S. Constitution. 29% agree that violence against those who insult Mohammad is acceptable, and 25% agree that violence against America can be justified as part of global jihad. Among males under the age of 45, that number rises to 36%. And 29% of males under 45 believe that violence against America is justified in order to make Sharia the law of the land. This is frightening."
On Dec. 9, he posted a few more alarming statistics.
"Ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, we have heard from scores of political leaders and world experts that 'the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful people," Graham writes. "Some have suggested that as many as 99% fall into this category. Well, we don't have to guess or estimate; the Pew Research Center has released extensive research on how Muslims in the U.S. self-identify on questions of violence—and the conclusions are frightening.
"There are 1.8 million Muslim adults in the United States. Pew research released that 8% of adult Muslims in the U.S. said that suicide bombings and other forms of violence in the name of Islam are "sometimes" or "often" justified. Think about it—that's 144,000 Muslims who openly say without hesitation that violence in the name of Islam is justified! That's not 'peaceful' and that's not a small number—it's about the size of the entire population of Syracuse, New York!"
And so the evangelist goes back to prayer as the answer, saying Christ is the counselor we all need.
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