Posted on 10/19/2012 9:03:01 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The most famous and revered pastor in America, Billy Graham, is calling on voters to cast a ballot for their faith in full-page ads in the Wall_Street_Journal, USA_Today and other newspapers.
Graham's picture appears prominently in the ads, next to copy that reads, "As I approach my 94th birthday, I realize this election could be my last."
It continues, "I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God."
The ad hit the prominent papers Wednesday and Thursday, and could hit a dozen more newspapers, a week after the famed evangelist met with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at Graham's Montreat, North Carolina, home and less than a month after his son Franklin Graham issued a full-throated endorsement of Romney in a USA Today opinion piece.
Shortly after the meeting with the Grahams and Romney, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association scrubbed prior references to Mormonism as a cult from its website because, the association said, "we do not wish to participate in a theological debate about something that has become politicized during this campaign."
Romney is a longtime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Last week's meeting between Romney and Graham was their first.
After the 30-minute sit-down in Montreat, just outside Asheville, Romney campaign spokesman Rick Gorka told reporters that Billy Graham led a prayer for the Romneys, saying "I'll do all I can to help you. And you can quote me on that."(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at wibw.com ...
“Game-changer?”
I certainly hope so. We need all the help we can get to defeat the Chicago machine.
It could be a game changer because God listens to a riotious man. Only God can make a game changer. Those who worship obama mostly hate Graham. But God can do anything.
Can there be a person in America for whom Graham’s endorsement is meaningful who was not already going to vote for Romney?
Hank
You guys crack me up! Headline: “Mitt Romney Cures Cancer”
Response: Doesn’t he care about people with jock itch?
Huh?
My only point was that while Graham’s endorsement is great and all.....it’s hard to imagine that anyone favorably disposed to Graham would be considering voting for Obama.
Hank
You don’t think there aren’t millions of Christian Democrats, moderate Republicans and Independents who’ll see this and say “Billy Graham doesn’t have a problem with Mitt and is endorsing him?” and will do a double take? Who, other than the Pope in Rome, is a bigger religious figure on the World stage than Rev. Billy Graham?
It might influence the ones who were going to ‘sit it out’, which, even just judging by the ‘sitters’ here, might be a fairly large number.
It certainly helps that Billy Graham and his flock are petitioning God with prayer.
Everyone whose inclined to be persuaded by Graham is already in the Romney camp (except for the mouthbreather anti-Mormon types, and not even Graham could change their minds.)
However, Romney's done a good job of getting the votes of a lot of moderates who are turned off by associations with the religious. So to them, this is a little like Michael Moore doing full page endorsements for Obama. Not too helpful.
Now, I love Graham and all he's done, and I'm as far to the right as anyone you'll ever meet, but this is going to be a close election, and everything is on the line.
I think the Reverand Graham could give a few lessons to the jolly Cardinal Dolan on courage.
I believe that he endorsed Nixon.
I’m wondering in their private talks if Romney convinced him that he might actually believe Christian doctrine.
Those of us here who know about the Mormon faith have a problem with them not embracing Jesus. They dance around it, but instead of a cross theres that spike in front of their church.
If Romney were to confess to be born again, truly, I think that would be a miracle.
Still, you must admit, he’s led a clean life. He’s a great role model and someone as president, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, the country will learn from him.
I think everyone gave Obama a chance. We all thought that he’d succeed in doing something great for our country. Within 3 months it was clear he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and would divide us.
Romney, will be given the same chance. We are looking at some bad times ahead. The economy will crash, bottom out, then we come back hard and enter an new era in this country, and the world, with prosperity.
I’m very optimistic.
Nope. A great many of us saw his problems right out of the gate. Here in Springfield, Obama's rejection of the Born Alive act was enough to tell any intelligent person where he was coming from and where he would be going. We knew from the get-go he was driven by a rigid ideology disconnected from reality. There is no excuse for anyone having picked him, but especially Christians.
We tried warning people then. We knew about Rev. Wright’s Black Liberation Theology. We knew about Bill Ayers. We knew there were problems with his “documentation.” But no one would listen. We were cranks. We were nuts. We were tin foil hat wearers. Nobody listened, and our country has paid dearly for it.
I talk regularly with some Obama supporters at work, who are otherwise good people, who reject gay marriage and abortion etc, but they still support him. Those issues aren't deal breakers. Why is that? I don’t know, but I think there's just a kind of mindless trust that he means well and is so much better than any other option (especially Bush), despite his flaws.
I know no one wants to hear this, but Romney is the Republican version of this phenomenon, with some differences. Romney, I think, is far more intelligent. I’ll give him that. Eight degrees, Harvard Law, private sector success, etc. But we know he too is driven by a rigid belief system that at its heart is alien to what most Americans, especially Christians, believe, though he has protested much to the contrary.
We also know that the people of MA who lived under him, and especially those who share our values, do not lionize him like the newcomers do. Why is that? Is it because despite his claim to conversion on the life issue, his administration continued to harass and pressure people to violate their conscience or lose their healthcare jobs? Is it that he tried to play both sides of the gay marriage issue while given a net advantage to the homosexual agenda? Is it because RomneyCare really does reflect the socialist thinking that would have been so central to the formation of a man with his personal and educational background?
I talk regularly with some Romney supporters at work, who are otherwise good people, who reject gay marriage and abortion etc, but they still support him. Those issues aren't deal breakers. Neither is RomneyCare. I could believe the only real deal breaker was simply being Obama. So I think there's just a kind of mindless trust that because he is very smart, means well (boyscout?), and is not Obama, that we should all just mindlessly fall in line behind him, despite his flaws.
And this despite the warnings. But once again, we dissidents are the cranks, the nuts, the tin foil hat wearers. Nobody is listening, not even Billy Graham, and our country may have yet more to pay for our unwillingness to learn from past mistakes.
Footnote on Billy Graham: He is quite old. I have worked with elders and in elder law, and while many retain their full capacity for critical thinking, many do not. Many times the persuasion of younger persons has more force than it should, simply because the power of will and/or thought is diminished. I think those who are shocked at Billy Graham for taking sides with a purveyor of a false Gospel should withhold judgment, as his capacity to know what he has done may not be what it once was.
Peace,
SR
20 million Evangelicals sat out in 2008...all we need is half of those to show up and Obama is toaster than toast.
Well... think what you want... but never in the history of this country has someone squandered the opporturnity to do good in the nation and the world.
I was sick to death that we put McLAim up there... Romney anyone would have been the better choice...
But we lost... OK we lost...I was optimistic for about two seconds....We all new Obama was a phony... but...
YOu know, we listened to the Peggy Noonans and Charles Krautthammers and Rudy Guilianas.. that said.. let’s give this guy a chance...
I’m with you... I was with Rush who said I want him to fail... but I gave him a chance... 90 days... and it was a tragedy....
Good news, we are ushering in the next gneration of prosperity...
Ok... I agree with you.. I gave him 10 seconds....and he failed...
Good point, 2div.
Speaking of people of influence, has Sarah Palin endorsed Mitt yet? You are a good source for her activities, so I am asking.
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