U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham drew some sizzling flak from fellow evangelicals after he encouraged people to take the COVID-19 vaccine, and he revealed he and his wife had already been inoculated.
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The evangelist, the son of Billy Graham, posted on his Facebook page that he is an advocate for taking the vaccine to fight the novel coronavirus that has claimed 2.75 million lives worldwide and 546,825 in the United States as of March 26.
'I have even been asked, if Jesus were physically walking on earth now, would He be an advocate for vaccines?
Franklin Graham draws flak after promoting vaccine and saying he thinks Jesus would too Peter Kenny Friday, March 26 2021 Like Us Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it.
'My answer was that based on the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, I would have to say - yes. I think Jesus Christ would advocate for people using vaccines and medicines to treat suffering and save lives,' Graham said.
TRUMP ASLO ADVOCATES THE JAB
Graham, a staunch supporter of former U.S. president, Donald Trump, said he believes Jesus would have done the same. He posted also after former vice-president Mike Pence had visited Samaritan's Purse with him.
He posted his message days after Trump had urged his Republican Party supporters to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying he would recommend it.
In a TV interview, Trump said the vaccine is 'safe' and 'something that works,' the BBC reported on March 17.
Graham spoke of the work of the charity, Samaritan's Purse, in working with COVID-19 hospital wards and said it allowed him to see first-hand the suffering brought by the pandemic.
'I also have staff and their family members who contracted the virus and spent weeks on a ventilator and months hospitalized as a result,' he said.
'I don't want anyone to have to go through that. Vaccines have worked for polio, smallpox, measles, the flu, and so many other deadly illnesses - why not for this virus?' Graham said.
'Since there are different vaccines available, my recommendation is that people do their research, talk to their doctor, and pray about it to determine which vaccine, if any, is right for them,' said Graham.
'My wife and I have both had the vaccine, and at 68 years old, I want to get as many more miles out of these old bones as possible!' Graham noted.
Many comments applauded Graham for his post, with one writer saying, 'Thank you for posting this. So many Christians worried about getting vaccinated.'
But not everybody was behind Graham after he spoke.
In just one day, the Facebook post received over 18,000 comments—many of which were angry, upset, and confused by the evangelist's stance, Newsweek reported.
'Wow!! This is so sad! You trust big phantoms and all their LOVE OF MONEY over how God made the immune system? I feel sickened by this,' wrote one Facebook user.
Several users also shared unfounded claims that the vaccines are harmful and disagreed with Graham's statement that Jesus would have supported it.
Others rebuked him for using his high-profile platform to encourage people to get inoculated.
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One Facebook user wrote: 'Jesus, you know the son of the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE would most certainly have NOT taken a man-made vaccine... You are a wolf in sheep's clothing.'
'THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE'
Another wrote, 'Wrong Franklin, the shot IS NOT a vaccine! You will know the truth and the truth, and the truth will set you FREE, thus says the Word of God! We're being LIED to by an EVIL government! Really Franklin?!?!?.'
'You're so lost, and I'm disgusted with you because your words are going to kill many Americans and you will have to answer to God for telling people to not let their immune system keep them healthy the way God made us.....you disgust me!' another person posted.
U.S. polls have shown that white evangelicals have some of the highest vaccine skepticism levels in the United States and are more likely to follow conspiracy theories than those belonging to other traditions.
In January, 44 percent of white evangelicals said they would probably or definitely not get vaccinated, compared with just under a third of other U.S. adults who said the same, according to a Washington-Post-ABC News poll.
© SHAWN THEW - Pool/Getty Images President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Franklin Graham bow their heads in prayer during a ceremony as the late evangelist Billy Graham lies in repose at the U.S. Capitol, on February 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. Rev. Graham is being honored by Congress by lying in repose inside of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for 24 hours. Graham was the nation's best know Christian evangelist, preaching to millions worldwide, as well as being an advisor to US presidents over his six decade career.Evangelical leader and President Donald Trump supporter Franklin Graham warned the U.S. is entering a 'dark winter' not just because of COVID-19, but because God is 'turn[ing] his back' on a country with deteriorating morals.
Graham, head of the humanitarian Samaritan's Purse organization and son of the late Baptist minister Billy Graham, spoke out on Twitter Friday morning. He lashed out at President-elect Joe Biden's November prediction of a 'very dark winter' if the pandemic continues to be politicized.
Graham claimed 'moral decline' has taken over the U.S. and its political process, suggesting that Trump's loss to Biden was somehow not legitimate—an unfounded claim that has been repeatedly tweeted by the president himself, now just 19 days before Biden's inauguration.
.@JoeBiden has warned of a 'dark winter' for our nation. But the dark winter we're facing is not due just to #COVID19, it's due to the moral decline & the political corruption we see throughout the US. My prayer is that truth will prevail in the political crisis we're facing.
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) January 1, 2021'@JoeBiden has warned of a 'dark winter' for our nation. But the dark winter we're facing is not due just to #COVID19, it's due to the moral decline & the political corruption we see throughout the US. My prayer is that truth will prevail in the political crisis we're facing,' Graham tweeted Friday.
His tweet is in reference to Biden's comments right after his November election victory over Trump. The president-elect declared 'a very dark winter' was approaching as U.S. coronavirus cases topped 10 million despite continued politicization of mitigation measures such as the wearing of masks and social distancing.
Graham went on to relay an exchange between World War II-era British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his father, before declaring 'there is no hope for the future of our world' without God. He praised the president's Thursday remarks in which the latter appealed to his evangelical base.
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'A society without religion cannot prosper,' Trump proclaimed in a call to end 'religious persecution' globally.
The longtime evangelical leader continued his early New Year's Day warning to Americans on Twitter: 'We could face a dark period of history as God turns His back on our nation because of its sins & our politicians embracing, & even flaunting, sin. Sadly to say, even some churches are embracing what God defines as sin. We need to confess our sins & turn to Him in true repentance.'
Trump had boasted during his 2016 presidential campaign: 'I have a great relationship with God. I have a great relationship with the Evangelicals. I like to be good. I don't like to have to ask for forgiveness.'
Graham has long been one of Trump's most staunch supporters. He told Axios that his backing of the Republican president is simple: 'Trump defends the faith' from financial and political pushback in Washington.
After acknowledging that he was disappointed in Trump's loss just a few weeks ago, Graham wrote a lengthy Facebook post on December 14 in which he thanked God for Trump opposing abortion procedures and nominating conservative judge to the Supreme Court.
Last September, speeches led by Graham and Vice President Mike Pence at an event in Washington, D.C., thanked God that Trump was able to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Like many evangelical leaders, Graham has frequently claimed the country is spiraling into moral decline during those same remarks.
'Father, our country is in trouble, we need your help. And father we pray today specifically for the president, Donald J. Trump,' Graham said in the prayer.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and representatives for Graham for additional remarks Friday morning.
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