An extraordinary man who gave true meaning to being ecumenical.

And a sexist, anti-Semite and raging homophobe who claimed that AIDS was god’s punishment for being gay.  Mind the pearly gates don’t hit you in the arse on the way through, Billy.

Still, at least he wasn’t as nasty a piece of work as his son’s turned out to be.

(That’s not an anti-religion comment, so we’re clear.  There’s plenty of good preachers.  It’s an anti-bigot comment.)

Days like this, I hope hell exists.

He must be gutted he’s not going to meet Joe Cocker.

Good riddance.

Nonsense. Nobody did more for ecumenical matters than this guy:

*wanders off to google ‘ecumenical’…….

‘Days like this, I hope hell exists.’

Matt Munroe’s later, darker, stuff?

Given his net worth was estimated at $25 million, I suspect he’s got some camel/eye of needle issues affecting his heaven entry.

There’s nowt I hate more than people forcing their religion upon other people. They are just preying upon others.

Bollox to him, the gilded horse he rode into town on, and the money making empire he established in the name of Gandalf (or whatever that scruffy bearded bloke was called).

And yes I did use an Oxford comma!

Graham said, “Someday, you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.”

And presumably chilling with Ian Paisley.

I don’t think the OP thought this thread would go this way…

I have to admit I’d never heard of the Guy, but I was surprised to read such positive news reports about a Televangelist, they’re usually sleazy con men.

a Televangelist/Priest/Vicar/Pope/Imam/Rabbi they’re usually sleazy con men.

Like a lot of things, it’s not that simple.

He did a lot for the Civil Rights Movement starting right back in the 1950s.

He did a lot for the Civil Rights Movement starting right back in the 1950s.

Not really. While I don’t believe that he was a racist, his support was conspicuously absent once Dr King started advocating civil disobedience.

his support was conspicuously absent once Dr King started advocating civil disobedience.

Apprently he posted bail for him , after an arrest.

I’ve heard of him, I think I’ve even seen him on TV a few times, but I’m struggling to think of how him being alive or dead will effect any of us on here!

R.I.W.G.A.S.

He insisted on all his congregations being “integrated” and actually paid the bail to release Martin Luther King Jr when he was arrested. He even said [paraphrased] ” you can either take down the segregation barriers or you can do the event without me”.

Generally, I have to time for evangelists, or any other preacher, for that matter, but he was part of the Civil Rights Movement, for which he should be applauded.

I’m sure skeletons will be released from his closet, now, so we shall wait and see.

I don’t think the OP thought this thread would go this way…

Au contraire…

Apprently he posted bail for him , after an arrest.

Good for him, if that’s true. He also advised King to stop his pursuit of changes in the law through civil disobedience. You know, the actions that actually got something done. As I said, it’s unlikely he was racist, but his support for civil rights was lukewarm at best.

Anyway, I have an idea for his tombstone: “Here lies Billy Graham: he probably didn’t abuse choirboys.”

Evangelical Christianity has always had a close relationship with radical politics.

The Puritans were behind the Regicide.

Evangelical Christianity emphasises the bringing about of the Kingdom of God (normally because Evangelicals are depressed with their lives and want something to look forward to).

Marxism is a secular version of Evangelical Christianity insofar as it believes in an end-point in history in which everybody gets along, beastliness is at an end, and the future is splendid.

The USA has always had a mission – the City on the Hill – and a belief in its own destiny. Billy Graham reinforced this narrative and thereby deprived millions of Americans the right to be cynical and nihilistic, like the rest of us.

Billy Graham’s Crusades paved the way for America’s military Crusades in the Middle East by ensuring a gullible, unthinking and self-righteous populace which could easily be manipulated by the dark forces of the Deep State.

America has to learn to just plod on like the rest of us, without invading other countries and making the world a huge mess.

Graham long denied accusations of anti-Semitism, right up to the point when a recording of his conversation with Richard Nixon was published. He then seemed to suffer a sudden onset of amnesia, claiming no recollection of the conversation:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1850077.stm

Mr Graham said the Jewish “stranglehold” on the media “has got to be broken or this country’s going down the drain”.

“You believe that?” Nixon replies.

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh boy. So do I. I can’t ever say that but I believe it,” Nixon says.

“If you get elected a second time, then we might be able to do something,” Mr Graham replies.

Later, Graham says: “A lot of Jews are great friends of mine. They swarm around me and are friendly to me, because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth, but they don’t know how I really feel about what they’re doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them.”

Nixon answers: “You must not let them know.”

I withdraw my earlier comment that he was not racist: he clearly was anti-Semitic.

Inspired some good music 😉

a Televangelist/Priest/Vicar/Pope/Imam/Rabbi they’re usually sleazy con men.

No kidding. That’s definitely my experience. And totally sustained by millennia of fact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI9k8l6Asgg

He even gets a name check in this one

I was dragged along to see him ‘live’ at Roker Park once – most uncomfortable hour of my life. Seated, staring at the floor while all around people stood, swayed, arms in the air shouting Praise the Lord. Again, nothing anti-religious from me, but if he is in God’s image, then “I’m out”