[LOCKED] Billy Graham dead at 99

Submitted by UMProud on

Billy Graham died today at the age of 99.  In the years preceeding his retirement, Mr. Graham was an American cultural icon.  His work spanned decades and his influence was felt in the highest circles of American life.

http://people.com/politics/billy-graham-dies-99/

"Graham spent six decades preaching on television and radio — principally on the Billy Graham Crusades, which he began in 1947. Thought his numerous sermons (and 34 books), Graham has said to have reached more than 200 million people throughout his lifetime of work. He retired in 2005.

His crusade ministry began in 1947 when he was just 29. Over the next 57 years, Graham conducted more than 400 crusades on six continents. His final crusade was held in 2005 when he was 86, over three days at New York’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park. More than 230,000 people attended.

He was an outspoken advocate for racial integration in the 1950s and ’60s, even working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Source:  People.com, 2/21/2018, David Quinn

MOD EDIT - Locking this. He's a famous figure and that's fine, but his fame touches two of the big taboos around here, which are religion and politics, and I am not sanitizing this thread just to have it flare up again. - LSA

DanRareEgg

February 21st, 2018 at 3:24 PM ^

On Jews and the media (retracted after an attempt to deny before the Nixon tapes were made public): http://www.ajc.com/news/national/billy-graham-richard-nixon-tapes-the-o…

On AIDS being divine retribution (retracted): https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/10/09/Billy-Graham-retracts-statement…

More of his words on the gay community: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/02/21/anti-gay-evangelical-preacher-bil…

“Let me say this loud and clear, we traffic in homosexuality at the peril of our spiritual welfare.”

 

I'm sure he also helped a lot of people, but he did so while denigrating countless others in broad, bigoted strokes.

Boner Stabone

February 21st, 2018 at 3:34 PM ^

One thing about Billy Graham is that he was passionate about the work he did.  Like other posters have said he did not ask for money like other evangelical preachers.  He did preach to over 2 million people which I find quite intriguing. 

He also ministered to presidents from both the Republican and Democratic parties.  He was truly humble and I always respected the work that he did.

Steves_Wolverines

February 21st, 2018 at 3:48 PM ^

And in a way, his "humbleness" and "passion" probably led a lot of people astray. When it's common knowledge that he disliked Jews, gays, Vietnamese, women, etc, he probably is responsible for planting those same ideological seeds into millions of followers around the world. Hence, we are still seeing such a large uproar about how Jews control the world and everything will be ruined unless we take them out of their secret power. 

No yea, I'm sure a lot of people didn't follow down that path, but I'd say he did more harm than good with his position of power. 

SalvatoreQuattro

February 21st, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^

Antisemitism is literally thousands of years old. Martin Luther was far more judeophobic than Graham, coinng the phrase "The Jews are our misfortune" which the Nazis later used.

I don't much care about Billy Graham, but European civilization(which includes us) has been antisemitic and violently so for 2000 plus years. 

tennis_labeef

February 21st, 2018 at 3:52 PM ^

Billy Graham was undoubtedly a good man, but he was caught in a time where derogatory terms towards women and minorities were more widely accepted. Nobody is perfect.