MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, on the October 4, 2005, episode of Scarborough Country interpreted that as a declaration that God targeted New Orleans with destruction as a penalty for sin. Joe's guest, the singularly named Kennedy of MTV fame (who proclaims herself an "Orthodox Christian"), declareed Franklin Graham "insane" for "speaking on behalf of God."
And Jennifer Giroux, president of Women Influencing the Nation, tried to turn Rev. Graham's comments into a battle over abortion and President Bush's refusal to impose a litmus test when making his recent Supreme Court nominations.
William Donahue, president of The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said that making such statements is not the lexicon of Catholicism.
Scarborough added, "The God that I worship ... does not kill 14-month old babies to punish the people...."
Kennedy suggested that "the God of the New Testament is not [a] wrathful, vengeful God."
I don't get it! First, I don't see where Franklin Graham said that God had anything at all to do with the cause of the devastation. Rev. Graham merely suggested that God might use the situation to bring revival to the region. God does not cause everything that happens in the course of our lives. He allows us to make choices that may reap reward or punishment. He allows the weather and other natural disasters to occur. He often uses such events to bring His people closer to Him.
I think both Kennedy and Joe Scarborough need to take a closer look at their Bible, both New Testament and Old. They'll see that not only is God a wrathful God (the book of Revelation describes God's wrath on the Day of Judgment), but that he has also killed very young babies before as a means of punishment. In Exodus 12:12 (GW) God tells Moses, "On that same night I will go throughout Egypt and kill every firstborn male, both human and animal. I will severely punish all the gods of Egypt, because I am the LORD."
Furthermore, I wouldn't presume to say that Peter, Paul, Moses, Joshua, Jonah, and each of Christ's disciples were insane. God told each of these great men to speak on his behalf. I'd say Kennedy's judgment of Rev. Graham is less an accurate assessment of his mental condition and more a case of the pot calling the kettle black (if I'm not careful, even that might be construed as a racial slur).
As for Scarborough's other two guests: Rev. Graham does not now and never has professed to be a Catholic and I believe it would be cause for concern if he did attempt to follow the "lexicon of Catholicism;" and I don't know how the Supreme Court and abortion rights got dragged into this.
To Joe Scarborough I ask, how did you make such a one-sided selection of guests? You had three guests on the show to bash Rev. Graham for comments that you somehow took so totally out of context that they were completely fabricated, and the only guest whom I assume you invited to offer the counterpoint to your argument didn't have a clue what the topic of discussion even was!
I'm disappointed, Mr. Scarborough. I thought you were above that kind of one-sided journalism.
From an Average Joe to a Regular Joe, Get Real!
Joe
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