February 22, 2012 11:19 PM UTC

Clearly, It's "Obama Is A Muslim" Week

• 4 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

After the weekend’s controversy over GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s comments about President Barack Obama’s “different theology”–apparently the United Church of Christ isn’t based in the Bible, you see–The Charlotte Observer via McClatchy:

For the second time in a week, President Barack Obama’s religious beliefs have been called into question, this time by N.C. evangelist Franklin Graham.

Appearing on MSNBC Tuesday morning, Graham said he is not sure the president is a Christian. Neither is he certain that Obama is not a Muslim.

“All I know is under Obama, President Obama, the Muslims of the world, he seems to be more concerned about them than the Christians that are being murdered in the Muslim countries,” Graham said.

“Islam sees him as a son of Islam … I can’t say categorically that (the president is not Muslim) because Islam has gotten a free pass under Obama.”

Folks, we don’t know a whole lot about Rev. Franklin Graham, but we have trouble with the idea that his father, the legendary evangelist Billy Graham, would approve of comments like these. The statement that Obama ‘cares more about Muslims than Christians,’ and open questioning of Obama’s faith, is absurd and inflammatory in a way that we don’t think Billy Graham, known as the “pastor to presidents,” would ever have condoned.

And once we’re out from under the GOP’s presidential primary, which seems to be a race to see who can offend most while attacking President Obama’s citizenship, religion, or patriotism, Franklin Graham will have to answer for statements like these. If Franklin Graham wants to be remembered more like Pat Robertson, and less like Billy Graham who commanded ecumenical respect, well, that’s his business. But it’s a big step down from his dad’s legacy.