Franklin Graham Takes Hard Stand Against This Muslim Prayer

11/18/2014 MARK ANDREWS  CHARISMA NEWS

Franklin Graham slammed the National Cathedral in Washington for allowing a Muslim prayer service in the Christian house of worship. (CharismaNews file)

Franklin Graham, who is widely respected as the heir-apparent to his father, iconic evangelist Billy Graham, isn't shy about speaking out for God's truth. So when he saw Christians compromise their principles to reach out to false religions in the name of ecumenicalism, it was no surprise that it drew a harsh response.

Graham this week slammed the National Cathedral in Washington for allowing Muslims to hold their first prayer service there last Friday.

"It's sad to see a church open its doors to the worship of anything other than the One True God of the Bible who sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth to save us from our sins," said Graham, head of the Samaritan's Purse humanitarian aid ministry.

The younger Graham took to Facebook and spoke to the news media to register his extreme displeasure that a Christian cathedral—long a Washington landmark—would willingly be handed over to Muslims by the Cathedral's Episcopalian leadership.

Muslims, in separate groups of men and women, took off their shoes, spread their prayer rugs facing east toward Mecca, turning their backs on the crucifix in front of the chapel, knelt and prayed.

"Jesus was clear when He said, 'I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,'" (John 14:6) Graham said in a Facebook post.

Of the many comments on his post, Carol Layaog wrote, "The Lord told us these things must be, in the last days they will call evil good and good they will call evil! That doesn't make it any less heartbreaking! 'I came to them and they knew me not!'"

Some suggested that Christians and Muslims serve the same God. Graham disagreed strongly—as did Christine Weick, 50, from Michigan, who rose in the midst of the service and shouted, "Jesus Christ died on that cross. He is the reason we are to worship only Him. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We have ... allowed you your mosques in this country. Why don't you worship in your mosques and leave our churches alone? We are a country founded on Christian principles."

She was escorted from the cathedral and turned over to police, who took her outside and let her go without charges.