Trump pastor: Solar eclipse could be a ‘sign of God’s judgment’
Donald Trump’s pastor Franklin Graham has claimed that the solar eclipse in the US is a “reminder” of “God’s pending judgment”.
Franklin Graham, a pastor with close ties to President Trump who preached to millions at his inauguration, made the claim this week.
Graham is an outspoken opponent of LGBT rights who has previously claimed there had been a “moral 9/11” in America due to “gays and lesbians”.
In a cheerful message to mark the solar eclipse yesterday, Graham took the moment to warn about the upcoming apocalypse.
He wrote: “Throughout history some have associated a solar eclipse with a warning of God’s pending judgment.
“Today, a Solar Eclipse will cross the United States from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast.
“I don’t know if this is a sign of His judgment, but as the moon’s shadow crosses our nation, may it be a reminder to all of us to pray—to confess our sins, to repent and ask for God’s forgiveness, and to pray that God will heal our broken land.”
Graham, a known associate of both Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, was hand-picked to preach at Trump’s inauguration earlier this year, just months after he compared gay rights to 9/11.
The preacher had claimed: “The country is imploding. We are seeing a moral implosion. Just like we saw the World Trade Center on 9/11 when the planes hit the tower, they imploded, they fell from within, and this is what’s happening to our country, we’re falling within.
“So many school districts now are controlled by wicked, evil people, and the gays and lesbians… I keep bringing their name up, but they are at the forefront of this attack against Christianity in America.”
Last year Graham declared gay people are ‘the enemy’, attacking churches that have become LGBT-inclusive.
He accused LGBT activists of “trying to cram down America’s throat the lie that homosexuality is okay”, alleging that anti-discrimination laws will mean that “your children, and your grandchildren will be at risk to sexual predators and perverts”.
In a 2015 interview with a Russian newspaper, Graham praised Vladimir Putin’s support for anti-gay laws – and claimed that homosexuals “take people’s children”.
Parroting disturbing rhetoric often used by anti-LGBT vigilantes in Russia, he said: “Homosexuals cannot have children, they can take other people’s children.”
He added: “I very much appreciate that President Putin is protecting Russian young people against homosexual propaganda. If only to give them the opportunity to grow up and make a decision for themselves.”
