Monday, August 23, 2010

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

One of the more memorable lines from the movie FORREST GUMP is from the lead character when he says, "Stupid is as stupid does." This was something his mother had taught him. I take that to mean that just because someone or something looks stupid, such is not enough of a qualifier. Stupidity is expressed in words or action.

If that is the proper criteria, I am now ready to say that Franklin Graham is a stupid man. Franklin is the son of the world famous evangelist, Billy Graham, and now heads the Graham Evangelistic Association. He bills himself as an evangelist, but I seldom hear him utter "good news." Most of his public comments are harsh, unloving, and accusatory. His father may be closely aligned politically to his son, but the famous evangelist almost always had the good sense to express himself publicly with openness, love, and compassion for all. Not so with son Franklin.

His latest embarrasing utterance is to imply that President Obama is a closet Muslim. That is one of the foolish ideas floating around that further helps divide our nation and Graham knowingly plays into this when he indicates that Obama's father was a Muslim (He wasn"t really. He renouced that early on and lived out his days as an atheist). Graham's rationale for this is that because father Obama somehow had a connection to Islam, the seed of Islam passes through the father to the child. Thus, our President is a Muslim.

Forget the whole notion that President Obama made a choice several years ago to be a follower of Jesus. That is at the very heart of Graham's supposed theology. Choose whom you will serve and then follow. Obama has done just that. But the rub is that, politically, Graham has serious disagreement with the president and therefore seeks to undermine his standing and influence by tossing out a bogus idea. It's untrue, but why should one let truth get in the way of one's convictions.

As I say.......stupid!

I wish that we found ourselves in a time when rational folk could sit together and rationally discuss ideas without benefit of lies and accusations. But that is not the tenure of our times. Bill Moyers once said that one will never be able to change the mind of a fundamentalist by offering solid, persuasive ideas. You can't change their minds; you have to fight them. Regrettably, it sometimes turns into a street fight.

One of the saddest parts of this whole escapade is that so many will accept what Graham says simply because he is Franklin Graham. His statements and motives will not be put under a hot searchlight and examined. He said it; therefore, it must be true.

How stupid!

1 comment:

  1. I don't believe these guys care whether Obama is a Muslim. They just want to say that he is not their kind of Christian. Heck, they don't want him associated with Christianity at all. It's always all about power and keeping power.

    Are we going to reclaim Christianity, or just let them have it and work to creeate some other label?

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