American evangelist attacks Hinduism and Islam , USA

Source http://news.rediff.com
Wednesday,May 19,2010

Activists of the Indian-American community and the Hindu American Foundation have denounced Reverend Franklin Graham, the son and heir apparent of celebrated evangelist Reverend Billy Graham, for maligning Hinduism during an interview where he largely continued his attacks on Islam.

In an interview to the USA Today newspaper on May 4, Graham -- whose father is affectionately known as 'America's Pastor' -- renewed his attacks on Islam, which he had done a day earlier with the conservative media outlet Newsmax, saying, 'Muslims do not worship the same "God the Father" I worship,' and then took a nasty swipe at Hinduism's many manifestations of God.

Suhag Shukla, managing director and legal counsel, Hindu American Foundation, told rediff.com, "Graham's hate-filled stab at Hindus represents the worst of Christian bigotry and thankfully the fastest-waning segment of Christian-Americans."

She noted that "surveys have shown that Americans, a majority of whom are Christian, are increasingly subscribing to a more Hindu-like worldview. Well-regarded surveys like Pew and Harris have found that 65 percent of Americans, 37 percent of whom are white evangelicals, believe that many religions can lead to Eternal Life and 24 percent believe in reincarnation."

"These findings combined with the continued exponential rise in popularity of Hindu spirituality and yoga, I believe, shed better light on the true nature of Graham's statement," Shukla said, adding, "that they are more desperate cries of a shepherd trying to recapture a fleeing flock than a representative voice of Christians in America."

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