Franklin Graham, a leading evangelical
figure, said Thursday that legalizing gay marriage would be a “great
mistake” for the United States.
Appearing on CNN's Piers Morgan
Tonight, Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham, told host
Piers Morgan that “God defined marriage.”
“You have to go back to, 'What does
God say?'” Graham said. “And it's not what I say at all. It's
what God says, Piers. God is the one who defined marriage, not
government, but it's God. And it's between one man and one woman.
And so to come and try to redefine what God has ordained, what God
has blessed, and what God has given would be a great mistake for our
government and a great mistake for this nation.”
Graham, who heads the international
Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse, dismissed the
comparison to interracial marriages, which were once also banned.
“Aren't we in the same position
here?” Morgan asked.
“I don't think, no not at all,”
Graham answered. “Marriage is defined as between a man and a
woman. And, of course, during the race issues it was could a black
man and a white woman, or vice versa, could they get married and that
was a debate that we had and they decided yes. But still that is a
marriage between a man and a woman, and not two men and not two
women.” (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
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