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On Wednesday, Reverend Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99 and the country is still mourning his death.

The pastor is well-respected by the majority of Americans, but there is a group of people who have attempted to smear his legacy in the wake of his death. While most have commented on the positive impact Graham had on American society, others took his passing as an opportunity to attack him one last time.

Several left-leaning news outlets responded to Graham’s death by criticizing him. That’s right. They simply couldn’t wait to tell the world why they hated this man. Unfortunately for them, their behavior illustrates the reason why they lost the 2016 election, and why the conservative movement continues to grow.

The Left Honors Billy Graham By Attacking Him

The left’s hatred for Graham was on full display on the day of his death. The Washington Post, couldn’t even wait twenty-four hours after his passing to smear him. They published a piece entitled “Divorce, drugs, drinking: Billy Graham’s children and their absent father,” on the day Graham’s death was announced.

The piece detailed the struggles of Graham’s children as they dealt with his absence. They painted Graham as an absentee father who cared more about his ministry than his own children. But The Washington Post wasn’t the only media outlet that attacked the pastor.

Raw Story published an article entitled “Here are 6 awful details being omitted from Billy Graham’s fawning obituaries.” In the piece, they discuss anti-semitic remarks Graham made to President Richard Nixon. They also bring up his views on homosexuality.

On Twitter, several individuals made disparaging remarks about Graham. They wrote:

“‘#BillyGraham was a homophobe and an anti-semite. Cover him in panko and fry his ass in hell. Pa fuera.’

‘Let’s not forget Billy Graham was recorded exchanging anti-semite remarks with Richard Nixon, was against Civil Rights and for Vietnam. #goodriddance #billygraham’

‘Like I do whenever a wackadoo Evangelical leader dies, today I’m having a pornography sale in honor of #BillyGraham’”

Pretty classy, right? But what was so reprehensible about Billy Graham that made these people want to attack him?

Why All The Hate?

Billy Graham spent his career preaching the Christian gospel. He was outspoken in his beliefs — and he made comments that many would find objectionable.

In 1993, he commented on the AIDS crisis. In Columbus, Ohio, he said: “Is AIDS a judgment of God?” He continued, “I could not be sure, but I think so.”

When the National Archive released over 500 hours of President Nixon’s taped conversations, it was discovered that Graham had made anti-Semitic remarks. Nixon expressed his displeasure at the Jewish control of the news media. “They’re the ones putting out the pornographic stuff,” Graham said. He also stated that their “stranglehold has got to be broken, or the country’s going down the drain.”

Graham apologized for both of these statements. When addressing his comments about AIDS, he said: “I remember saying it, and I immediately regretted it and almost went back and clarified the statement.”

In response to his remarks on Jews, he said: I cannot imagine what caused me to make those comments, which I totally repudiate.” He also apologized to the people he had offended. “My remarks did not reflect my love for the Jewish people,” he said. “I humbly ask the Jewish community to reflect on my actions on behalf of Jews over the years that contradict my words in the Oval Office that day.”

Who Was Billy Graham?

If you believe what many on the left have said about Billy Graham, you might view him as an anti-Semitic, homophobic hatemonger. Indeed, this is what they want the American public to believe. They don’t want you to know that he was a fierce supporter of the civil rights movement. They don’t want you to know that he refused to preach to segregated crowds. They certainly don’t want you to know that Graham bailed Martin Luther King Jr. out of jail when he was imprisoned for his activism.

The truth is that Billy Graham was a flawed human being who had an enormous impact on millions of people. HIs message of hope and love changed countless lives — and continues to do so today. However, the left cannot respect someone who does not share their views even if that person has made a positive difference in people lives.

To many on the left, Graham is irredeemable because he was a conservative Christian. HIs apologies for his mistakes don’t matter to them. The fact that he worked to spread a positive message is irrelevant. They revile him because he was not one of them. It’s not surprising considering their obvious disdain for conservative Christians.

The left’s response to Billy Graham’s death reveals their contempt for a significant number of Americans. It is this attitude that has caused conservatives to finally push back against the left’s attempts to influence the American public. Unfortunately for them, they have failed to learn their lesson, and it doesn’t seem that they will wake up anytime soon.