Evangelist leader Franklin Graham is blasting the National Football League for a "blitz" aimed at stopping a Georgia religious exemptions bill protecting opponents of same-sex marriage.
In a
Facebook post Wednesday, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of the international charity Samaritan's Purse condemns the NFL's threat that the bill could scotch Atlanta's Super Bowl bid, and urges supporters to "stand up against this NFL blitz."
"LGBT forces and corporate super powers are using this threat to try to stop the bill that would protect pastors from performing same-sex marriages and give faith-based organizations permission to deny use of their facilities for things outside their religious beliefs," Graham writes.
"It does not legalize discrimination as opponents are trying to say, rather it helps contain the growing discrimination against Christians who simply want to live out their faith."
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is opposed to the bill, which has passed the Georgia legislature and awaits the signature of Gov. Nathan Deal — and the NFL acknowledges the measure could
impact the selection process for the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowl.
Indiana passed a
similar bill last year, but then
rolled back some of the harsher provisions after a public outcry.
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