(Photo: MSNBC)Evangelist Franklin Graham appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program Feb. 21, 2012.
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One day after drawing fire for comments some saw as questioning whether or not Barack Obama was a Christian, the Rev. Franklin Graham clarified his position on the president's faith, and clearly declared he could never support a candidate who supports abortion.
"I don't question the president's faith. I'm not questioning whether he's a Christian," Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, said on CNN. "I disagree with his position on abortion."
On Tuesday, Graham was asked to judge whether President Obama was Christian by MSNBC. By not offering a straight answer Graham left himself open to criticism. "You have to ask him… He has said he's a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is," Graham said.
However, Graham was slightly more assured when asked about the faith of the other presidential candidates. When asked whether or not Rick Santorum was a Christian, Graham said, "I think so."
When pressed as to why Santorum's faith was clearer than Obama's, Graham added, "Well, because his values are so clear on moral issues. No question about it. I just appreciate the moral stances he takes on things."
On Newt Gingrich's faith, Graham said, "I think Newt is a Christian. At least he told me he is."
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However, Graham re-emphasized his ambivalent stance on the President's faith during the CNN interview Wednesday.
"The president has said he's a Christian, and we'll just leave it at that," Graham told CNN's Kyra Phillips. "Only God knows the heart of all of these candidates."
Graham also clearly stated that he could not support President Obama, regardless of his faith, because of his stance on abortion.
"He supports abortion, and I just cannot support that," Graham said. "The other candidates are more in line with my views on this."
"I personally like the president," Graham added. "He is a very nice man, he is a very gracious man, but he is just absolutely wrong when it comes to supporting abortion."
Phillips went on to take a shot at Graham, saying that he sounded like "a Republican in preacher's clothing."
However, Graham laughed off the comments, saying, "Whether it's a Republican or a Democrat, I don't care. If they support abortion, I'm not going to vote for them. It's as simple as that – I cannot do it."
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