{"id":1854,"date":"2016-09-09T01:38:28","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T05:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=1854"},"modified":"2017-11-26T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T01:04:11","slug":"franklin-graham-prayer-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2016\/09\/09\/franklin-graham-prayer-rally\/","title":{"rendered":"Franklin Graham prayer rally in Boston: \u2018We&#8217;re on the verge of losing our nation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Ladies and gentlemen, we&#8217;re on the verge of losing our nation,\u201d Franklin Graham, son of the famous Christian evangelist Billy Graham, told thousands who\u2019d come to Boston Common for his Aug. 30, 2016, prayer rally. The midday event was part of his presidential election year \u201cDecision America Tour,\u201d which is billed as a 50-state tour \u201curging Christians to vote, to live out their faith in every part of their lives, and to pray for our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have a problem and that problem is sin,&#8221; Graham said. He criticized abortion, same sex marriage, &#8220;the entertainment industry that uses sex and gun violence as entertainment,&#8221; political correctness, &#8220;secularists and progressives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1851\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1851\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0845w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1851\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0845w-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Franklin Graham speaks at his \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0845w-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0845w-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0845w-508x338.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0845w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1851\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Franklin Graham speaks at his \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYou may be asking the question today,\u201d Graham told the crowd, \u201cmaybe you&#8217;ve come and you&#8217;ve been wanting to know, you look at the political landscape, and you look at, this is an election year, and you&#8217;re saying to yourself, &#8216;What can I do?&#8217; Vote.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Graham called for prayer in public schools. &#8220;Freedom of religion means I can live my religion out on the street, in politics, in my business. &#8230; The progressives don&#8217;t want you to have that. They want to take that away from you.&#8221; In the 2016 presidential election, he said, &#8220;now it&#8217;s down to two people, and you can choose, I&#8217;m not telling you who to vote for. &#8230; Our country&#8217;s in trouble. You&#8217;ve got to vote now. You may have to go to the polls, you might even have to hold your nose, but vote.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos copyright Greg Cook.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1846\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1846\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0696w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1846\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0696w-1024x720.jpg\" alt=\"Audience members hold hands at Franklin Graham's \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0696w-1024x720.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0696w-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0696w-508x357.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0696w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1846\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Audience members hold hands at Franklin Graham&#8217;s \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1850\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1850\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0804w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1850\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0804w-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Franklin Graham's \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0804w-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0804w-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0804w-508x338.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0804w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1850\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Franklin Graham&#8217;s \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1848\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1848\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0730w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1848\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0730w-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Franklin Graham's \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0730w-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0730w-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0730w-508x338.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0730w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1848\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Franklin Graham&#8217;s \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1847\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1847\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0712w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1847\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0712w-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Franklin Graham's \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0712w-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0712w-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0712w-508x764.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0712w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1847\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Franklin Graham&#8217;s \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1852\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1852\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0865w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1852\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0865w-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"A protester of Franklin Graham's \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0865w-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0865w-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0865w-508x338.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0865w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1852\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester of Franklin Graham&#8217;s \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1853\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1853\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0871w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1853\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0871w-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"A protester of Franklin Graham's \u201cDecision America Tour&quot; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0871w-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0871w-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0871w-508x338.jpg 508w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/picFranklinGramDecisionTourPrayerRallyBostonCommon160830_0871w.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1853\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester of Franklin Graham&#8217;s \u201cDecision America Tour&#8221; prayer rally on Boston Common, Aug. 30, 2016. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Ladies and gentlemen, we&#8217;re on the verge of losing our nation,\u201d Franklin Graham, son of the famous Christian evangelist Billy Graham, told thousands who\u2019d come to Boston Common for his Aug. 30, 2016, prayer rally. The midday event was part of his presidential election year \u201cDecision America Tour,\u201d which is billed as a 50-state tour [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,108],"tags":[37,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1854"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1860,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854\/revisions\/1860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}