Franklin Graham Compares Okla. Capitol Removal of Ten Commandments to Islamic State

Well-known evangelist Franklin Graham has compared the recent removal of a Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma Capitol building to recent violence against Christians in the Middle East carried out by the Islamic State terror group.

Graham recently took to social media to express his sentiment regarding the removal of the Ten Commandments monument from the Capitol building. The monument was reportedly removed after it was found to be a violation of the separation of church and state.

"We have been appalled at news reports of ISIS and the Islamic State tearing down all symbols of Christianity in the Middle East; but think about it — we're doing it to ourselves here in the U.S. Atheists, activists, and anti-God groups like the ACLU, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Military Freedom of Religion Foundation are on a quest to erase or tear down anything associated with the Name of Jesus Christ," Graham wrote in a Facebook post.

"What are these people thinking? We need God's laws — these are the laws that have helped society flourish," Graham added.

Several officials, including Okla. Gov. Mary Fallin, spoke out in support of the monument, arguing that the Ten Commandments were more of a representation of the United States' historical values, rather than religious values.

The commandments were recently removed from the Capitol grounds in the middle of the night to avoid protests. The two-ton monument was moved to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a local conservative think tank.