New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to join left-wing activists in pillorying the Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse for its otherwise noble coronavirus relief efforts has earned him the ire of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
In an op-ed, the organization’s CEO, William Donohue, described de Blasio as a “delinquent mayor” and accused him of being “worried that someone who is sick with coronavirus may catch the ‘Christian virus.’”
“Is he paranoid? Or just a bigot?” he wrote.
The mayor’s likely both, though he’s not alone in his clear-cut bigotry.
After the charity — a creation of renowned Christian evangelist and missionary Rev. Franklin Graham — recently erected a makeshift coronavirus ward/hospital in NYC’s Central Park, anti-Christian left-wing activists pounced.
Look:
The makeshift hospital in Central Park is being built and run by Samaritan’s Purse, the relief organization run by the notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ minister Franklin Graham. pic.twitter.com/QnNKDTVqyi
— Judah Robinson (@judah_robinson) March 31, 2020
Has the city simply overlooked the organization’s discriminatory history? Or has the city gotten assurances that LGBTQ+ patients won’t be turned away and treated with dignity?
And if so, how does the city plan to monitor and enforce this?@NYCMayor @NYCSpeakerCoJo
— Judah Robinson (@judah_robinson) March 31, 2020
New Yorkers are right to be skeptical of Evangelical-run Coronavirus ward in Central Park. Also, Christians aren’t persecuted in America. – https://t.co/GGAV39h4xs my latest via @thedailybeast
— Jonathan Merritt (@JonathanMerritt) April 2, 2020
Samaritan’s Purse, the group behind the 68-bed field hospital in Central Park, are loathsome, anti-gay, Islamophobic bigots whose volunteers have signed a pledge that “the unrighteous are sentenced to “everlasting punishment in hell.” https://t.co/vFDxJaDnxO
— Molly Crabapple🇵🇷 (@mollycrabapple) March 31, 2020
It’s a shame that the federal government has left New York with no other choice but to accept charity from bigots. https://t.co/rFSDitIn5Q
— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) March 31, 2020
God bless all healthcare workers, but vicious homophobe Franklin Graham is setting up a Central Park Samaritan’s Purse field hospital for Christian doctors and nurses who must agree to condemn gay marriage. This isn’t Christianity, medicine or humanity
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) March 30, 2020
De Blasio, who’s already under fire for threatening to shutter places of worship that don’t abide by his shutdown order, soon followed suit.
During a press conference Tuesday, he said that he’d found it “very troubling” when he first learned of the charity’s plans.
“I said immediately to my team that we had to find out exactly what was happening,” he reportedly said. “Was there going to be an approach that was truly consistent with the values and the laws in New York City, that everyone would be served and served equally?”
While Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization whose founder, Rev. Graham, believes in and has lobbied on behalf of traditional marriage — which many Americans also support — the accusation that it must, therefore, be guilty of discriminating against homosexuals is a clear-cut form of anti-Christian bigotry.
One not based in reality:
Has Samaritan’s purse ever been credibly accused of turning away needy people for being gay? https://t.co/y6THBvJ2s0
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 2, 2020
It’s the same bigotry that the chicken fast food restaurant Chick-fil-A has faced, despite its track record of treating everybody — including gays — like rock stars.
De Blasio then admitted during the presser that he’d received “assurances” that Samaritan’s Purse would behave.
“I spoke earlier today with the CEO of the Mount Sinai system, Dr. Ken Davis, who was adamant that they will only continue their relationship with the organization if those rules are followed, that they have a written agreement, that there’s going to be no discrimination whatsoever,” he said.
Nevertheless, he continued, he plans to closely scrutinize the charity’s behavior, even as he authorizes the release of countless criminals.
“We’re going to send people over from the Mayor’s Office to monitor,” he said. “So I’m very concerned to make sure this is done right. But if it is done right, of course, we need all the help we can get.”
Samaritan’s Pursue has for its part issued a statement through the media disputing the unsubstantiated allegations that it intends to discriminate.
“Every patient that is transferred to Samaritan’s Pursue through Mt. Sinai will be given expert, compassionate care, with no distinction based on religion or any other qualification, including insurance status,” the charity said.
To clear up any confusion:
people have asked me, since our @CBSThisMorning report, whether Samaritans purse is turning away LGBTQ Covid patients at their field hospital in Central Park due to SP’s statement of faith. I asked them. Their answer: absolutely not.
Their statement 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/mUesDbmwZW— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) April 2, 2020
Graham has echoed this sentiment.
“We’re coming to help the people of New York, and of course we don’t discriminate,” he said earlier this week to Sean Spicer of Newsmax. “We love everybody the same, and I want everyone to know that God loves them too.”
Listen:
“We’re coming to help the people of New York, and of course we don’t discriminate,” @Franklin_Graham tells @seanspicer on his COVID-19 relief efforts.
“We love everybody the same, and I want everyone to know that God loves them too.” https://t.co/VlT7z8drtO pic.twitter.com/T2AtJlZJWt
— Newsmax (@newsmax) April 1, 2020
Despite all this, the anti-Christian bigotry on Twitter continues unabated, though it’s slowly but surely beginning to be drowned out by the voices of those who genuinely believe (versus pretend to believe) that love trumps hate.
Look:
Samaritan’s Purse and My Pillow are going to help fight a virus. You keyboard warriors who’d rather fight the helpful Christians being can refuse their help when you get the virus if you like. But that’s no reason to deprive everyone else of their help.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) April 1, 2020
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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