Franklin Graham slams Booker: 'Obvious he doesn't understand the power of prayer'

close

Video

Franklin Graham: Cory Booker doesn't understand the power of prayer

Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham reacts to the 2020 hopeful calling 'thoughts and prayers' after gun violence 'bulls---.'

The Rev. Franklin Graham took Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to task for saying that "thoughts and prayers" are useless in the wake of national tragedies involving guns.

"More people in my lifetime have died in this nation due to gun violence and then all of the wars and revolution wars now. We are not going to give thoughts and prayers, which to me is just bullsh*t," Booker told CNN over the weekend.

BOOKER VOWS TO BRING 'FIGHT TO THE NRA LIKE NEVER BEFORE' WITH GUN CONTROL PROPOSALS

The president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association told "Fox & Friends" Monday morning it's obvious Booker "doesn't understand the power of prayer."

"God hears prayer. He understands prayer," Graham said. "You can take all the guns in the world and collect them. People are still going to murder, people are still going to kill."

GALLERY COVERS ‘AMERICA AND ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS’ ARTWORK AFTER MUSLIMS CALL IT 'BLASPHEMOUS'

The evangelical leader from North Carolina points to London, where the mayor banned guns and the murder rate increased with people using knives.

ATTACK ON BIBLE DISPLAY 'LATEST IN A DISTURBING TREND TO DISHONOR VETERANS': FIRST LIBERTY

"It's the human heart," Graham said. "The world has a sin problem and only God can fix that. You can have all the laws you want. You can take all the guns and put them in Central Park and have a mountain of guns. The human heart has to change. And not one gun is going to walk outside the park and shoot somebody. It takes a human being to pick up that gun and have the purpose in their heart to use that gun for the wrong purposes."

He concluded: "I just believe that we need to turn our hearts to God and let him transform our hearts and change our hearts."

TAYLOR UNIVERSITY STUDENT STARTS 'I LIKE MIKE' CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF PENCE

Graham's comments come as Vice President Mike Pence, who has received significant backlash for his outspoken faith, told Liberty University graduates over the weekend they will be "ridiculed" for their beliefs.

"Some of the loudest voices for tolerance today, have little tolerance for traditional Christian beliefs," Pence said. "You're not just going to be asked to tolerate things that violate your faith. You're going to be asked to endorse them."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Graham celebrated Pence's speech and said he agrees with him.