Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee recently criticized implications U.S. President Barack Obama made regarding Christianity at last week's National Prayer Breakfast, arguing that the President shows unwavering sympathy toward Islam but seems to "go against" Christianity and Judaism at every opportunity.
"Everything he does is against what Christians stand for, and he's against the Jews in Israel. The one group of people that can know they have his undying, unfailing support would be the Muslim community. It doesn't matter whether it's the radical Muslim community or the more moderate Muslim community," the former Baptist minister said on "Fox and Friends" on Monday.
Huckabee's comments were made in regard to President Obama's controversial comments last Thursday morning that violence rooted in religion isn't exclusive to Islam, but has been carried out by Christians as well.
"We see [the Islamic State terrorist group,] a brutal vicious death cult that in the name of religion carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism," the President said, criticizing the group for "claiming the mantle of religious authority for such actions."
He added, "Unless we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ."
Huckabee also took issue with the president's depiction of how Christianity had been used in the debate over civil rights.
"It was the pulpits of America - yeah, some of them were wrong - but many of them were the ones who brought the conscious of the nation to get them right," Huckabee said, adding that many Christian pastors were key leaders in the civil rights movement.
Other Christian leaders have criticized the President's comments as well, including Samaritan's Purse CEO and President Franklin Graham.
"Mr. President--Many people in history have used the name of Jesus Christ to accomplish evil things for their own desires," Rev. Graham wrote on his Facebook page. "But Jesus taught peace, love and forgiveness. He came to give His life for the sins of mankind, not to take life. Mohammad on the contrary was a warrior and killed many innocent people. True followers of Christ emulate Christ -- true followers of Mohammed emulate Mohammed."
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas megachurch in Texas, argued that Jesus would be greatly angered by Obama's comparison of Christianity and Islam.
"I would imagine that Jesus would be outraged that the president would willfully mischaracterize a movement like Christianity that bears Christ's name," Jeffress said during a segment of The O'Reilly Factor. "I believe that Jesus, who said that it would be better to be cast into the sea than to harm a child, would be incensed that Obama would dare link Christianity to ISIS, an organization that tortures children, buries them alive and crucifies them. I think he'd be outraged by it."
