Franklin Graham: Secular government 'has only taken place in the last few years'

Rev. Franklin Graham argued on Wednesday that the U.S. government had been secular for "the last few years," and that the Christian God was the only thing that could turn around the nation.

During an interview with CNN, Graham said that he was traveling the country to urge evangelicals to get out and vote for candidates who based their policies on the Christian faith.

"I'm going from state to state, holding prayer rallies on the capitol steps of the state, asking people to join me to pray for this nation, and to pray for our leaders," he explained. "Our country is in trouble and I can tell you right now, I have zero hope in the Democratic Party and I have zero hope in the Republican Party. The only hope for this nation is God."

"We have no individual that can turn this thing around. Only God can do it."

Graham agreed that some of the presidential candidates had good ideas, but "those good ideas aren't going to anywhere without the hand of almighty God."

"I believe that God has blessed this nation, that his hand has been on this nation, but we have taken God out of our country," he insisted. "We have taken him out of politics, we have taken him out of schools, out of the education system and we are a broken nation."

The reverend warned that the nation is "only going to be fixed if the American people turn from their sins and put their faith and trust in almighty God."

"I believe the Bible is the word of God from cover to cover, and I believe every word of it is true," Graham noted. "And I hope people will vote for candidates that live the word of God."

CNN host Chris Cuomo wondered what that meant for Christian candidates who "respect the law of the land" that protects the rights of LGBT couples to get married.

"You talk about us being a secular government, a secular society -- that's only taken place in the last few years," Graham opined. "Our nation was founded on biblical principles. Our founding fathers recognized God. All you have to do is go to Washington and look at all of our monuments with the inscriptions and references to almighty God."

"We know that the Christian faith is not the rule for all," Cuomo interrupted. "Under the Constitution, you don't see God mentioned until the signature page."

"I respect the law of the land that has been approved by the Constitution," Graham shot back. "And I don't think the judges in Washington can just make law. That's not what they do, but that's what they've done as it relates to same-sex marriage."

"I think we need a nationwide referendum on this and let's see what the people say," he concluded.

Watch the video below from CNN's New Day, broadcast Feb. 3, 2016.