Popular evangelist Franklin Graham has offered an encouraging message to those "living in fear because of [their] sins" in the wake of the Ashley Madison hacking scandal, reminding those who used the website to engage in extramarital affairs that God willing and able to take away their guilt and shame.
"Ashley Madison, the cheating website, continues to be in the news. Their slogan is 'Life is short. Have an affair,'" Graham, who is the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday. "This is partly true - life is short! Much shorter than imagined for some."
The 63-year-old evangelist, who is the son of Billy Graham, also lamented the fact that several individuals have taken their own lives due to the "shame and embarrassment of their sin being made public" after hacktivists released 37 million users' records.
However, he offered a word of encouragement to those living in fear because of their sins: "I want you to know that your sins can be forgiven. God can take away your guilt and shame and give you a new life," he wrote. "But you have to be willing to turn from your sin and put your faith in His Son Jesus Christ - to trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as your Lord."
Graham continued his message by citing 1 John 1:9, which reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"Life is short. Get ready for eternity today," he wrote. "Jesus is waiting and eager to hear your prayer."
The post included a link to Forgive.me, a website that encourages people to start a "new life with Christ."
The Ashley Madison breach has already generated hundreds of scandals, with email addresses used for the website linked to U.S. government officials and law enforcement, U.K. civil servants, and European and North American corporations.
Embattled "19 Kids and Counting" star Josh Duggar was also among those exposed in the leak after Gawker revealed he had paid over $1,000 for two separate accounts.
Meanwhile, Ashley Madison's Canadian parent company Avid Life Media is offering close to $380,000 reward for information on the hackers, who call themselves The Impact Team.
"This hack is one of the largest data breaches in the world and is very unique on its own in that it exposed tens of millions of people's personal information," Evans of the Toronto police said, the BBC reported.
He added that police are seeking information from the wider hacker community that might help in their investigation.
