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June 10th, 2012
02:07 PM ET
Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar on his daughter: 'She was not punched'By Steve Almasy, CNN Atlanta (CNN) - Telling thousands of parishioners that he should never have been arrested, Pastor Creflo Dollar said at his Sunday morning service he neither choked nor punched his 15-year-old daughter, as she claimed in a report to police. Dollar, senior pastor of World Changers Church International in suburban Atlanta, told congregants in the sprawling megachurch and listening at one of more than a dozen satellite churches that when the facts of the case come out, they will be "appalled." "The truth is, she was not choked. She was not punched," Dollar said. On Friday, deputies responding to a 911 call photographed a scratch on the daughter's neck and arrested Dollar on charges of simple battery, family violence and child cruelty. Dollar said the mark on his daughter's neck is more than 10 years old, the result of eczema, a skin condition. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories "I want the church family to know that all is well in the Dollar household," he said, in his first public comments since spending more than 12 hours in jail. He immediately addressed the issue upon taking the pulpit Sunday, speaking for nearly eight minutes about the challenge of raising children and denying he had hurt to his daughter. After Dollar told the crowd about the skin abrasion, one man yelled, "Case dismissed!" Dollar's daughter said she argued with her father over attending a party, investigator Brent Rowan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Office told CNN on Friday. Rowan said the daughter told the deputies that her father charged her, put his hands around her throat and began to choke her, according to a police report. She said he then slammed her to the ground, punched her and beat her with his shoe. Deputies also spoke with another daughter, 19, who corroborated her sister's account of what happened. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Dollar blamed the devil for causing the controversy, saying that to discredit his message of "prosperity gospel," the enemy must discredit the messenger. Prosperity ministers preach that God rewards the faithful with wealth and spiritual gifts. Pastors such as T.D. Jakes, Dollar and Joel Osteen have become the Prosperity Gospel's most well known preachers, building megachurches and business empires with a message equating piety with prosperity. Dollar's church claims about 30,000 members and has an $18 million, 8,500-seat sanctuary about 15 miles from downtown Atlanta. Friday's incident was emotionally charged and escalated from an argument, Dollar said Sunday. But he never intended bodily harm to anyone, he assured the audience. "I love her with all my heart," he said, shaking his head with conviction. Creflo Dollar's Prosperity Gospel finds followers and critics He cited a Bible verse from Psalms that talks about malicious witness against the good man, and evil men delighting when he stumbled. He later, during his sermon, also joked about the arrest, saying that being a religious man sent to jail "upped my resume." "Paul ... Jesus ... and Creflo," he said to a huge cheer. The pastor, known for his pinstriped suits, laughed at being clothed in a yellow jumpsuit and sandals while being handcuffed and being held in a cell. For most of the service, Dollar spoke of the people being "the righteousness of God by faith," the third in a series of sermons he prepared weeks ago, he said. "No weapon that forms against you shall prosper," he reminded the audience, citing scripture. At the end of the more than hourlong appearance, he said that he was persevering thanks to God's love. "And we couldn't do it without the love of you brothers and sisters." After the service, congregants declined to comment on Dollar's appearance. Since he started his ministry in an elementary school cafeteria in 1986, Dollar has earned praise and criticism. Supporters say he has preached a message that's financially empowered his parishioners and challenged the idea that Christians should be ashamed to be rich. Critics call him "Cash-Flow Dollar," and say his message perverts the Gospel. CNN's John Murgatroyd and John Blake contributed to this report. soundoff (2,056 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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All is well in the Dollar household folks. Don't waste your energy attempting to discredit him. Invest that time into being the best you that God intended for you to be and fulfilling His will for your life.
How do YOU know "all is well in the Dollar household"? Why should anyone take your word for Gospel?
No one has go take my word for anything. But what I am saying is that we invest so much attention to things that don't add any value to our lives.
All is not well in any household where two children accuse a parent of a violent attack. If that's what you consider well then you must have been raise in a prison.
Then why did you make the claim, Supp? Are you intimately acquainted with the Dollars? Because otherwise, you have no idea whether all is well in that household. And if you're not intimately acquainted with anyone posting here, it's none of your friggin' business how much attention anyone else invests in any issue, nor are you qualified to render judgment as to whether anyone uses his or her time in such a way as to add value to life or not.
My faith in the Word of God tells me that if you trust God even in the most difficult situations of your life, that God will turn it around for your good. I'm not knocking anyone on here for their opinion so please don't take an aggressive stance on anything I say. We can respectfully agree to disagree. When I say something that adds value I'm saying that this story doesn't provide us with oxygen to breathe, food on our tables, life or death... So why expend so much energy on a private family matter you know. Especially when the only information we have is what the media is reporting and what the police reports say...
Arrests for beating children aren't a private family matter once you decide to pursue public life. It's a price of fame and fortune. No one forced Mr. Dollar to pursue tv and book deals. No one forced him to expand his audience and make himself known.
Then don't make claims about something you know nothing about, Supporter. If you don't have first-hand knowledge of what went on in the Dollar household, don't claim that "all is well" there. You're no better than the media when you make such unsupported statements as if you were stating facts.
Tom, my personal knowledge of the actual events still wouldn't change some people's mind. That's why I haven't pushed that issue. This is great convo by the way. It's enlightening.
Stop back-pedaling. What you did was lie.
And I don't have any "convo" with your kind, Supporter. You're no better than Dollar.
My kind is actually sleepy now... Thanks Tom! 🙂
Blow me.
@supporter sorry buddy, you were born into the wrong religion, the correct supernatural being is Damarri, of the Australian aborigines. Have fun burning in h3ll
Can I beat my daughter and be a good man as well?
First priority: protect position as pastor, protect income, belittle my daughter and the police... deny everything.
Second priority: get a good attorney, try to make all this go away... oh, and get back to making money...
Daddy's who beat on their daughters, make it easier for the next man in their lives to do the same. He should never have gone before his church, and belittled his children. Not a fatherly thing to do....religion or not.
So VERY true.
Fr the article: He later, during his sermon, also joked about the arrest, saying that being a religious man sent to jail "upped my resume."
"Paul ... Jesus ... and Creflo," he said to a huge cheer...<
He should NOT be equating himself with TRUE believers in prison. He needs to be defrocked, IMMEDIATELY..
Blane
Anyone who doesn't agree with you, Tom, is an asshat. What a little man you are
Actually, Blane, even if you did agree with Tom, you'd likely still be an asshat!
says Fred the liberal
Correction, Fred the canadian. You have no business commenting on this site. It's not your news.
Says Blane, the Bozo.
Figures Blane is another sock puppet for Captain Ass hole.
If I understand correctly the scriptures he preaches admonish obedience to those that have authority of you. The police had an obligation to investigate and act whether the allegation was founded or unfounded. If he practices what he preaches he should have complied and yielded to the authorities and not lambast them in front of his mega-congregation.
Blane says "And I'll bet you are a liberal, Fred".
Worse, Blane, I'm Canadian. However, we have idiots up here in Canada, too. They do tend to be nice, like most Canadians, but they're still idiots. Hopefully, you don't have to be a liberal to understand that Dollar is a crook.
Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son
"Are you a moron?" Does a bear sh1t in the woods? Is the pope Catholic?
Of course he's a moron.
Tom, cut me some slack! I did say it was a rhetorical question. With idiots like Blane, I find it best to ask the question and give the answer at the same time. It saves them all sorts of effort.
Honey, If you don't recognize Blane as a complete asshat, I can't help you and I can't cut you any slack, either.
Anyone who doesn't agree with you, Tom, is an asshat. What a little man you are.
And what a little dick you are. I'm female, sh!t-for-brains.
Until all the FACTS come out we can continue to speculate what happened until the cows come home. He has a teenage daughter who is 15 and wanted to go to a party. In this day and age, enough said.
Right you are!
Rachel, even if the "facts" do come out, people like Dollar will just twist them to suit himself, to make himself look like the victim so that he can fleece more silly dolts out of their hard earned money. Just read the news and you'll agree that fact is just another 4-letter word.
And stupid you are, Blane the Inane.
He has a 19 year old who gave the cops a similar story. Enough said.
Somebody is lying. If it's the daughter, we'll soon know, because she's incapable of holding up such a lie for long. If it's him, of course he'll fry in hell later, but for now – in THIS reality absent inside his head due to a core perversion wherein he is driven to abuse and denial while knowing he's lying through his teeth but the checks will keep coming – he'll eventually murder his daughter for ratting him out. After she'd dead, he'll deny it and the checks will STILL keep coming.
Jesus LOATHED men like this pervert who beats little girls and sells tickets to heaven so he can wear diamonds given by other perverts who don't care if he murders a hundred people.
Wow! And I thought I was bitter about organized religions run by rascals like Dollar. I like it!
Through out history, all sort of atrocities have been carried out in the name of one God or another. Is it really such a surprise that a simply assault can be smoothed over by a "man of God". If there is a God, I hope He take his middle finger and plants Dollar into the ground with it.
I kinda hope he hooks said finger around Blane and Bob, too.
Hey Creflo: Paul and Jesus went to jail for spreading the word of God, not allegations of simple battery, family violence and child cruelty. Bad comparison there fella. Just sayin'.
The liberals who are complaining about Creflo Dollar are the same ones who campaigned to take corporal punishment out of the schools. As a result, kids have gone wild and you get incidents like this one with Creflo.
Bring back the good old fashioned "board of education."
Get bent, troll.
People who can't keep their own house in order usually blame others. Instead of owning up to your own problems you blame liberals, this preacher blames his own daughter, you are equally pathetic.
Sorry, but it was liberals who took corporal punishment out of the schools.
Corporal punishment in schools?! Are you a moron? Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. The majority of troubled kids I come across are a result of broken homes. Their parents, the ones who can't show commitment, likely did suffer corporal punishment when they were in school and look what it got them?
"Are you a moron?" Does a bear sh1t in the woods? Is the pope Catholic?
Of course he's a moron.
And I'll bet you are a liberal, Fred.
And nobody cares what you bet, Blane.
Blame educate yourself. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_corporal_punishment. Corporal punishment is allowed in 31 states including Georgia. Argument debunked, argument ridiculous
It is NOT allowed in my state. It was most definitely the liberals who took it out.
Congrats blaming your inability to raise a child on your state now... sad... move
I raised my children and with physical punishment, I might add. They all turned out to be stellar human beings.
I would love for someone like you to be bold enough to lay a hand on my child.
Blane, you may have reared your children using physical punishment, many people do and their kids turn out ok in spite of it. However, I'd have to disagree with your assessment that they turned out stellar. Unless I were to be able to speak to them and ask them what they REALLY thought of your ways of punishment, THEN I'd have an answer to you.
Blane claims: "They all turned out to be stellar human beings."
I doubt they're yours, biologically or psychologically. Good thing for everyone.
HE IS NOT A SLOB – ONLY SLOBS STRIKE THEIR CHILDREN..........What? SO.... If you are well dressed, and wear a 15 hundred dollar suit you have an invisible shield that stops you from choking your children?? If you are well groomed you can't possibly lose your temper? If you have expensive shoes, you obviously tell the truth? Gee...wonder what his kid was wearing the night he choked her, knocked her down , and beat her with one of his designer shoes? What was his older daughter wearing ...the one who witnessed the abuse, and said the younger one was telling the truth? was she dressed in rags and not worthy because she was a slob? Seems to me, that Jesus didn't have designer labels!
"ONLY SLOBS STRIKE THEIR CHILDREN"
All caps? Must be true.
😉
I really hate how people who are Atheist, against religion, etc. take the approach of mocking other people's beliefs to prove what exactly? I mean, this one Pastor is not a representation of Christianity as a whole, or any other Christian in this World. But for the naysayers, this is your air! Bad examples of religion giving you fodder to spew your dismay of religion, AS IF, there aren't bad people in ALL walks of life, ESPECIALLY in good old America where money corrupts any and everyone. Who cares what Creflo Dollar did? I mean seriously? It matters more as a parent what happened than anything to do with this job, because no human is perfect, despite what he does for a living. DESPITE WHAT HE DOES FOR A LIVING. Anyway, not sure why I waste time arguing with people who are on here just to argue....
"Who cares what Creflo Dollar did?" Seriously?
If accurate, the children's description goes WELL beyond the pale of acceptable use of force. If you don't care about a strong case of potential child endangerment, you must be seriously damaged.
Spare the rod spoil the child is not in the Bible. Find me one example of our most moral leaders who beat their children or were beaten as children. Mother Tressea, Billy Grahm, Ghandi? Any of you who are blaming the misbehavior of your children on laws that forbid you from beating them, are terrible parents.
Aaaah...yeeeah...Ghandi...Not a good example in this case. Ghandi admittedly slept naked in the same bed with children...no bueno...
riiiiiight....his statement doesnt even have the faintest ring of truth,.....
Pastor Dollar should have never called his daughters, "malicious witnesses." He needs to stop talking! His own words will be used against him. He is not being honest. Using trickery with his words and distancing himself in his speech from the situation, makes him appear more guilty!
Now I see why rich people send their children off to school! Spare the rod spoil the child. Let the government raise all out of control teens, since they want to tell the parents how to bring them up -( without the rod on their back side)!
Yep. Spare the rod, spoil the child.
Confirmation that Blane is another bozo who never got the message as to the real meaning of that phrase.
Thanks for proving what most sensible readers here already suspected, Blane the Bozo.
And here is Tom the pukehead.
And here is Blane the bonehead.
Wow, people like Blane still exist??? OF course they do, they are the FaithHEADS who follow the magical mythical teachings of the Bronze Age Sky Daddy....
I bet all of the country's prison population was spared the rod...Oh wait, that's bs. I bet kids who get beaten at home never do drugs, commit crimes, or resent their parents. Wait...that's also bs. Do any of you think before you type? One liners justifying child abuse make you look just as backwards as an conservative can look.
I've seen Creflo in action. He fully practices what he fully preaches. He has provided sanctuary for many Believers. Although he actively preaches on God TV, you'll find him working actively in his community.
HE IS NOT A SLOB – ONLY SLOBS STRIKE THEIR CHILDREN.
Do you think Creflo is a slob.
Reflect very closely on what he actually does.
Do we do good work together? Creflo does good work & so should you?
Is this judgment yours?
I would never judge the good work of Creflo A. Dollar.
I welcome the good work of Creflo A. Dollar.
Naturally, I'm very biased to good works in the community & so should you be.
Do we do good work together or do you want to fall apart?
It does not bother me in the slightest if you fall apart, but I know I can do very good work with Creflo A. Dollar.
ACQUIT CREFLO A. DOLLAR ON MY MANY GOOD WORDS.
The case will be tried on what he did in a moment of rage. The rest of his works will mean little or nothing.
Put down the Kool-Aid Dave.
"Do you want to fall apart?"
What kind of stupid question is that?
All the liberals on here are screaming child abuse, child abuse but all it really was was good old fashioned discipline.
Abuse is not discipline. If you can't tell the difference, you shouldn't be a parent.
Glad I wasn't your kid. Psycho.
Blane is just another sadist clothed in holy sheepskin.
I bet Blane believes we should kill our children for being disobedient. Maybe bash a few babies on the rocks, eh?
If choking and punching is what you call discipline then you are more of a psycho than we thought.