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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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"She was not choked."
Which is of course why your other daughter confirmed those details with the police.
That also explains why after being so called attacked by a grown man she sustained a scratch. Lets see he lunged towards her and choked her and punched her and beat her with a shoe. All from a grown man and she has a scratch? First off it was 1am and she is 15. Any parent has a responsibility to protect their kids. Not to mention that a crowd of 15 yr olds on the streets at 1 am is never a good idea. 'Kids out of control these days'. Y©u peopl€ cant have it both ways.
And by "the Devil" he means a red guy with pointy tail, bat wings and horns? Or he is blaming an imaginary being? I'm confused.
Dollar blamed the devil for causing the controversy, saying that to discredit his message of "prosperity gospel," the enemy must discredit the messenger.
In other words, what he just said was "I hit her because god told me to, and she retaliated by calling 911". GOOD GIRL!!
I don't know the facts. But he clearly said "I didn't hit her."
I've noticed over the years that a fair amount of non-believers refer to God more than some believers do.
As a preacher's kid, I feel compelled to put in two cents worth here. My home was the envy of my friends, who wished they could have my dad for their parent. "He's so cool," they would tell me. "You're so lucky." I was NOT at all lucky, and would have traded places in an instant with most of them - my father was a fantastic minister to his flock. But to me, he was a cold perfectionist – cruel and heartless in ways people couldn't begin to imagine. I was belittled, criticized, put down, and, yes, hit. I was also a straight A honor student, gifted musician, and National Merit and Presidential Scholar – not because of my father, but in spite of him. The "perfect lives" claimed by pastors in their clergy homes are among the most suspect to me, because I have lived first hand in a home where the appearance of perfection was everything, and the reality was entirely different. Dollar reminds me of the despot I grew up with, and I grieve for his children if a tenth of this story is true.
I am sensing your father was a denominational preacher who did not believe in the gifts or power of the Holy Spirit for believers today. Is such a person called of G-d or of G-d? I personally do not think so, being myself a convert to following Jesus as Lord. The Bible tells us to avoid those who preach the Word of G-d but deny the power of the Word. See 2Tim 3:5. The Power of God enables us to do the works of Jesus – raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons etc – see Mark 16, Matthew 28.
To live the Word of God is amazing...As a Spirit filled believer who believes that G-d wants His children to prosper, have peace and be successful; not just the playboy and hollywood crowd, I support the message of Creflo Dollar. The foundation of prosperity is the gospel of Love – Kenneth Hagin who was the mentor of Creflo's group, taught that without faith you could not please G-d and that faith works by love. Both are based on direct scripture.
Both are essential – being Spirit filled with the evidence of speaking in other tongues for the individual believer (Simon SAW them receive the Holy Spirit and wanted to have the same power – there is a manifestation. See Acts 8:18) ; and living the Word of God...
If a preacher fails in either, he will be exposed as a liar someday, as G-d cannot be mocked; even as His Mercy is eternal...
@liz48 God doesn't want you to be rich. Lay not up gold upon this earth. You are endangering your immortal soul with every breath out of your mouth. God doesn't want you to be driving a Cadillac or a Bentley; God doesn't care about your clothes or your jewels. He made the ore in the earth and the rocks you weigh down your spirit with. The word of God does not include the glorification of wealth or the body. You must reach out your hand to your brother; preach the Good News and walk in humility. Every second you spend making money, or giving money to Creflo Dollar is a second you could be ministering to the poor in spirit or the wounded heart. This man is of the flesh and will be repudiated by the Lord.
The first one without sin cast the first stone! It so easy to point the finger at others, some young teens are so disrespectful that they forget to respect their parents are. Some parents should have the right to stump the devil right out of their children and then maybe it wouldn't be so many teens dead today! I believe what happen happen! I also believe she destroy her dad reputation that took him 28 years to build up, she tore it down within hours. Shame on her!
I believe you be a idji. You be eatin' up wid de dumb azz.
Yeoman, nobody "stump"s (whatever THAT means) anyone. What dollar signs did was CHILD ABUSE, and his older daughter corroborated the younger daughter's story. dollar boy needs to be humbled, and quickly.
That phrase must be one of the lowest points in the bible. It claims you have to be perfect to criticize others. And since there's no one that's perfect, no one can issue an opinion on other's behaviors. And if no one can do that, then we have no parameter, no social pressure to behave.
IF he did what his daughter claims he did, he's an evil man. I have "sinned" (a lot) and that in no way means I cannot say that this guy is an evil person. It's non sequitur.
oooh, the devil......
"I blame the devil!"
Anger is a human emotion., Dollar needs to just own up to the fact that he got angry and thing just got out of hand..... Stop blaming the devil...
Jesus, not Creflo Dollar, said that satan comes to kill, steal and destroy – John 10:10. When Peter in Matthew 16, discouraged Him from being the Sacrifice for all creation, Jesus rebuked him and said – get behind me satan. The Bible teaches that the spirit you yield to becomes your master – Romans 6:16. The Bible also says that you become as the idol you worship – which means you become joined as one to the spirit you choose to yield to or worship.
For Dollar to say that his response was of the devil is scriptural. It is politically correct and sound logically acceptable to refer to emotions; the Lord Jesus never did. His teachings were yes or no – black or white; what was not of G-d was on the devil and vice versa. The life of a disciple of Jesus is not complicated – you choose to obey Him. There is no gray area for human logic or the devil...
liz: given the amount of editing and translation that happened, how can you be sure what jesus actually said?
Dollar is certanily the name of the game.
"Remember these words of Daddy Rich: money may be the root of all evil, but it's also the answer to a lot of our problems. (Amen!)"
Daddy Rich: "...there's a good place in this world for money. And I know where it is, too.....right here in my pocket."
Name the movie...
working at the carwash. "Carwash" starring Richard Pryor. lol I listen to Rose Royce all the time still.
@ReligionKills: God, guns and guts made America free – at all cost lets keep all three.
Big barf.
Tum Tum the Pimpled Bum.....
God wasn't involved in slaughtering the native population for the European settlers who used African slaves and their descendants to help build it up. God didn't care that that the decedents of those European settlers didn't like their tax rates. God doesn't care about U.S need for fossil fuels. If their is a God, something tells me God is pretty disgusted that people like you slander him/her.
b4isbhindabigazz.
God had nothing to do with it.
Yah, the scratch on his daughter's neck is eczema...I have eczema and it doesn't ever look like a scratch. Obviously if 911 was called, all is not, in fact, well at the Dollar household. And he joked to a cheering crowd at his church that Jesus, Paul and now he went to jail? He thinks far too highly of himself, and his lemmings are far too brainwashed to see him for what he really is. Very sad.
It's possible that he hasn't seen the injury yet.
Deceiving himself may be his strongest suit, but his ability to deceive others may be his greatest talent.
LV I agree!
Signs of the times. Creflo "SEND ME YOUR DOLLAR" will answer to the Good Lord above for his sins. The prosperity GOSPEL he spews from his lips is IDOLOTRY. I PRAY HIS LOVE OF MONEY WILL bring his ministry to an end and set those who listen to his teachings free. Matthew 7:22 describes many who stand in pulpits and in mega churches across this land and proclaim they know GOD! BRING JUDGMENT UPON THIS NATION O LORD and upon those who misuse and pervert YOUR HOLY WORD!
There is not a single religion on earth – not one – that has not been corrupted by greed. And greed is vastly different from 'love of money.' Greed includes hoarding for oneself; love of money does not. If love of money did include hoarding for oneself at the expense of others, it would be greed.
Love of money is not in any way a violation of any god's true intentions. Never was. Never will be. Imagine you become incredibly wealthy. If you then hoard your money, or you made it at the expense of others, you are greedy and by definition, your wealth will not last long. But if you were to use your wealth to help and provide for countless others in need, you would be closer to god than any TV preacher or person who vomits bible verses at their own convenience – even if you did not believe in god.
Money is not evil. But it can be used as such. Love of money is not wrong. Unless it becomes greed, in which case wealth is universally unsustainable.
Jesus had no problem with money or wealth. "Give to Nero what is Nero's, but give to God what belongs to God." He had a problem with mixing money at the expense of religion, like the money-changers he threw out of the temple. Name one organized religion that has not suffered greed due to money.
Creflo is a shady, shallow human POS. But who is worse – the fool...or those who follow a fool? His followers are mindless, needy, desperate sheep. And if they give their money to make Creflo rich, so be it. More power to him. He may spout his version of religion, but this whole thing has nothing to do with god.
"Dollar blamed the devil for causing the controversy, saying that to discredit his message of "prosperity gospel," the enemy must discredit the messenger."
That was not what Creflo said. He said the message of "Grace", not the message of "prosperity gospel". It's interesting how you slipped that one in there author. I wonder who's really looking for sensationalism?
Stephen, it's perfectly clear that daddy dollar signs is the one at fault.
I don't know all the details of the story. Maybe only the police do. It may be that the daughter did something wrong, but to punch or choke even a disobedient child seems to take it too far. I did get the belt on the butt a few times when I was bad as a kid, but even then Mom and Dad knew when to stop. I hope this is sorted out.
Punched?
Dunno.
Choked?
Dunno
Spoiled rotten little 15 yr old b!otch with a snake-oil salesman for a Daddy?
Definitely!
I wonder what b4isbehind will say when the guy is charged with child abuse.
Probably the same crap he says 24/7: drivel. Sideways with a frying pan.
Sorry false profit Dollar Dirt Bag, your other daughter corroborated your daughters story. You can't go around choking and punching you child. It most certainly is not "disciplining your child" as you try to say. I hope you wind up in jail you greedy devil.
This kind of "discipline" – beating, punching, and choking – falls into the category of felony battery. It's child abuse, pure and simple. The scary thing is that if Dollar had done this to someone who was not a member of his family, he'd be sitting in a jail cell waiting for a trial date, facing charges of felony battery, attempted murder, and probably a few other choice felonies. Families get the LEAST protection from the law, instead of the most. We sure have it backwards as a society!
Weak people need the Creflo Dollars of the world because they lack the ability or desire to think for themselves. They will defend him until the cows come home because they need to believe that the lies they've based their lives on are real. Religion brings death and violence to the world. Be it the Crusades or the Christian condoning of the slave trade, religion has claimed many lives in a violent manner. I don't know what's deadlier, the pursuit of extreme wealth or the pursuit of spreading "the word".
So are you against other "religions" as well such as Islam,Budhism, etc.?
Why? Are you going to justify the killing by members of your religion by bringing up the the violence of others?
How many millions has atheism killed?
Not at all, but in the context of your statement you mentioned religion as a whole, yet you specifically mentioned Christianity. I just wanted to get your take on it.
I mentioned the Crusades.That's also mentioning Islam specifically. Not really seeing what's so curious about that.
In Britain,. Christianity ended the slave trade.
And in the U.S, it strengthened it and made slaves more accepting of their situation. Let's not forget it had a Christian blessing from the beginning. The Spaniards had backing from the Church as well. But let's just forget all of that.
Does Jimmy Swaggart still have his megachurch?
Yes he does 🙁
jimmy has his mega church, and a tv show. his wife has a tv show, but she sounds darn near comatose
i dont get it. Leviticus 20:9 and 2 Kings 2:23-24 CLEARLY state that it's ok to kill a bratty child, or one who disrespects their parents. why is this so called preacher man not following the 'good book'?
"i dont get it. Leviticus 20:9 and 2 Kings 2:23-24 CLEARLY state that it's ok to kill a bratty child, or one who disrespects their parents. why is this so called preacher man not following the 'good book'?"
Because old testament judicial/civil and ceremonial law was abrogated over 2000 years ago with the coming of the new testament. Moral law remains in effect however. Over 2000 years ago and you're still in the dark...amazing! There is mo way he should have been arrested though even if he is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
@notanymore, no way he should have been arrested?!? He BROKE THE LAW, YOU CAN NOT CHOKE YOUR KID!
notanymore – thats not what Matthew 5:17 says. and if you think it's ok to pick and choose what the bible tells you, james 2:10 might be of interest.
why should he not have been arrested? the teenaged daughters claim was substantiated by her older sister.
@notanymore: It's futile trying to teach basic Chritian doctrine (or anything else) to bob. He probably writes letters to the NFL telling them that only he really understands the game.
In short, bob is a fool so i wouldn't waste time on him.
Bob, in case you had not noticed, we live in the USA, where the criminal codes are not found in the bible, but in the statutory laws. There it is clear that beating your child in this manner is absolutely prohibited, and killing your child is murder. Sorry. You can render unto G-d that which is G-d's (your prayer/soul), but you live under the statutes of Cesar (the state) by virtue of your citizenship.
anonymous one, maybe you mistook my sarcasm. as far as I'm concerned there is NO god. my only question is why is this so called man of god not following the law so clearly set down int he bible. he denies striking his child as though it is a bad thing, when clearly what 'god' wants is blood.
@b4bigbang, Boy, I explained it perfectedly and in the simpliest terms and it still went over his head. It's as if the guy wants to be ignorant.
@Jessica, First, we don't know if he choked his kid. Second, this is clearly an undisciplined teen who ironically enough has not been trained up in the way she she should go as the bible counsels. But then again Creflo Dollar is a false teacher. All things being equal, there is no way you arrest a parent on the strength of the testimony of a rowdy teen. My teen calls the police and they are definitely out on the street permanently. Let's see the city and state deal with more homeless teens then they can possibly handle. They need to but out.
the older sister corroborated her sister's story
The man twists the words of the Bible to suit his needs. I find it difficult to take his word on anything. He just seems like a thug with some intelligence and a schtick.
Creflo, if I'm ever in the room when you attempt that, you will have to pass by me first to get to them. I will not attack you, but you will have to kill me first, to attack them. What you did is wrong on every level. She was crying over something she wanted, and being punished by you for having poor grades. 50% of the students are below average, that's half the class, every other one is below the average, that's simple math. But you expected her to excell when God didn't give her the ability to excell. You are beating her down over what God gave her and that is wrong. She simply wanted to go later in the week to a party to be with friends, and you're punishing her, and then beating her violently for being who she is, who God made her to be. You will have to kill me first, if I'm in the room, I won't let you do it.
John I respectfully disagree with your statement about God not giving her the ability to excel. I don't think ability has anything to do with it. Parents are responsible for disciplining their children, establish boundaries, and so on for the ultimate well being of their kids. I was not allowed to do whatever I wanted to do or go wherever I wanted to go as a child or teenager. That's called responsible parenting. Anybody that knows the Dollar's on a personal level knows the genuine love they have for their children. Don't always believe what the media says, or even what an emotional teenager may say. I was once a teenager and I blew plenty of things out of proportion. Thank God for growth. Have a great week!
Read the report, she did not leave to go to any party, she tried to convince the suspect that she should be able to go later in the week. From the report, she didn't do anything wrong, other than cry for being punished for having low grades, and then beat on for asking further, then leaving the room in tears to talk to her older sister, when he stormed in and beat her, violently as the older sister ran out scared to death. That is sick, and someone needs to point out how wrong it is.
If your kids or his, have less than average intelligence, thank God for it, do not punish and beat them for it.
John your an idiot.but if it weren't for the idiots the average people and the smart people would have no one to laugh at
If he was drowning in sewage pond, and I was able to help him, yes, I would reach out my hand, and I'd dial 911, then wait for the police and rescue crew to pull him out, once they find the place. If there was no cell service there, I wouldn't give up, I would start looking for a good high area to see if the cell worked there instead.
I bet you some parents had wished they would have done anything including knocking thei children out to keep them from going to a party where they later died due to drugs/alcohol. What's wrong with you people?
So it's fine to knock a kid into unconsciousness if she wants to go to a party because, what? Every party involves drugs and alcohol and all kids die if they go to a party?
What kind of special stupid are you?
Stephen, she didn't leave to go to any party. She was asking if she could go, and being punished for being lower in intelligence, not doing well in her school work. When she kept asking, then left the room crying to talk with her older sister, that's when she was attacked by the suspect. Her injuries will tell the tale.
Not all parties are drug and alcohol parities. There are all kinds of parties, birthday, picnics, gamer get togethers, cosplay, twitter meet ups, etc... There is nothing wrong with any of those and they happen when ever a group of people/kids feel like meeting up to do things together. Go to a coffee house sometime if you don't understand, or go to lunch with someone. Get a life.
Hormonal rebellious underage teenage girls do not know what is better for them than their fathers do. I physically prevented my daughter from interacting with drug dealing characters who were trying to seduce her with drugs. Years later she thanked me for that. My friend who let her daughter do whatever she wanted was later trying to get her from pimps using her to make money. I am not talking about some dysfunctional family... He is businessman with supporting wife and money... I would beat my daughter, lock her up rather than let her have her choices and end up with my friend had to put up with. Let parents do their job and worry about real criminals...
you are ignoring that the teenager's story was corroberated by her 20 year old sister
Is every party a drug party where you live?
People who choke kids are criminals. Period. No one made the point that teens should be autonomous so why don't you try arguing with a valid statement. There isn't an excuse for fighting a kid, no matter whose DNA they share. Parents who behave like this guy allegedly did are criminals. Please don't have kids. Your flawed logic is so scary you might hurt a child.
Isn't it weird how religious people are always the ones with kids who have all kids of issues? Makes you wonder if perhaps religion itself is the problem.
Well said sir!
@sleepytime, LOL, And the highest rate of drug use, alcoholism and teen pregnancy is in the bible belt states. Tells you how great "their" religion really is...
@ jessica it is trulys amazing to listen to the religious consevative about what they think is best, and then to learn those are the facts. But then again, I'm religious and living in denial!! More penalties for drugs!! More abstinence education!!
@Loving caring father: I cant help but wonder if the over-indulgent businessman who tried to get his daughter from the pimps posts on CNN under the alias "John".