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Pastor apologizes, says he will remove sign disrespecting Koran
B P NEWS ^ | May 25, 2005 | Staff

Posted on 05/25/2005 5:31:55 PM PDT by Dubya

RUTHERFORD, N.C. (BP)--After receiving volumes of negative feedback over a sign carrying a disrespectful message about the Koran outside the church where he is pastor, Creighton Lovelace has apologized for his actions and says he will remove the sign.

In a statement released May 25, Lovelace said he "did not realize how people of the Muslim faith view the Koran -- that devoted Muslims view it more highly than many in the U.S. view the Bible."

"Now I realize how offensive this is to them, and after praying about it, I have chosen to remove the sign," he said. "I apologize for posting that message and deeply regret that it has offended so many in the Muslim community."

Creighton is pastor of Danieltown Baptist Church in Rutherford, N.C., which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The portable display in front of the church read, "The Koran needs to be flushed."

The sign was an apparent reference to a Newsweek article, since retracted, that alleged that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had placed copies of Islam's holy book in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. The article incited deadly riots in Afghanistan and caused large protests in Muslim countries around the world.

In his apology, Creighton said his intentions were only to remind people of the importance of the Bible, not to disrespect another religion's holy book.

"I firmly believe that the Bible is God's Word -- that it is indeed the only divine written revelation from God," he said. "I also firmly believe that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation available to mankind.

"Today, I believe these truths more than ever before.

"When I posted the sign in front of the church, it was my intent only to affirm and exalt the Bible and its teachings," he added. "It was certainly not my intent to insult any people of faith, but instead to remind the people in this community of the preeminence of God's Word."

Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, expressed disapproval of the sign May 24, noting that Southern Baptists seek to relate to Muslims in a respectful manner conducive to the mutual sharing of beliefs. Chapman also made clear that Southern Baptist churches do not function within a denominational hierarchy but act on their own authority as autonomous bodies.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: koranneeds2bflushed; mailtopakis; sign; usekoran4tp
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1 posted on 05/25/2005 5:31:56 PM PDT by Dubya
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To: Dubya
And so it begins...

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

2 posted on 05/25/2005 5:33:34 PM PDT by expatguy (http://laotze.blogspot.com/)
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To: Dubya

Paraphrased from the Bible: "I am the Lord they God, thou shall not have strange gods before thee".

Any questions?


3 posted on 05/25/2005 5:33:55 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: A CA Guy
"gods"?

Doesn't that mean "gods"?

4 posted on 05/25/2005 5:35:21 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Dubya

I hate it when PC overrides the freedom of speech. The ministers biggest mistake was in taking the sign down!!


5 posted on 05/25/2005 5:36:14 PM PDT by crazyhorse691 (We won. We don't need to be forgiving. Let the heads roll!!!!!!!!!)
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To: muawiyah

God says don't have strange little (g) gods before Me.

False pagan gods...


6 posted on 05/25/2005 5:37:01 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Dubya

behold, the power of PC


7 posted on 05/25/2005 5:37:59 PM PDT by Texas_Jarhead (To hell with Mexico, its policies, and its leaders)
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To: expatguy
Read through that one until I got to the story where he says some fool is sharing our valuable "pig parts" with Moslems by sneaking them into Pepsi.

Best thing about Islam is that it leaves the hams alone!

8 posted on 05/25/2005 5:39:21 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Dubya

Sign sounded just fine to me. Truth is truth. The rest can be used for flushing.


9 posted on 05/25/2005 5:39:38 PM PDT by Wneighbor
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To: Dubya

Wuss.


10 posted on 05/25/2005 5:40:00 PM PDT by Constitution Day ("It's hard to get an answer when you haven't got a clue" - - The Futureheads)
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To: Dubya

Actually, I agree with the pastor's decision to take down the sign and apologize. Insulting the other guy's religion is not going to spread the message of Christ. This is America - where we have the freedom to spread the good news. I seem to remember something about catching more flies with honey than with vinegar.


11 posted on 05/25/2005 5:43:10 PM PDT by BruceS
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To: Dubya

Yet 'The Last Temptation of Christ' is available in any video store. Since when did Muslims get special power over free speech in this country?


12 posted on 05/25/2005 5:43:23 PM PDT by castawayinabluestate (That government is best which government is least. -- Jefferson)
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To: Dubya
Christianity has inherent restraint that is completely alien to Islam. That's likely how Islam so quickly and thoroughly wiped out Christianity in most of the Middle East and Northern Africa after Muhammad took up the sword.

By the time Charles Martel routed the Muslims at Tours, Christian Europeans had rediscovered the sword and the summoned the will to use it in their defense.

13 posted on 05/25/2005 5:45:09 PM PDT by JCEccles (Andrea Dworkin--the Ward Churchill of gender politics.)
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To: Dubya

No way to know for sure but I would be willing to bet that after this thingy really hit the news the good Rev. started receiving threats.
Possibly from the Govt and from TROP, most likely both.

The Rev. could talk the talk but couldnt walk the walk.

We had an excellent discussion about this last night.
Check it out here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1409857/posts


14 posted on 05/25/2005 5:45:23 PM PDT by 76834 (Lock and Load)
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To: Dubya
>> "The Koran needs to be flushed."<<

As much personal distain as I have for the cult of islam and the koran, this guy is a complete idiot.

15 posted on 05/25/2005 5:45:27 PM PDT by evad (No action to secure borders, No action on judges... NO MONEY!)
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To: Dubya
In his apology, Creighton said his intentions were .....not to disrespect another religion's holy book.

lol...who's he kidding? The message "The Koran needs to be flushed" is crystal clear.

16 posted on 05/25/2005 5:45:27 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: Dubya
What a crock. The SBC hasn't done any true research. They still believe that Ishmael was an arab, for St. Pete's sake. Guess what? On some SBC pastor's websites, they even "prove" it.

It's a fabrication of the liberal (not generous) agenda to make everything LUKEWARM. Anyone read about lukewarm somewhere in the Bible the pastor seems so eager to exalt? He needs to read it better.

Reference Galatians Chapter 4
21 Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, have you not read the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, and the other by a free woman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman, was born according to the flesh: but he of the free woman, was by promise. 24 Which things are said by an allegory. For these are the two testaments. The one from mount Sina, engendering unto bondage; which is Agar: 25 For Sina is a mountain in Arabia, which hath affinity to that Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26 But that Jerusalem, which is above, is free: which is our mother. 27 For it is written: Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her that hath a husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he, that was born according to the flesh, persecuted him that was after the spirit; so also it is now. 30 But what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.

31 So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman, but of the free: by the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free.

17 posted on 05/25/2005 5:46:28 PM PDT by HighlyOpinionated (Gov'ments 7 Branches: Executive,Legislative,Judicial,Bureaucracy,Lobbies,Political Parties,Media)
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To: Dubya
The end of Christianity in America as gone down under notch.

Islam will soon take over, if we don't fight for the Truth.

18 posted on 05/25/2005 5:47:25 PM PDT by GulfWar1Vet (Freedom is worth FIGHTIN FOR, for if we don't fight for it, we WILL lose it!)
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To: expatguy

A talk show here in Seattle had this as a topic,and a muslim called the show and said that the paster should be killed.
I'm thinking he got alot of death threats!


19 posted on 05/25/2005 5:49:49 PM PDT by Boazo (From the mind of BOAZO)
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To: BruceS
I seem to remember something about catching more flies with honey than with vinegar.

That may be, but who wants to catch flies?!? ;^)

20 posted on 05/25/2005 5:52:40 PM PDT by BullDog108 ("Conservatives believe in God. Liberals think they are God." ---Ann Coulter)
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