Televangelist and megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar was arrested early Friday after an argument with his 15-year-old daughter over a party she wanted to attend. His daughter claims he chocked her, then threw her to the ground and started hitting her with his shoe. Dollar has been charged with two misdemeanors, simple battery and cruelty to children.
Dollar denies attacking his daughter. He told his congregation yesterday that the allegations are "exaggeration and sensationalism" and that he should have never been arrested. "The truth is that a family conversation with our youngest daughter got emotional. And emotions got involved and things escalated from there." His congregation is backing him up -- but not in the way you'd think.
Between Dollar's Sunday sermon and his supporters' comments, I'm picking up on a more subtle message: Teens these days are out of control and a parent's gotta do what a parent's gotta do. Dollar began his sermon by saying, "Raising children in our culture of disrespect is a challenge for all of us who are parents." Meanwhile, most of his congregation seems to be supporting him not so much by denying he attacked his daughter, but by implying that if he did, maybe he was justified. "Listen, we cannot spare the rod," a supporter says in the video below.
I just spent two weeks in jury duty hearing about a case in which a man was accused of threatening his teenage daughter with a machete (among other things). A few of my fellow jurors surprisingly revealed how physical they've gotten with their own challenging teenagers.
For many parents it's just understood: You've got to knock some heads around sometimes to keep those kids in line. But keep it all on the DL because you can get in trouble for that -- just like Dollar here.
I think Dollar's congregation is backing him up because they think how he disciplines his kids is his business -- and that maybe the girl had it coming to her. That sounds like justifying child abuse to me. Things got "emotional" and "escalated" but he didn't choke or punch the girl? Whatever. More than anything else I'm sorry that another family's private pain has gone public.
What do you think really happened between Creflo Dollar and his daughter?
Image via Fayette County Sheriff's Office
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Comments 15
Well, I don't think he threatened her with a machete, so including that in your blog is just well, ridiculous. I suspect this is a case of a teenager knowing she can use the government against her parents and idiotically thinking it's a good idea. She's soon to find out what a bad idea it really is.
"What do you think really happened between Creflo Dollar and his daughter?" no one can know for sure what really happened.
""Raising children in our culture of disrespect is a challenge for all of us who are parents." " I may not watch the man but I totally agree with this statement.
Look before y'all decide you know what actually happened remember YOU WASN'T THERE.
I LOVE how a parent tries to discipline his child and gets arrested. He probably should have NEVER been arrested in the first place.
I saw this same thing happen to a friend. He tried to stop his brother from a bad environment /friends and wouldn't let him leave. Then the police show up and hall him off bc of an unruly teenager. I think domestic violence is WAY out there. This was a parent trying to correct his child.
Also, before the DON'T spank your child brigade jumps down my throat, it's apersonal decision, one the government should stick its nose out of, unless its ABUSE, and just correcting a child isn't that.
If he indeed choked her, that is not disciplining your child. That could be construed as attempted murder(what exactly was he expecting to come from that?) and definitely assault. I understand kids can be bad. To be honest, my father once sat on me because I wouldn't stop being terrible to my brother and he just didn't know what else to do. But to be honest, I lost respect for him for a while for it and definitely resented him. Now, I understand why he did that, I was terrible, but when I was a child, I just hated him for it. I think most children who are hit or disciplined in a physical manner do not respect their parents, they hate them and fear them. And yes, I do have friends who wish all their dad did was sit on them so I am not just speculating.
As for the actual article, this seemed to go way beyond discipline unless the daughter was almost completely fabricating the whole thing.
curious1145, I did not misread the article. I was commenting on the very extreme nature of the reference she used. That reference does not belong in the article and leads one to link the two actions even though they bear no relation to one another. You are absolutely correct; totally separate case which is why it does not belong in the article. And, yes. I believe the daughter is "fabricating the whole thing" also known as a good old fashioned lie.