Do You Believe Him? Creflo Tells Congregation Marks on Daughter’s Neck Were From Eczema Not Choking

June 11th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: Stanfordadvocate.com

Much to many people’s surprise, Pastor Creflo Dollar still stepped in the pulpit yesterday despite the legal matters he’s currently engulfed in. As you know by now, Creflo’s daughter alleged that the Fayetteville minister choked and punched her during an argument over her wanting to attend a party and though the mega-church leader had already released a public statement on the domestic arrest, he wanted to address his congregation personally and tell them exactly why his daughter’s allegations are false. Here’s what he told them:

“I want to say this very emphatically, I 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….The truth is she was not choked, she was not punched. There were not any scratches on her neck…But the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema. To come and take a photo of a mark that’s been there for 10 years and not have enough intelligence to ask the parent what it is, is appalling….When the facts of this come out, you will be appalled.”

When Creflo Dollar first entered the sanctuary he was greeted with a massive standing ovation that drew memories of the welcome Bishop Eddie Long received from his congregation during his legal battle. But in Creflo’s case I think many truly believe he is innocent and have already thrown his daughter into the mini-Mike Epps category and believe she is a spoiled child who took advantage of the justice system’s tendency to believe women in domestic situations much like the comedian’s daughter did.

Eczema is quite an interesting defense so I’m curious to see what other “facts” pastor Creflo Dollar was alluding to yesterday. I suppose all will be revealed eventually though.

Check out the clip from his sermon yesterday. What do you think about the eczema defense?



Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • bkabbagej

    This is all subjective because none of us know the facts. This is a situation where I don’t believe people, children are no longer required to have respect. It appears that if a 15 year old that wants to have her way (I know quite a few that feel as though they should be allowed to behave any way they want), and her parents don’t agree she can just call the police and make false charges and away goes her problems. Let’s just say she was smart out the mouth and he did slap or hit her in her smart mouth, that justifes being arrested. He has never been charged with hitting (punching and choking), any of his other children, but this youngest one comes along and all of a sudden he’s an abuser and his church should disown him as their pastor. Lately i’ve heard many people say children shouldn’t be disciplined physically (not abused) because it leaves scars into adulthood and it does all kinds of damaged, but what I’ve noticed is that everyone who believes in this philosophy of child rearing and never striking a child for any reason are some of the most successful people in our society (Oprah, for example believes in this philosophy but she’s our 1st billionaire and was disciplined in this manner), and most of the people I know that raised this way respect their elders, teachers, friends and parents; learn better, are more disciplined in their professional lives and most likely have never been arrested or even in jail all because they knew their parents didn’t play that.
    Yes, those church members were probably thinking “spare the rod, spoil the child”! and probably have some in their own family the would like to take the rod to their behinds and teach them some discipline.
    I Will say this again to chastise a child is not ABUSE!!! And I’m speaking of having the choice of if I have to I will.

    • http://twitter.com/1BriannaCurtis Brianna Curtis

      Speaking as a teen who have experienced abuse, I surely believe that discipline starts with respect and communication. Physical discipline shows that the adult does not know how to communicate with the child. Theres a difference in beating a child (especially with a shoe) and communicating. I agree we all were raised differently, and if this is the right way of discipline then I would say that slavery beatings were discipline or any physical abuse is discipline. However, we all know that is not true. There are other ways to communicate and getting the job done. What ever happened to taking the cell-phones, video games, things that children love to play with for like a week or month or so. Or a strict routine after school, because abuse and physical discipline has put a fine line on miscommunication. Look at DMX. He was one of the children who acted up in class and had bad grades, and his mom beat him with a extension cord. WOW if thats discipline to you, then I really see an epic fail. Most of all hes a pastor, I wonder if jesus will discipline his child physically.

      • bkabbagej

        Once again I’m not speaking of abuse (extension cords, trophies, canes, irons), or anything of that manner, no one in their right mind would condone physical or mental abuse so concerning this issue let’s take off the table. Also physically disciplining children and the comparison to slavery is another topic that is a poor comparison, we (I’m African American, my ancestors were brought here from Africa) were beaten to subdue and brainwash us and once again that is ABUSE, and that is NOT what I’m discussing here.
        Teaching children respect and disciplines starts at a very early age and if you put in the work early there will be very little corporal punishment needed as the child grows older but if you’re constantly explaining why their being told to do something and allow them to express every emotion and opinion on subjects their not even old enough to understand and reasoning with a 3 and 5 yr. old then expect to have that consistantly throughout their teenage years. And anyone that’s been around a teenager knows that’s the time they all test you and you taking away from a 15,16 or17 yr.old’s cellphone, t.v., denying a trip to the mall, taking their allowance or any of the the things that should have some effect on them only brings on disrespecful and slick comments and threats of all sorts and can lead to tempers flairing and hands swinging (not from the parent but from the child), because you’re not being reasonable and their not getting their way. So we have teenagers friends with their parents, and our young men and women making lifettime mistakes because we’re trying not discipline them. Our grand parents were most likely raised this way and the proof is in the pudding, things we see in our society now didn’t exist (were less likely to happen), 85% single parent families, 2 million of our men in jail, basic (reading, writing and math) education for the poor almost non-extistent (our children can’t read nor write (but they can text in some suspisious language), and alot more of the social ills we are experiencing.
        You know I’m just saying.

    • MO

      Let’s say your daughter was at school and she got smart with the teacher and teacher felt it was approipiate to slap her in the mouth. Do you think it’s ok? We forget that discipline and abuse are two totally different things. When you discipline your child you teach them to respect you and when you abuse your child you teach them this is how you handle situations hit, punch curse to get respect. I’ve worked with youths in the juvenile system and many were raised in homes where hitting, punching and cursing was the norm. The problem is that does not teach your child respect and to be obedient. Abuse is control and all your doing is causing your child to rebel against anything you say or do.

  • http://www.facebook.com/BWDeserveBetter BlackWomen DeserveBetter

    I believe Creflo Dollar did indeed lose his temper that night. If the daughter was disrespectful, then there are more effective ways of dealing with that. Choking and punching is NOT acceptable. It will open that girl up to abuse with a significant other down the line!

  • http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Peaches%20The%20Writer PeachesTheWriter

    This is one of those Eddie Long performances. The truth will come out. The fact that her sister corroborated her story speaks volumes to me. The fact that his wife, “didn’t see anything” does not surprise me. Some people will tell a lie to get out of trouble, but when you lie on your kids, be ready for God’s wrath.

  • http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Peaches%20The%20Writer PeachesTheWriter

    “She was not choked. She was not punched.” He never said, “I didn’t choke her. I didn’t punch her.”

    • http://twitter.com/1BriannaCurtis Brianna Curtis

      Either way she ended up on the floor so he did something.

  • Adrina

    I still say that if did all those things said (choking, punching). She would be seriously injured and not just have a scratch. He may have put his hands on her, but it couldn’t have been that severe.

  • DoinMe

    All I know is that no man–father, husband, brother and otherwise-should choke and punch a girl. If he was feeling that crazy, he should have called his wife to come in to deal with her.

  • Thisis me

    i honestly do believe him. i think his daughter forgot who’s house she was living in and he reminded her and she didn’t like it and went off. his daughter will thank him later for being a good father

  • CA Pullen

    I don’t know the whole story. But if a parent tells a child no if they can’t attend a party due to not having good grades, the child cannot go. I don’t condone abuse, but IF that was the case of Dollar choked and ABUSED HIS CHILD, then the police should be contacted. But if the child is making up the story, and the child calls the police, if that was my child, she might as well call the on call social worker as well. She would be out of my house until she get herself together and respect my house. A child should not run a house. The parent should with out abusing a child.

  • dee

    How a person treats their kids (outside of material things) really stands out for me. First, the fact that he got a standing ovation from a room full of people who don’t know the facts says a lot. All anyone know is that Dollar was arrested for alleged domestic abuse and he says it’s not true. No one outside of that home knows what really happened yet the church gives him an standing ovation before he opens his mouth says a lot about the people who flock to him. Next, the fact that he basically threw his children under the bus makes me give him the side eye. He said he protects his children yet he basically called them liars in front of an audience of Christians who just gave him a standing ovation. So now this group of people has been given permission by their pastor to basically stand in judgement of his family specifically his kids. Sounds more like he protects his kids until he himself is on the line. Finally the possiblity that the mark is that of an eczema scar is a non issue. The “mark” gives physical evidence to what “allegedly” happened, but without the scar there is still an eye witness to the event, his 19 year old daughter who also says this isn’t the first time this has happened. So for me the eczema argument is a non issue and honestly for him to bring this to his church and make himself out to be a victim is telling of his character as a man and father. I could appreciate him getting in front of the church and saying “yes I was arrested, the details are being dealt with according to the law,I love my kids no matter what and even now stand in protection of them, which is why I cant say anything else until the case is resolved”. Not Mr. Dollar, he basically served his kids up to the slaughter to save his own image.

    • DoinMe

      I agree 100% with everything you said. Church folk are scary to me because they blindly follow a man without question or discernment. For him to paint himself as some victim is absurd. I’m sure cops can tell the difference between an old “eczema” mark and a fresh wound.

  • islandgirl

    I can believe it especially if she had a severe case of eczema as a child. My nephew who is now 8, had SEVERE eczema when he was younger and he still bears scars from that. So it is possible…

  • Denise

    Hmmm….I would like to believe him I really would. But if he is speaking the truth why is he reading a prepared statement? I mean really it looks so bad if he has to read off a sheet of paper!