Pastor apologizes for sign that offended Muslims

FOREST CITY, N.C. (AP) — The pastor of a small Baptist congregation had a change of heart and apologized to Muslims for posting a sign in front of his church that read: "The Koran needs to be flushed."

The Rev. Creighton Lovelace of Danieltown Baptist Church said he meant to affirm the Bible, not insult Muslims.

Lovelace had originally rebuffed calls to remove the temporary sign, saying he knew some people would disagree with it.

"My creed is the Bible, which tells me I am supposed to stand up and defend my faith," he said last week. "I don't hate Muslims, I just hate their false doctrines."

But a day later, he released a statement saying he changed his mind after prayer and reflection.

"When I posted the sign in front of the church, it was my intent only to affirm and exalt the Bible and its teaching. It was certainly not my intent to insult any people of faith, but instead to remind the people in this community of the pre-eminence of God's word," he said.

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

He said the message on the church sign has been replaced with a new one that reads: "Jesus said, 'I am the way.' "

Last month, Newsweek magazine retracted a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flushed the Muslim holy book down a toilet. The story sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan and massive protests in the Mideast and Asia.