Forest City, USA - The pastor of a small Baptist church 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 Wednesday he meant to affirm and exalt 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 Tuesday. "I don't hate Muslims, I just hate their false doctrines."
But a day later, he released a statement saying prayer and reflection had led him to realize that devoted Muslims revere their holy book more than many Americans revere the Bible.
"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 told AP Radio.
"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 church sign's message has been replaced with a new one that reads: "Jesus said, `I am the way.' "
Earlier this month, Newsweek magazine apologized for errors in a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, desecrated the Quran, including flushing one down a toilet.
Following the story's publication, at least 15 people died and scores were injured in violence between protesters and security forces in Afghanistan, prompting U.S. promises to investigate the allegations.