Don Flint says his church's sign — "Satan made gays & transgender" it said, in part — wasn't meant to "preach hate."
But the minister has no doubt the message, and the recent media attention it garnered, are why neighbors found the marquee covered in black paint Monday morning.
"As a minister, you're going to live by the Bible," Flint told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "And despite what happens outside of the Bible, you can't change your point of view. ... It wasn't intended for any particular person, it was just letting people know that this is what I believe according to the Bible."
Gwinnett County police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said officers were called to the Back to the Bible Holiness Church, located at 690 New Street in Buford, after the paint was spotted Monday.
"God created man & woman," the obscured sign had read in all caps. "Satan made gays & transgender." The sign also referenced the Bible and Genesis 5:2 — "He created them male and female and blessed them," that verse says, in part.
Church representatitives told police they had "not received any complaints about the message prior to the damage," and Flint said the sign had been up for about three weeks — well before the shooting that left 49 people dead at a gay dance club in Orlando, Florida. The sign's controversial message, however, was the topic of a local TV news story on Sunday.
The vandalism is believed to have occurred sometime between 6 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Gwinnett police at 770-513-5300 or CrimeStoppers at 404-577-TIPS.
Flint said churchmembers were busy Monday afternoon "trying to figure out an approach to clean [the sign] without further damaging it."
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