Also, Allen advocates marriage for 14-year-old girls to protect them from becoming unwed mothers
• Christian Fundamentalism
The outspoken Rev. Arthur Allen Jr. was noncommittal Thursday after a jury convicted him and four followers of cruelty to children for whippings at his church.
Asked if he would follow a judge's order to stop advising parents to whip disobedient children, Allen said, "I'm going to follow the Ten Commandments," and would say no more.
The 70-year-old House of Prayer pastor -- who has often quoted the Bible to justify the whippings - - faced the possibility of up to 20 years in prison. He stood with hunched shoulders as Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford sentenced him to 90 days in jail and 10 years of probation.