LENOIR, N.C., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A father in Caldwell County, N.C., accused of circumcising two of his sons says he also once circumcised himself.
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, reported Thursday John Marlowe, who is facing two felony counts of child abuse, testified this week he circumcised his own penis a few years ago because God told him to do so.
"God, the Holy Spirit pressed me to do this ... When God presses something on you to do it, you do it," Marlowe testified Wednesday.
Prosecutors have accused Marlowe of circumcising his two infant sons with a pair of box cutters in 2005 and 2006.
Marlowe, who says he fathered 14 children with two wives, said what he did was no different than circumcisions performed by a doctor.
"Does piercing a child with a needle three times not cause pain? We're dealing with pain either way," he said.
WCNC said Marlowe is currently in prison on assault and kidnapping charges filed by one his wives.
