Right-wing crank who said pandemic was ‘God’s judgement’ against LGBT+ people diagnosed with COVID
Anti-LGBT+ preacher Rick Wiles is said to be “very weak” as he battles COVID-19 in hospital (YouTube/RightWingWatch)
Notorious far-right pundit Rick Wiles is getting a taste of his own bitter medicine after catching COVID-19, a disease he claimed was “God’s judgement” for LGBT+ people.
The controversial figure, who claims God sent COVID-19 “to purge a lot of sin off this planet,” was hospitalised with the virus this week. He is 67 years old.
The news was confirmed on Saturday (29 May) by Raymond Burkhart, vice president of Wiles’ church, who said the pastor is now “very weak”.
“Rick is very much in need of your continued prayers,” he said in an email to devotees. “Today, he was taken to the emergency room, and under medical advice, was admitted to the hospital. He is currently on oxygen and is expected to remain there for a number of days.”
Wiles’ far-right conspiracy show TruNews followed this up with an “urgent” plea for an “army of people” to pray for the ailing preacher.
Exactly how he caught the virus will be a mystery to his followers after he blamed it on sinners, specifically the “vile, disgusting people” who are “transgendering little children”.
“Look at the spiritual rebellion that is in this country, the hatred of God, the hatred of the Bible, the hatred of righteousness, the hatred of innocence,” he told TruNews viewers.
“Vile, disgusting people in this country now, transgendering little children, perverting them. Look at the rapes, and the sexual immorality, and the filth on our TVs and our movies.
“Folks, the Death Angel may be moving right now across the planet,” he added. “This is the time to get right with God.”
Pinning global disasters on people he dislikes is entirely in keeping with his version of Christianity, which includes blaming “gay Nazis” for the Las Vegas mass shooting and “the sexual perversion movement” for Hurricane Harvey.
More recently, he’s proudly stated that the world would be a “better place” after a “genocide” caused by vaccines wipes out 70 per cent of the population.
“I am not going to be vaccinated,” the broadcaster told his audience last month. “I’m going to be one of the survivors. I’m going to survive the genocide.
“The only good thing that will come out of this is a lot of stupid people will be killed off. If the vaccine wipes out a lot of stupid people, well, we’ll have a better world.”
Perhaps anticipating the comments heading Rick Wiles’ way, TruNews has said that eternal damnation will await anyone mocking Wiles’s affliction, or suggesting that it’s ‘karma’.
“Already, the naysayers and mockers have started with their taunts,” the channel’s website said. “Let them speak their foolish words and let them mock. It will only serve to be used to fuel their flames of torment in hell unless they repent.”
You have been warned.
