Millionaire pastor Murray Watkinson of Christchurch, New Zealand, ranted about bisexuality, George Floyd, and own “victim” status in a recent sermon captured on tape.
Related: Antigay pastor wants everyone to give him their $1200 stimulus checks because of course he does
According to Stuff.co.nz, Watkinson delivered the screed at his Celebration Centre church on June 9. He said that Floyd — the Black man killed last month by a white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes — is a “villain.”
He also claimed that people who “want to be bisexual” are “like the whites that pretend to be Black or Brown.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
He went on: “I reckon the bi people that swing both ways like [a] door — they don’t know who they are — I reckon they’re gutless. They don’t want to offend anybody so they’re going to go whatever which way.”
Related: Antigay pastor who bussed in 1,825 people for church service slapped with six misdemeanor charges
And to top it off, he claimed that as a rich, straight, cis, white man in a long-term marriage, he might be a victim in today’s society. “I’ve been married too long,” he said. “I’m also a victim because I’m white and old and have some financial substance.”
Edit – *I did not expect this response, I made an agreement to be actively anti-racism all the time even if that meant…
Posted by Trina Watkin on Sunday, June 14, 2020
Trina Watkin, a former Celebration Centre leader who left the church about five years ago, told Stuff that Watkinson’s sermon didn’t surprise her. “This is the bigoted Murray,” she said. “The difference is people have different ears on now.”
One parishioner said much of the congregation was offended by Watkinson’s sermon, adding, “He was racially inappropriate and portrayed non-whites as lesser humans and joked and ridiculed people of colour … His rant went on to include gays and bisexuals as well as [transgender individuals]. I have lots of really good friends in that church, but it won’t be enough for me to attend again.”
craigkemper
I’d like to point out that while the pastor could have toned down his comments on George Floyd, at the end of the day Floyd was and always will be a convicted criminal. He robbed a pregnant women at gunpoint. So in a way, he was a villain, but that doesn’t mean he deserved to die. This pastor is like many others. They have bigoted views because they choose not to listen to opposing views & understand where they are coming from. It’s the reason I left church after pursuing a pastoral position. Too many people didn’t like how welcoming I was to all people.
Chrisk
I agree that Floyd George was a villain. All you have to do is look at his rap sheet and you’ll see this was not a nice guy. I also agree that he didn’t deserve a death penalty by that cop that day. Everything doesn’t have to be one side or the other.
As far as this babbling fool of a pastor goes he sure covered all the bigotry bases. Although, I will say I found the wearing the pants story kind of funny because there’s some truth to that.
chris_clb614
A cop had his knees on someone’s neck for EIGHT MINUTES. The alleged crime at the time was over a forged $20 bill. The death penalty is used, in states where it is legally applied, for capital murder- and that’s AFTER a guilty conviction and the sentence of death is imposed.
The robbery of a pregnant woman, which is horrible under any circumstance, probably has a different sentencing requirement. If you want to change that, Craig, we all wanna know what you’d recommend.
Josiah Freshmount
This sounds just like the thing one use to read often regarding gay bashing and how the victim was a sodomite but let’s just say he deserved it in a nicer tone.
Donston
Chrisk, you really are disappointing me with your messy, shallow views on racism, racial history and the police. Your constant “everyone is to blame” absolution technique is also tiresome. While I’m pretty sure you’re not even American.
Chrisk
I don’t think “everyone is to blame”. Just George the career criminal and the cop.
Cam
You’re repeating right wing falsehoods.
Yes, he had a criminal record. No, there is no evidence that a woman who was robbed was pregnant.
That said, it is not uncommon for people to get passed counterfeit bills, that is why stores would take out the highlighter or other way to check the bill. Especially people who work for cash, like employees of bars and restaurants. Normally a story says “We can’t take this”.
So cops were called for a non-violent crime, and murdered someone for having a counterfeit $20. We don’t have a death penalty for that.
Polaro
This “pastor” is very confused. I’m assuming his flock truly are sheep.
ThinkPlease
Now mind you, there’s no call for the often-whined about “SJW” culture to toss insults at reasonably well-off white people. When done, one should reasonably expect insults back and not feel triggered because you really did ask for that.
But by the same coin, don’t toss insults like the above and expect that you won’t get some back, Pastor Idiot. Read some damn science, fool, or get out of your little bible-bubble and talk to a bisexual or non-white person. Just a suggestion, which I already know you won’t follow because you’re too friggin’ stupid.
See how that works? You’re welcome. I’m an equal opportunity offender to the stupid.
stuffedpuppy
“George Floyd was a villain and a criminal” are you people off your meds?? Are you back from an RNC Idiot-fest?
Let me assure you that if anyone is a criminal it is that ‘pastor’ who entertains hundreds if not thousands of cretins weekly and steals their money and benefits their ignorance! How dare this preacher of nothingness call a man who might have committed some rather insignificant misdemeanours compared to those preachers—absolutely DISGUSTING!! Yes, I have a prejudice towards (rich) pastors and yes I’m as alabaster as they come!!
Josiah Freshmount
The LBGT+ community is full of folks who have the same value system as the folks who believe police should be able to execute certain people on the spot for disobedience.
Cam
@Josiah Freshmount
Oh please Troll, you’ve posted twice on Queerty under this screename, and both times it was to insinuate that the LGBTQ community was violent, evil, etc.
You trolls aren’t even TRYING anymore.
Topazme
you know i grew up in India and philospohy wise the hinduism and buddism has a beautiful concept called nature and man…..many times i have heard these anti-gay people say that this is not natural or unnatural….well according to my philosophy….everything is nature…nature has created everything and its chaotic….and man created society to make sense of that chaos and defined things by the way he wanted and the way that he thought the society would run best….and thats why we have concepts like morality…mother nature doesnt have morality,she doesnt cares about it…and when people say this is unnatural,they are wrong because it is natural,its just that it doesnt fits into the mould of societal constraints that man and society create to contain nature and its useless to do so because nature is too vast to be constrained….thats why in the earlier Hinduism and Buddism texts way way before the modern version which mixed with Islamic and Christian concepts,there were 3 genders-male,female and 3rd gender which included everyone who didnt fit into the binary system as now they are called non-binary….similarily sexuality was too divided into mainy categories and they were all considered and part of the natural order and the non-binary,LGBT+ people had place in the society in ancient India…unfortunately due to later Islamic and British influence these concepts got lost and the society transformed to accomodate new societal rules….but the thing is man’s society always changes and rules can be changed according to the era we are living…i really would love everyone to check out these philosophies from ancient world because it is so wonderful to learn about atleast one culture in the world where LGBT people thrived and were not hunted down…it is slowly making a comeback in Indian society as people are looking at their past and finding new things about their own culture and what used to be acceptable and not due to Internet
Prax07
From Google…”George Floyd’s criminal record includes 5 convictions related to theft, possession, and trade of coke. Floyd was arrested five times in 20 years, his last cocaine arrest dates back in 2005. George was also linked to two convictions in the 1990s for possession and theft of a controlled substance (cocaine).”
To say he was a saint, or even a good guy, is laughable. Did he deserve to die? No. Was he intentionally killed? No. Does he deserve to be the face of a movement as he’s become? Hell No.
Cam
Look at what the troll tried to do.
Camera footage shows Floyd not resisting.
The cop was on his neck, are you saying that wasn’t intentional? Floyd wasn’t struggling.
Another cop told him he wasn’t getting a pulse and he kept kneeling, are you saying THAT wasn’t intentional?
Look, we get it, you support the cop and don’t think he did anything wrong.
Donston
No one has claimed Floyd was a saint. It’s about the police’s tendency to profile and to indulge aggressive, intimidating or flat-out violent tactics when they are not necessary. It’s about how trigger happy police have been even against unarmed black civilians. To make this about Floyd’s record is missing the point entirely. And no one should have to explain that to you.
Cam
Notice how this was an article about a bigoted preacher attacking LGBTQ people and the troll accounts keep trying to divert it off that topic?
Prax07
@Donston Maybe I just I don’t see the point. I’d rather have the police as they are than none at all. I’d rather have them trigger happy against criminals than have the criminals running rampant.
Cam
Except those aren’t the options.
The options are taking some of the massive amount of money spent on militarizing the police and putting it back into social service areas it has been stripped out of over the years.
So I’m curious, why are you acting like reforming police and holding them responsible if they murder someone is akin to ending all police?
The big sky
“Millionaire pastor” So often we see those two words side by side. Lets test the old camel and rich entering the kingdom of God speech and put Watkinson and his ilk in to a blender, and see if we can help them get through the eye of a needle.
Prax07
Because if you take away funding from police there’s going to be less of them. We need more police out there, not less. And screw putting money into social services. That’s something we don’t need.
Cam
Right wing troll account says what?
So lets see, crime is at record lows, but we have a massive homeless and mental health issues here in America, but you say we need MORE police and shouldn’t have any social services.
So you apparently like it when somebody is chocked to death for selling cigarettes, or shot in their own home because the warrant got the address wrong.
Prax07
And I don’t see the need to hold them accountable when it comes to criminals getting killed. If you commit a crime you should fear for your life. We’re much too soft on criminals these days. Fear of possible death Should be a deterrent. Knowing you’re going to get a slap on the wrist and free room and board isn’t any kind of deterrent.
Cam
Ok, let’s explore your comment.
You want police to be judge jury and executioner, yet police don’t even need to have any higher education.
So since you are basically advocating getting rid of lawyers and judges and just having the police make the decisions on killing people who run a red light, or steal a pack of gum, it actually sounds like you could use some of these mental health services you are so against.
If police want to be judges, then I suggest they go to law school, work as attorneys for a few years, busting their asses and get appointed to be judges. Otherwise, they need to do their jobs in a legal way, and if they don’t, then THEY are the criminals.
Prax07
If you’re a criminal, doing criminal things, and you happen to get killed by a cop after? Good. It Should be a life/death risk if you’re doing criminal shit. Your momma on the news afterwards crying “Oh but he was a good person” doesn’t mean shit because your momma raised a criminal. You don’t need to be a lawyer or a judge to determine if x person held up a convenient mart. Or if person x just mugged someone. Or if person x just passed a counterfeit bill. You wrestle with a cop and steal his taser, expect to get shot. You do bad stuff then expect bad stuff to happen to you. It should be a deterrent. I don’t see anything wrong with it.
Cam
So then do you also think that Ivanka Trump, Don Jr, and Eric Trump should be shot by cops? They were charged with fraud and stealing from a charity?
Do you think Mike Flynn should be shot? He committed perjury. Kayleigh McEnany has a DUI, so does Matt Gaetz, should they have been shot by cops?
Or let me guess, you just like it when cops are shooting back people.
Prax07
I think All Republicans should be shot, by cops or the general public. Start with Trump and go right down the GOP line. I Would prefer public hangings for him, Pence, Conaway, Huckabee, Graham, Barr, Carlson, and the rest of high profiles though. Just because I’m racist doesn’t mean I’m a Trump supporter.