Baptist preacher Roger Jimenez during his sermon (Photo courtesy: YouTube) Baptist preacher Roger Jimenez during his sermon (Photo courtesy: YouTube)

Even as messages of anguish pour in from across the world in the wake of the horrific murder of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, a Baptist preacher in the state of California stood on the other side of the aisle and defended the incident.

Pastor Roger Jimenez, who belongs to the Verity Baptist Church, said in a sermon before his flock that the ‘tragedy is that more of them didn’t die.’

Praising the shootout, Jimenez referred to the Orlando victims as ‘sodomites’ and added the city is ‘little safer tonight.’

“As a Christian, we shouldn’t be mourning the death of 50 sodomites. As a Christian, we shouldn’t be sad or upset,” he is heard saying in a video posted on YouTube.

“The Bible teaches us that all these 50 sodomites, all of them are predators,” he adds.

Jimenez’s remarks, though hateful, are not surprising considering his Church’s belief that homosexuality is a ‘sin and an abomination before God which God punishes with the death penalty.’

The Orlando massacre, perpetrated by a man who pledged allegiance to Islamic State before the incident, was the worst mass shooting in US history. Omar Mateen, a US citizen born to Afghan parents, was the gunman who was shot dead during an encounter with SWAT forces. Federal investigators have said he was likely self-radicalized and there was no evidence that he received any instruction or aid from outside groups such as Islamic State.

Meanwhile, people across the spectrum rebuked Jimenez for his remarks.

Kevin Johnson, mayor of the city of Sacramento, said in a tweet that the comments made by Jimenez ‘do not reflect Christian values and have no place in our society.’

A Facebook user wrote in response to Jimenez’s video, “I am speechless. I can’t believe you are actually a human being. I hope that you are not a parent. This country doesn’t need anymore of you running around.”

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