Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Coronavirus vaccine lab

Pastor accused of mocking COVID victim: "He died…because he has no faith"

Rev. Jeffrey Whittaker made the comments at the funeral of Les Tom in Niles, Michigan on December 13.


Video in which a pastor in Niles, Michigan apparently attributed the COVID death of a parishioner to his lack of faith has sparked criticism online.

Lead Pastor of Michiana Christian Embassy, Rev. Jeffrey Whittaker, presided over the funeral service of 71-year-old Les Tom on December 13, ABC 57 reported.

YouTube footage of the service shows Whittaker taking a swipe at coronavirus safety measures across the country and questioning why people did not attend in person.

"We welcome masks, sit here, sit there," Whittaker said. "We answered people's questions for Sheri's funeral and for Les's funeral and guess what, they were liars and hypocrites and cowards."

"Why? Because 'I want to come but I want to make sure I can social distance.'"

"If you wear something, you wear something for love. If you take it off, you take it off for love. And you are a slave to nothing. And you tell me if you have half of a brain left that our country is not being led by the nose into absolute slavery."

He compared the U..S. population of around 330 million with the death toll of around 300,000, saying "that's point one percent."

"He [Les] died of COVID because he's weak, because he has no faith," he added.


The sentiment, especially his comments about the percentage of deaths, sparked a strong reaction on YouTube, with one person commenting "all lives matter even if one person dies. This man is sickening."

The website Friendly Atheist posted a screengrab of a Facebook post no longer publicly available that was made by his granddaughter, Taylor Marie, in which she condemned the church.

She wrote: "Here's a video of the pastor saying my grandpa died because he's weak and had no faith." Newsweek has contacted Marie and the Michiana Christian Embassy for comment.

However, Whittaker told ABC 57 the comment was taken out of context did not reflect the whole picture of his two hour sermon.

Meanwhile, parishioners who attended the service defended Whittaker, with Terry Ecktezksein telling the network: "Sometimes Pastor is tongue and cheek and he will say things sarcastically or blatantly not true to get a point across.

"He would never blame somebody for their own death, he loved Les, they were good friends, it was God's timing."

An unnamed parishioner told the news outlet that "he has spent countless hours having coffee with me on the couch in his office or at Martin's, never asking for a dime. He does this not just for our church body but the Niles, Michiana community."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
×