In an interview with Axios journalist Mike Allen on Wednesday, Mike Pence reacted to harsh comments made by “The View” co-host Joy Behar about his Christian faith.
On Tuesday’s show, Behar remarked, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness if I’m not correct.”
“Can he talk to Mary Magdalene without his wife in the room?” she added, taking the distasteful jab one step further.
“I actually heard that ABC has a program that compared my Christianity to mental illness,” Pence said of Behar’s comments in the interview. “And I’d like to laugh about it, but I really can’t.”
Moreover, the Vice President expressed that the joke made at his expense was a bigger insult to the tens of millions of Americans who also hold their faith very dear.
“It’s just wrong,” stated Pence. “And it’s an insult not to me, but to the vast majority of the American people who, like me, cherish their faith. My Christianity is the most important thing in my life.”
The former Indiana governor then elaborated on just how deeply his faith is integrated into his daily life by detailing his morning routine with his wife, Karen.
“I try to start every day by opening the Good Book,” he said. “My wife and I try to have a prayer together before I leave every morning. I can honestly tell you my faith sustains me in all that I do and it’s just a regular part of our lives.
According to Pence, his firm beliefs do not make him “unusual,” but rather representative of the American people.
“I think I’m a very typical American; whatever your faith tradition, people understand that,” he stated.
Pence continued to explain how Behar’s offensive remarks indicate just how far removed the media is from the core faith our nation was founded upon:
“But I just think it demonstrates just how out of touch some in the mainstream media are with the faith and values of the American people that you could have a major network like ABC permit a forum for invective against religion like that… And I call them out on it. Not because of what was said about me, but it’s just simply wrong for ABC to have a television program that expresses that kind of religious intolerance.”
“We’re better than that,” he asserted in conclusion. “Our country’s better than that. I’d like to be light about it, but I really can’t. Not for my sake, but for the tens of millions of Americans who cherish their faith, I can’t be silent.”
