{"id":13160,"date":"2018-03-13T17:32:41","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T21:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=13160"},"modified":"2018-03-13T17:32:41","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T21:32:41","slug":"joy-behar-apologizes-equating-religion-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2018\/03\/joy-behar-apologizes-equating-religion-mental-illness.html","title":{"rendered":"Joy Behar Apologizes for Equating Religion with Mental Illness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Joybeharpic\"<\/a>\u201cThe View\u201d host Joy Behar finally apologized for equating faith with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and psychosis. Behar\u2019s offensive remarks were made weeks ago on an episode of \u201cThe View\u201d when she mocked Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s Christian faith. Behar ridiculed Pence for saying that he talks to Jesus. This turn of phrase is common among Christians, but Behar used it as a source of mockery. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to talk to Jesus. It\u2019s another thing when Jesus talks to you,\u201d Behar said \u201cThat\u2019s called mental illness, if I\u2019m not correct. Hearing voices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christians across the nation were outraged. The Media Research Center launched a campaign to hold Behar accountable for spreading \u201canti-Christian bigotry,\u201d and offended believers took to social media in droves. Over 30,000 people also called ABC in response to Behar\u2019s comments, and more than 6,000 people began putting pressure on the show\u2019s advertisers.\u00a0 Behar and \u201cThe View,\u201d however, refused to apologize claiming that the remarks were just jokes.<\/p>\n

Christians, however, did not find the \u201cjoke\u201d funny. Media Research Center President Brent Bozell wrote an open letter calling for an apology and said, \u201cI am sure the advertisers of \u2018The View\u2019 will be just as appalled as I am about the anti-Christian remarks made on the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vice President Pence spoke out against the episode as well. \u201cTo have ABC maintain a broadcast forum that compared Christianity to mental illness is just wrong,\u201d Pence said. \u201cIt is simply wrong for ABC to have a television program that expresses that kind of religious intolerance.\u201d When the subject came up during an interview with Fox News, Pence stated that the remarks were an insult to Christians everywhere. “To have ABC maintain a broadcast forum that compared Christianity to mental illness is just wrong,\u201d said Pence. \u201cAnd it\u2019s an insult not to me, but to the vast majority of the American people who, like me, cherish their faith.”<\/p>\n

Shareholders shared Pence and Bozell\u2019s opinions. In a meeting with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked about the Behar\u2019s remarks. \u201cWhat do you say to the tens of millions of Christians, and President Trump supporters, that your networks have so blatantly offended and ascribed hateful labels?\u201d shareholder Justin Danhof asked Iger directly. \u201cSpecifically, do you think, like Mrs. Hostin and Mrs. Behar, that the Christian faith is akin to a dangerous mental illness?\u201d<\/p>\n

With the pressure mounting, Behar finally offered a public apology on \u201cThe View.\u201d She had apologized to Pence over a private phone call, but the Vice President continued to push for an apology to all Christians. On Tuesday, March 12, 2018, Behar said, “I think Vice President Pence is right. I was raised to respect everyone\u2019s religious faith. I fell short of that. I sincerely apologize for what I said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Christians feel her apology was too little, too late, but others feel that it is best to forgive and forget. Which opinion will come to dominate is still unclear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe View\u201d host Joy Behar finally apologized for equating faith with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and psychosis. Behar\u2019s offensive remarks were made weeks ago on an episode of \u201cThe View\u201d when she mocked Vice President Mike Pence\u2019s Christian faith. Behar ridiculed Pence for saying that he talks to Jesus. This turn of phrase is common…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3374,12],"tags":[3660,1004],"class_list":["post-13160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-politics","tag-anti-christian","tag-christianity"],"yoast_head":"\nJoy Behar Apologizes for Equating Religion with Mental Illness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Weeks ago, \u201cThe View\u201d host Joy Behar equated religion with mental illness. 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Yesterday, she finally offered a public apology to Christians everywhere.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2018\/03\/joy-behar-apologizes-equating-religion-mental-illness.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Idol Chatter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-13T21:32:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/files\/2018\/03\/Joybeharpic.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Hertzenberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Joy Behar Apologizes for Equating Religion with Mental Illness","description":"Weeks ago, \u201cThe View\u201d host Joy Behar equated religion with mental illness. 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