Former Vice President Mike Pence told an audience earlier this month how he would respond if his son or daughter came out to him as gay: he would tell his child he loves him or her.
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Pence’s proclamation came after a student asked during an April 12 event at the University of Virginia, “I’m just wondering: if one of your children came out to you as gay, how would you respond? What would you tell them?”
The politician wasted little time delivering a pointed response that received cheers and applause from the crowd.
“I’d look them in the eye and tell them, ‘I love you,’” Pence said.
He then went on to say how he and his family love others and treat individuals the same way they wish to be treated.
“I want to say on this issue: If we got to know each other, you’d know the Pences – we love everybody,” he said. “We treat everybody the way we want to be treated.”
Watch Pence’s response at the 55:30-mark:
Pence then discussed his views on same-sex marriage, mutual respect, free speech, and religious expression. He noted the tensions flaring between expressions of faith and gay couples who choose to get married.
The former vice president said Americans must return to “first principles” and cited the religious freedom protections enshrined in the First Amendment; he encouraged Americans to respect one another’s rights to “believe what we believe.”
“Although I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, I believe in traditional marriage, and I believe marriage was ordained by God and instituted in the law – but we live in a pluralistic society,” Pence said. “And the way we go forward, and the way we come together as a country united, I believe, is when we respect your right to believe and my right to believe what we believe.”
Pence’s comments emerged as certain conservative views and perspectives are culturally under fire and cancellation rages. Yet, the First Amendment’s confines are often most tested on unpopular speech or speech that runs countercultural.
Sadly, some Christian ideals now fit into these categories, making Pence’s comments pertinent to the time in which we live.
We’ll leave you with a recent conversation CBN’s Faithwire had with apologist Sean McDowell about how Christian parents should respond if their children identify as LGBT:
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