Pence hits back at ABC's 'The View' for comparing his Christian faith to mental illness

Vice President Mike Pence has hit back at ABC's "The View" after one host reportedly compared his Christian faith to a mental illness.

On Tuesday, panelists of the daytime talk show discussed the remarks made by former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman who had recently claimed that Pence "thinks Jesus tells him to say things."

During the discussion, the panelists suggested that the vice president may be suffering from a mental illness.

"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, hearing voices," said co-host Joy Behar.

The vice president was able to respond to the assertions when he was interviewed by Axios journalist Mike Allen before a live audience on Wednesday.

"It's just wrong, 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," Pence said.

The vice president noted that he reads his Bible daily and that he and his wife pray together every morning before he leaves. He stressed that his faith is a regular part of his family's life, but he does not consider himself unusual. "I think I'm a very typical American, whatever your faith tradition, people understand that," he said, according to CBN News.

Pence did not specifically name the popular daytime show, but he criticized the network for broadcasting a show that insulted religion.

"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," he said.

On Thursday, co-host Whoopi Goldberg had compared Pence to a Nazi when she defended an openly gay U.S. Olympian's decision not to meet with the vice president.

Figure skater Adam Rippon, who came out as gay in late 2015, had reportedly rejected a request for a meeting by one of Pence's aides, although the athlete said that he would be open to meeting with the vice president after competing in the Winter Olympics.

Goldberg argued that his Rippon's refusal to meet Pence is quite understandable because of their different stances on important issues involving the gay community.

The talk show host went on to say that setting up a meeting between the two would be difficult and added that it would be equivalent to asking a Jewish person to engage with a Nazi.

Goldberg made her remarks after reading a summary of Pence's views on the LGBTQ community over the years. The host recounted that Pence had claimed that keeping gay's from marrying was not discrimination but an "enforcement" of God's idea.

The host also pointed out that Pence had rejected former President Barack Obama's directive on transgender bathrooms.