Anne Rice Talks About Quitting Christianity

Novelist Anne Rice appeared on The Joy Behar Show and discussed her recent decision to quit Christianity.

Rice, who had practiced Catholicism since 1998, announced via Facebook that she would leave the faith because of its antigay and antifeminist views, including opposition to abortion.

"I'd seen one thing after another happen," said Rice. "One thing after another that organized religion had done basically in our secular culture or done publicly somewhere in the world that had caused me considerable moral discomfort. My anger was building up, my confusion was building up. I wanted to exonerate myself, say, 'I'm not complicit in all of the different things that Christians are doing publicly around the world. I want to step away form this. My commitment to Christ demands a certain honesty and authenticity from me and I am moving away from this group of his followers."

Behar asked Rice whether her gay son Christopher, also a writer, inspired the decision. Rice said that while having a gay son keeps her especially informed, she has long been aware of the issues.

Watch the interview.