Anne Rice quits Christianity, but not Christ

Anne Rice

I have been a fan of author Anne Rice for years. I read her books — the vampire books, the Witching Hour series — over and over. And one of the personal highlights of my 28 years as a journalist was getting the opportunity to interview some years ago.
Then I found out that her son, Christopher Rice — a successful author in his own right — was gay, and that she supported him completely. And I loved her even more.
Then a few years ago, I heard that Anne Rice, who had been an atheist, had found God and become a Christian convert. I couldn’t help but wonder: How would her conversion affect her relationship with her son? Would she continue to support and love him as always? Would she take the “love the sinner, hate the sin” approach? Would she insist he be “cured” of homosexuality? Would she turn her back on him completely.
I also wondered how her conversion would affect her stance on LGBT rights overall and if we were losing an ally.
Well, as it turned out, Anne Rice didn’t think converting to Christianity meant becoming anti-gay. Unfortunately, “Christianity” didn’t agree.
So this week, on Wednesday, July 28, Anne Rice posted a notice on her Facebook page declaring she has “quit Christianity.”
Here’s what she said: “For those who care, and I understand if you don’t: Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or to being part of Christianity. It’s simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”
And there was more. She also said, “In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.”
So, I knew there was a reason I am an Anne Rice fan! I don’t think I have ever heard anyone give a better explanation of the difference between following Christ and being “a Christian.”
Read Karen Ocamb’s blog about Ann Rice’s announcement here. It includes a statement from Christoper Rice as well. Here’s what he had to say:
“For ten years I watched my mother bravely attempt to engage the hostile fundamentalist forces that dominate the leadership of almost every popular Christian denomination. She was met, in most instances with an iron wall of derision and scorn. Her departure from organized religion is a testament to the moral rot that exists at the politcized core of most church leadership. Throughout it all, her love and support of me as a gay man has never wavered and I love her just as much today as I did when she considered herself a member of the Catholic church.”
Oh, and here is the link to Christopher Rice’s Facebook page, just for good measure.

10 Comments

David Taffet on July 30, 2010 at 3:48 pm

Of course she’s still Christian. She may have quit her denomination, but by definition, someone who believes in Christ is a Christian. I’m not sure why she thinks the right wing has the term Christian trademarked, but they don’t. It’s simply a term for someone who believes in Christ, which she says she does.

creative on July 31, 2010 at 2:31 pm

David, I agree.
I don’t feel that Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, etc. are all the same within their defined group. Rice is reacting to the behavior of some people within the group. Perhaps she is wanting to create a new name for the group that defines her beliefs like evangelicals created a name for themselves.
I’d like to read more of your thoughts on this topic.

Tom P on August 2, 2010 at 9:32 am

oh please David, pull your head out of the sand and wake up to what “Christianity” stands for, despite your bubble of deluded gays there at the former MCC outlet. (You know, couldn’t stick with MCC cause christiandom doesn’t like them…had to become a methodist denomination, it’s more “palatible” for the people who might want to donate.
Love the Christ, hate the Christian.

David Taffet on August 2, 2010 at 11:47 am

Tom, I’m Jewish and was completely commenting on her bizarre statement as an outside observer. I actually have a lot of difficulty even understanding the difference in beliefs between different Christian denominations and have no interest in whether or not Jesus even ever existed.
However, Christianity stands for lots of different things and no denomination has a lock on what it stands for. But one thing I’m sure of is that someone who says they believe in Jesus is Christian. That’s the definition. My only point was that she said she believes in Christ and is no longer Christian. NO. She IS Christian but no longer belongs to a particular denomination.

Carl K on August 3, 2010 at 2:39 pm

I’ve seen a number of posts both here and at another site. It amazes me – but unfortunately not really – to read the venomous posts written by “club members” – those who seem to be the very type of “Christian” that ran Ann Rice out of the church. The stalwart belief that “our theology” is God’s theology and God is obviously as small, narrow minded, and hate-filled as we are toward those who don’t believe exactly what we do does not bode well for the North American “church.” Where is the support of Ann Rice’s decision on the part of Christians? Where is the love of Christ from those who disagree with her? If those who scorn her worked as hard at loving her as she did at loving you the last 10 years, things would probably be quite a bit different. I believe Ann Rice is a “sister in Christ” whether or not she wants to identify with the church as defined by so many who don’t seem to remember that Jesus is “good news” not bad legalisms. Does this mean Jesus simply blanketly says all sins are okay with Him? Not at all! But let’s show the love of Christ for all sinners – even the stubbornly condemning theological ones (contemporary Pharisees, perhaps) – and let’s see if we can allow the Holy Spirit do His job of convicting and convincing ALL of us both of our own sin and of God’s amazing grace toward us in Christ. If anything breaks the heart of Jesus today, I think the condemning attitudes found in His Church might be much higher on the list than homosexuality. I think the lack of Christ-like love for all might be higher on the list as well. I think the entire list of sins within the “church” is quite possibly higher on the list than homosexuality but the log we have in our own eye is blinding us to the splinter in another’s. I trust and believe that God has mercy on other sinners. I pray He has mercy on the sinners within the “church” Ann Rice felt compelled to leave. I also don’t doubt that Ann belongs to His Church and that she will continue to reflect the love of Christ so lacking in the church she left.

Kathleen Bell on August 3, 2010 at 6:37 pm

I am a practicing Catholic who loves Jesus first of all and the CHURCH as in the Body of Christ. It saddens me greatly that so many people feel disenfranchised in the very place were ALL are supposed to be welcome. This reminds me of a quote from Ghandi that I once read, “If more Christians behaved like their Christ, I’d be a Christian”. And Jesus wept.

Constance Scanlon on August 11, 2010 at 11:37 pm

Dear Anne
Are you confused! I think all of you input of the bible is of your own personal interpretation. Why did you have to make this a public issue?
To persecute the Catholic Church. Maybe, you didn’t understand the true meaning of Catholicism,or because of your sons sexuality, you don’t believe.
You can’t believe in Christ, without Christianity.
I sit with the Blessed Sacrament weekly, an will add your name to my prayer list.
Especially, at your age I would hope you could find peace with God, and leave the devil in his place in your books.

James Horie on August 12, 2010 at 6:51 am

Everyone, has a profond perspective on life and religion, all perceptions, are correct, from that point of view, for the point of view in Heaven, is for you to seek this
simple view, and see that , heaven is not walled in, but has always been there for the few, who can help the many,,,

James Horie on August 12, 2010 at 6:57 am

Eckankar, is one of the most direct connections to your Heaven, through its discourses, you will come in contact with Above,,,and it is sacred,,,,

APG on December 12, 2010 at 8:46 pm

.
If I could meet her in person, I would love to say “Thank you Anne Rice – for so very articulately stating what I have felt in my heart for years” !!!!
One’s ‘Faith-in-Christ’ should IN NO WAY be tied into the man-controlled ‘Religion’ that so many refer to as “Christianity” (especially that apostate, psuedo-religiouspolitical-movement called ‘evangelicalism’)
It took me forever to realize that my relationship with God (as establishedthrough Christ Jesus, God The Son) wasIN NO WAY dependent on the apostatepsuedo-religious movement sweepingAmerica in the name of the “church”.
If Christ were walking the earth today,a lot of these same “religious” types would be the first to demand that Hebe ‘crucified’ — and based merely on who He chose as FRIENDS (women, gays, foreigners, immigrants, the poor, the rejected, the downtrodden, the rich,men, old, young, happy, sad, and so on).
The “evangelicals” (not to be mistaken for TRUE FOLLOWERS of Christ) and other “church” types have essentially hijacked the Christian ‘Faith’ in order to turn it into a mammon-worshipping, power-mongering, “Religion” of hate.
These people are more akin to a system ofANTI-CHRIST (i.e. “against”-Christ) thanto anything tied into WHO CHRIST IS.
Their evil has reached such profound levelsthat even people who know and love Christare turned off from them and their words(again proving these “church” types are really nothing more than anti-Christ,self-righteous Pharisees and are not even remotely related to Jesus Christ).
Never again will I waste my time steppinginto the psuedo-religious social-club that is known as “church” or associate myself with the political-clique that is known as ‘christianity’ — because FROM NOW ON — I realize that I do NOT “need” either in order to have a relationship with MY LORD JESUS CHRIST (in fact, those two entities were actually ‘interfering’ with my relationship with God)
THROUGH CHRIST — GOD HAS OPENLY EXPRESSED HIS LOVE TO ‘EVERYONE’ (no matter if rich, poor, gay, straight, male, female, sickly, healthy and so on) — AND CHRIST (not the so-called”church”) IS ‘THE DOOR’ and ‘THE WAY’ TO GOD!!
ALL ARE WELCOME TO APPROACH ANDTO ENTER THROUGH ‘THE DOOR’ TO GOD!!
NO ONE IS REJECTED BY JESUS CHRIST !!!
JESUS LOVED AND LOVES EVERYONE !!!
LET’S ALL TRY TO REMEMBER THE BIBLE VERSE OF ‘JOHN 3:17’:
“For God did NOT send His Son into the world – to condemn the world, BUT that the world, THROUGH HIM, might be SAVED !!!!”
JESUS CHIST – and *not* the institution knownas “the church” or the religion called “christianity”— IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!!!
LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE – I AM DONEWITH THE CHURCH & WITH CHRISTIANITY– AND FROM HERE ON OUT – MY FOCUS ISON (AND FAITH IN GOD RELIES IN) JESUS CHRIST AND JESUS CHRIST ALONE !!!
.

David Taffet on July 30, 2010 at 3:48 pm

Of course she’s still Christian. She may have quit her denomination, but by definition, someone who believes in Christ is a Christian. I’m not sure why she thinks the right wing has the term Christian trademarked, but they don’t. It’s simply a term for someone who believes in Christ, which she says she does.
creative on July 31, 2010 at 2:31 pm

David, I agree.
I don’t feel that Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, etc. are all the same within their defined group. Rice is reacting to the behavior of some people within the group. Perhaps she is wanting to create a new name for the group that defines her beliefs like evangelicals created a name for themselves.
I’d like to read more of your thoughts on this topic.
Tom P on August 2, 2010 at 9:32 am

oh please David, pull your head out of the sand and wake up to what “Christianity” stands for, despite your bubble of deluded gays there at the former MCC outlet. (You know, couldn’t stick with MCC cause christiandom doesn’t like them…had to become a methodist denomination, it’s more “palatible” for the people who might want to donate.
Love the Christ, hate the Christian.
David Taffet on August 2, 2010 at 11:47 am

Tom, I’m Jewish and was completely commenting on her bizarre statement as an outside observer. I actually have a lot of difficulty even understanding the difference in beliefs between different Christian denominations and have no interest in whether or not Jesus even ever existed.
However, Christianity stands for lots of different things and no denomination has a lock on what it stands for. But one thing I’m sure of is that someone who says they believe in Jesus is Christian. That’s the definition. My only point was that she said she believes in Christ and is no longer Christian. NO. She IS Christian but no longer belongs to a particular denomination.
Carl K on August 3, 2010 at 2:39 pm

I’ve seen a number of posts both here and at another site. It amazes me – but unfortunately not really – to read the venomous posts written by “club members” – those who seem to be the very type of “Christian” that ran Ann Rice out of the church. The stalwart belief that “our theology” is God’s theology and God is obviously as small, narrow minded, and hate-filled as we are toward those who don’t believe exactly what we do does not bode well for the North American “church.” Where is the support of Ann Rice’s decision on the part of Christians? Where is the love of Christ from those who disagree with her? If those who scorn her worked as hard at loving her as she did at loving you the last 10 years, things would probably be quite a bit different. I believe Ann Rice is a “sister in Christ” whether or not she wants to identify with the church as defined by so many who don’t seem to remember that Jesus is “good news” not bad legalisms. Does this mean Jesus simply blanketly says all sins are okay with Him? Not at all! But let’s show the love of Christ for all sinners – even the stubbornly condemning theological ones (contemporary Pharisees, perhaps) – and let’s see if we can allow the Holy Spirit do His job of convicting and convincing ALL of us both of our own sin and of God’s amazing grace toward us in Christ. If anything breaks the heart of Jesus today, I think the condemning attitudes found in His Church might be much higher on the list than homosexuality. I think the lack of Christ-like love for all might be higher on the list as well. I think the entire list of sins within the “church” is quite possibly higher on the list than homosexuality but the log we have in our own eye is blinding us to the splinter in another’s. I trust and believe that God has mercy on other sinners. I pray He has mercy on the sinners within the “church” Ann Rice felt compelled to leave. I also don’t doubt that Ann belongs to His Church and that she will continue to reflect the love of Christ so lacking in the church she left.
Kathleen Bell on August 3, 2010 at 6:37 pm

I am a practicing Catholic who loves Jesus first of all and the CHURCH as in the Body of Christ. It saddens me greatly that so many people feel disenfranchised in the very place were ALL are supposed to be welcome. This reminds me of a quote from Ghandi that I once read, “If more Christians behaved like their Christ, I’d be a Christian”. And Jesus wept.
Constance Scanlon on August 11, 2010 at 11:37 pm

Dear Anne
Are you confused! I think all of you input of the bible is of your own personal interpretation. Why did you have to make this a public issue?
To persecute the Catholic Church. Maybe, you didn’t understand the true meaning of Catholicism,or because of your sons sexuality, you don’t believe.
You can’t believe in Christ, without Christianity.
I sit with the Blessed Sacrament weekly, an will add your name to my prayer list.
Especially, at your age I would hope you could find peace with God, and leave the devil in his place in your books.
James Horie on August 12, 2010 at 6:51 am

Everyone, has a profond perspective on life and religion, all perceptions, are correct, from that point of view, for the point of view in Heaven, is for you to seek this
simple view, and see that , heaven is not walled in, but has always been there for the few, who can help the many,,,
James Horie on August 12, 2010 at 6:57 am

Eckankar, is one of the most direct connections to your Heaven, through its discourses, you will come in contact with Above,,,and it is sacred,,,,
APG on December 12, 2010 at 8:46 pm

.
If I could meet her in person, I would love to say “Thank you Anne Rice – for so very articulately stating what I have felt in my heart for years” !!!!
One’s ‘Faith-in-Christ’ should IN NO WAY be tied into the man-controlled ‘Religion’ that so many refer to as “Christianity” (especially that apostate, psuedo-religiouspolitical-movement called ‘evangelicalism’)
It took me forever to realize that my relationship with God (as establishedthrough Christ Jesus, God The Son) wasIN NO WAY dependent on the apostatepsuedo-religious movement sweepingAmerica in the name of the “church”.
If Christ were walking the earth today,a lot of these same “religious” types would be the first to demand that Hebe ‘crucified’ — and based merely on who He chose as FRIENDS (women, gays, foreigners, immigrants, the poor, the rejected, the downtrodden, the rich,men, old, young, happy, sad, and so on).
The “evangelicals” (not to be mistaken for TRUE FOLLOWERS of Christ) and other “church” types have essentially hijacked the Christian ‘Faith’ in order to turn it into a mammon-worshipping, power-mongering, “Religion” of hate.
These people are more akin to a system ofANTI-CHRIST (i.e. “against”-Christ) thanto anything tied into WHO CHRIST IS.
Their evil has reached such profound levelsthat even people who know and love Christare turned off from them and their words(again proving these “church” types are really nothing more than anti-Christ,self-righteous Pharisees and are not even remotely related to Jesus Christ).
Never again will I waste my time steppinginto the psuedo-religious social-club that is known as “church” or associate myself with the political-clique that is known as ‘christianity’ — because FROM NOW ON — I realize that I do NOT “need” either in order to have a relationship with MY LORD JESUS CHRIST (in fact, those two entities were actually ‘interfering’ with my relationship with God)
THROUGH CHRIST — GOD HAS OPENLY EXPRESSED HIS LOVE TO ‘EVERYONE’ (no matter if rich, poor, gay, straight, male, female, sickly, healthy and so on) — AND CHRIST (not the so-called”church”) IS ‘THE DOOR’ and ‘THE WAY’ TO GOD!!
ALL ARE WELCOME TO APPROACH ANDTO ENTER THROUGH ‘THE DOOR’ TO GOD!!
NO ONE IS REJECTED BY JESUS CHRIST !!!
JESUS LOVED AND LOVES EVERYONE !!!
LET’S ALL TRY TO REMEMBER THE BIBLE VERSE OF ‘JOHN 3:17’:
“For God did NOT send His Son into the world – to condemn the world, BUT that the world, THROUGH HIM, might be SAVED !!!!”
JESUS CHIST – and *not* the institution knownas “the church” or the religion called “christianity”— IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!!!
LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE – I AM DONEWITH THE CHURCH & WITH CHRISTIANITY– AND FROM HERE ON OUT – MY FOCUS ISON (AND FAITH IN GOD RELIES IN) JESUS CHRIST AND JESUS CHRIST ALONE !!!
.