‘Stop Being a Weirdo’: JD Vance Responds to Now-Viral Prayer Complaint
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance told an individual complaining over prayer to “stop being a weirdo” in a now-viral social media message.
It all started after someone wrote to The New York Times Magazine’s “The Ethicist” column to complain about an 85-year-old neighbor whom the writer called “a sweet friend and caring person.”
Despite these kind words, the complainant said there’s a big problem with this octogenarian: the elderly do-gooder simply won’t stop praying.
“My issue is that she is very religious and I’m not at all,” the unnamed individual wrote. “She prays for me and says it in person, texts and emails for even the most minor of situations. I’ve told her my view of religion and that she doesn’t need to pray for me.”
But the elderly prayer warrior apparently won’t take, “No,” for an answer.
“She said she has to, otherwise she’s not following the Bible,” the complainant continued. “I’m trying to ignore this, but it’s really bothering me that she can’t respect my wishes.”
Vance, who held little back, responded with some truly candid advice for this grieved individual.
What should you do?
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 18, 2024
Accept it as a sweet gesture and stop being a weirdo.
Or: consider that the woman praying for her neighbors has it more figured out than the person whining to the paper. pic.twitter.com/jrmwJJeVeX
“What should you do?” he rhetorically wrote on X, offering his own advice on the matter. “Accept it as a sweet gesture and stop being a weirdo.”
Vance wasn’t done there, adding, “Or: consider that the woman praying for her neighbors has it more figured out than the person whining to the paper.”
The New York Times’ Kwame Anthony Appiah, who writes “The Ethicist,” took a gentler approach in his official response, noting he is glad the elderly woman and complainant can be honest about their differences — but he ended up echoing a similar sentiment.
“If you don’t think these prayers will do you any good, you presumably also don’t think they’ll do you any harm,” he wrote. “By contrast, she thinks that you’ll be worse off without them, and that praying for you is her duty. The only reason you give for objecting to her prayers is that she has failed to comply with your wishes.”
Appiah said it didn’t seem that the woman disrespected the complainant and that the latter didn’t have the right to demand that the elderly woman stop her invocations.
“You’re not entitled to insist that she stop including you in her prayers,” he added. “What you can fairly ask is simply that she refrain from informing you about them.”
Ultimately, he encouraged the writer to see the prayers as a “sincere expression” of love and care.
Considering prayer is a form of sacrificial kindness, it seems this is the best path to take.
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
About The Author
