Vance's Antichrist remarks are a common belief, friend says
Vice-President JD Vance said he would not be shocked if the Antichrist were walking among us, while stressing he is focused on doing God's work. His friend Rod Dreher told the BBC that such views are a very, very common Christian belief. Coverage of aposd vance also includes Vance linking some AI practices to spiritual dark energy.
Key Takeaways
- On a Christian podcast, Vance said he would not be shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us, but that dwelling on the end times is spiritually unhelpful.
- Writer Rod Dreher told the BBC the remarks are a very common Christian belief and would not harm Vance with Republican voters.
- Vance described "really, really weird spiritual dark energy" around some AI practices, including a model "burial ceremony" and chatbot marriage counseling he called "kind of satanic."
- He said he is doing as much of God's work as possible; if that leads to the end times, OK, and if it helps build a lasting better world, that is great too.
Why did Rod Dreher call Vance's Antichrist comments a common belief?
After Vance spoke about the Antichrist and "the end times" on a Christian podcast, Dreher rejected the idea that the comments would damage the vice-president. He told the BBC's Today programme that most Americans inclined to vote Republican "already believe this stuff."
"This might sound bonkers to someone who is outside the Christian religion, but it is a very, very common belief within Christianity," Dreher said. He argued Vance was reflecting that the world appeared to be going "crazy" through rapid artificial intelligence development and ongoing conflicts.
Dreher, who was present when Vance was received into the Catholic Church, said Ronald Reagan made similar comments as president and that voters treated that as "perfectly normal." Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, the BBC reported.
What did Vance say about God's work and the end times?
The remarks came in a Monday interview with Bryce Crawford, a 22-year-old evangelical host with more than a million YouTube followers. Asked whether we are in the end times, Vance said he did not know and that focusing on it too much is probably bad for him spiritually, because he has to be good to his wife, his children, and the United States.
He said the end times "are coming" and that the question is whether they arrive thousands of years down the road or a few months down the road. He said he is trying to do as much of God's work as possible right now. "If that leads to the end times, OK," he said, and if it leads to a better world that thrives after he is gone, "that's great, too."
He still said things about the world would leave him "not shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us." The BBC notes that in Christianity the Antichrist is seen as God's enemy in the world's final phase.
Why does Vance tie artificial intelligence to spiritual dark energy?
On the same podcast, Vance said some AI-company practices carry "some really, really weird spiritual dark energy." Axios reported that he cited a "burial ceremony" for a retired AI model, which made him feel very uncomfortable, and said "there's some dark spiritual things going on there."
He also pointed to an acquaintance whose spouse used AI as a marriage counselor. Vance said divorcing humans from the social element God made people for is "very bad" and called that use "kind of satanic."
Axios noted that this caution sits beside the Trump administration's push for AI innovation without excessive regulation and for data centers that power the boom. Asked about spiritually dark rooms, Vance said he has felt "some darkness" in meetings with world leaders when a remark set off "every spiritual alarm bell" in his body. The BBC said he was due to give a White House press briefing on Thursday afternoon, the first since Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt left.