Jimmy Carter Says He Believes 'Jesus Would Approve of Gay Marriage' — but Even He Makes a Big Admission About That Claim

Former president Jimmy Carter said on Tuesday that he believes Jesus would approve of gay marriage, though he said that he doesn't have "any verse in scripture" to corroborate this notion.

"I believe he would. I believe Jesus would. I don't have any verse in scripture..." Carter responded when asked by HuffPo Live host Mark Lamont Hill whether Christ would embrace same-sex nuptials. "I believe that Jesus would approve of gay marriage, but I’m not – that’s just my own personal belief."

The one-term Democratic president also said that he believes Jesus "would encourage ... any love affair that was honest and sincere."

And since Carter believes that gay marriage doesn't "damage anyone else," he said that he has no qualms about it.

Watch Carter speak about the issue below at the 17:00 mark: 

Same-sex marriage proponents correctly argue that Jesus does not directly address same-sex relationships in the Bible, though opponents note that Christ defined marriage in Mark 10:6-9 when he addressed the topic of divorce.

Those verses read, "But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Theological debate continues to surround homosexuality, though the majority of Christians remain opposed to same-sex relations. A recent poll conducted by the Barna group found that 66 percent of practicing Christians disagreed with the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex nuptials, with that proportion raising to 94 percent among evangelicals.

Carter, a progressive evangelical, also noted during the interview that he opposes abortion, believing that Jesus would not approve of it.

(H/T: Mediaite)