Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave a blistering defence of his support for gay marriage on the campaign trail Sept 3.
During a question-and-answer session on ABC News, a pastor criticized Rudd’s stance on marriage, asking him why he didn’t “believe the words of Jesus in the Bible.”
“Well, mate, if I was going to have that view, the Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition,” Rudd shot back. “Because St Paul said in the New Testament, slaves be obedient to your masters. And therefore we should have all fought for the Confederacy in the US Civil War.”
Rudd, who is a Christian, went on to argue that critics of gay marriage were missing the larger message of love and unity in the New Testament.
Rudd opposed gay marriage during his first term in office but changed his mind after conversations with his daughter. His opponent, opposition leader Tony Abbott, is a self-described “opponent of gay marriage.”
Abbott’s Liberal-National coalition is leading Rudd’s Labour party by eight points in the polls.
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