Mike Huckabee: Homosexuality 'a biblical issue,' not a political one

WAHSINGTON (Christian Examiner) – Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is expected to run for president again in 2016, defended his position on homosexuality on CNN's "State of the Union," seeking to distance himself from the softer tones of more moderate Republican candidates like Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney.

"This is not a political issue," Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, explained. "It is a biblical issue. And as a biblical issue — unless I get a new version of the Scriptures, it's really not my place to say, OK, I'm just going to evolve. It's like asking someone who's Jewish to start serving bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli. We don't want to do that — I mean, we're not going to do that. Or like asking a Muslim to serve up something that is offensive to him, or to have dogs in his backyard."

"We're so sensitive to make sure we don't offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can't have the convictions that they've had for 2,000 years," he added.

As evangelicals, Mormons and other religious groups push for religious freedoms amid the tide of same-sex marriage advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon be deciding definitively whether or not states can ban same-sex marriage, and the court should come to a decision by the end of June.

Traditional marriage currently is upheld in 14 states.

The court will hear cases concerning Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee, which could see the definition of marriage changed to include gay couples across the country. The court is set to decide whether states must allow same-sex couples to marry and whether states must recognize same-sex marriages that take place out-of-state.

Attorneys on both sides of the debate are preparing two and a half hours of oral arguments, which the court will hear in April.