Carter's remarks come almost two weeks after the U.S legalized same-sex marriage. On June 26, 2015, the United States became the twenty-first and most populous country to legalize gay marriage, as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The court ruled that the denial of marriage licenses and recognition to same-sex couples violates the Due Process and the Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
When he was asked by HuffPost Live's Marc Lamont Hill on Tuesday whether he believes Jesus would approve of gay marriage, Carter said:
"I believe Jesus would. I don't have any verse in scripture. ... I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage, but that's just my own personal belief. I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don't see that gay marriage damages anyone else."
President Barack Obama also hailed the Supreme Court's ruling as a "victory for a America." But prominent Evangelicals, such as the Rev. Franklin Graham, have said that the court's decision might bring the wrath of God's judgment upon the nation.
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