Australian prime minister on opposition to marriage equality: 'The Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition'

Less than a week before Australia's election, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a bold defense of same-sex marriage.

In a questions and answer session on Australia's ABC News on Tuesday, Pastor Matt Prater asked why the prime minister now supported the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Rudd explained that he endorsed same-sex marriage after "years of reflection in good Christian conscience."

"I do not believe people when they are born choose their sexuality,” he explained. “They are gay if they are born gay. You don't decide at some later stage in life to be one thing or the other. It is how people are built and therefore the idea that this is somehow an abnormal condition is just wrong, I don't get that. I think that is just a completely ill-founded view."

Based on this view, Rudd concluded that prohibiting a person from marrying his or her long-term partner was wrong.

The pastor clarified that he was opposed to same-sex marriage because the Bible defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

"If you call yourself a Christian, why don't you believe the words of Jesus in the Bible?" Prater asked.

"Well mate, if I was going to have that view, the Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition," Rudd replied.

He added the fundamental message of the New Testament was “loving your fellow man” and that social conditions were constantly changing.

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by NewsOnABC, below: