Openly homosexual popstar Elton John made headlines earlier this month when he announced that Jesus would have approved of gay marriage.
Now, religious group Christian Concern is responding, calling his comments "remarkably ignorant and staggeringly arrogant."
"Sad to say, these are remarkably ignorant and staggeringly arrogant comments, presuming to dictate to Jesus Christ what he should think when the reality is He has spoken quite clearly on this subject," Christian Concern Campaigns director Andrew Marsh of Christian Concern told BBC Radio Wales.
Marsh added that Jesus went "out of His way" to "underline that marriage is between a man and a woman, as God had intended."
He continued: "And the reason that He did that, as the most compassionate person that has ever walked on earth was not to oppress but because He recognized that that pattern of marriage between a man and a woman and the natural family is the means of human flourishing and in the best interests of individuals, of children and of society as a whole."
"These are old and stupid things. If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen," the musician told Sky News the same weekend as the gay pride parade.
"He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together and that's what the church should be about."
While Marsh acknowledged that "all of us have flawed and are failed in every area," he noted that God has given people "a pattern so that we might flourish."
"All of us fail and fall short of God's pattern for sexuality. But the answer to that is not to remove the pattern that God has given, it is to recognize that Jesus laid down His life so that we might be forgiven, restored, there might be hope for the future and that indeed is what God has promised," he concluded.
John's comments sparked a flurry of responses across the internet as well: some praised the singer's "bravery" while others expressed indignation.
"The comments are incredibly offensive to Christians and more importantly, to Christ Himself, who clearly denounces the abomination of homosexual marriage in scripture. Shame on Elton John," wrote a Facebook user named Lynn.
Some users expressed sympathy for the singer's "lost" worldview.
"It is truly sad to see someone so lost and so immersed in sin," said a user named Sean. "We as Christians need to pray for Elton and those like him that they may find freedom in the Gospel of Christ."
Currently, Sir Elton is already in a civil partnership with his partner David Furnish, but the two are now planning to wed in a "very quiet" ceremony.
