Sen. Marco Rubio Warns Mainstream Christian Teaching Could Be Defined as 'Hate Speech'

2016 presidential hopeful Marco Rubio recently suggested that religious freedom is under attack in America, warning that church teachings on hot button issues such as homosexuality could be considered hate speech in the near future.

While speaking with the Christian Broadcasting Network this week, Rubio, a GOP senator from Florida, warned of the issues currently threatening mainstream Christian teaching.

"If you think about, we are at the water's edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech," Rubio told CBN News. "Because today we've reached the point in our society where if you do not support same-sex marriage you are labeled a homophobe and a hater."

"After they are done going after individuals, the next step is to argue that the teachings of mainstream Christianity, the catechism of the Catholic Church is hate speech and there's a real and present danger."

Rubio's statements come ahead of an expected Supreme Court ruling that could determine state bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is also pursuing the 2016 presidency, echoed similar sentiments in an interview with Eric Metaxas, suggesting that those who push for the legalization of same-sex marriage are trying to "mandate" a redefinition of marriage on all Americans.

"The modern Democratic Party," he told Metaxas, "has gotten so radical and so extreme in its devotion to mandatory gay marriage that they've decided there's no room for the religious liberty protected under the First Amendment."