“GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson said he “strongly disagreed” with the Supreme Court’s decision Friday to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide but acknowledged it is “now the law of the land.” “I call on Congress to make sure deeply held religious views are respected and protected,” Carson said in a statement issued following the court’s historic ruling. “The government must never force Christians to violate their religious beliefs.”

“The Medal of Freedom recipient’s reaction to the ruling, which struck down all same-sex marriage bans across the country, stands in stark contrast to those of his fellow GOP presidential candidates. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee called the ruling “irrational” and “unconstitutional.” Also, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who launched his presidential campaign on Wednesday, said the decision would “pave the way for an all-out assault against the religious freedom rights of Christians who disagree with this decision.”

“I have to be completely honest with you,” Carson told Newslo. “With everything that’s been going on throughout the country lately, both politically and socially, to me this is beginning to feel more and more like we’re going back to the Soviet Union. This just doesn’t feel like America anymore. I’m sad to be the one to say it, but someone has to.”

The former neurosurgeon elaborated: “But, what baffles me most is the fact that, year after year, Americans continue to celebrate the 4th of July as if nothing has changed. They continue to be either completely ignorant of the cultural hurricanes that are happening all around them, or they’re just choosing to ignore the storm and hope it will somehow blow over with no consequences. Things like the Supreme Court ruling don’t just go away; you can’t bury your head in the sand and hope everything will go back to the way it was. We’re not in a cartoon.”

Carson also added: “I used to feel proud to be a member of this nation. Now, when I consider the fact that Christianity and other religions in America are being stomped on by the very boots of law that were originally designed to shield them, I don’t even see the point of celebrating our nation’s birthday. It’s all becoming way too pointless.”