Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore said Wednesday he's been "mischaracterized" in the media as being filled with "hate" for gays and Muslims, and said he went to Washington last week to set the record straight with his potential future colleagues.

"I've been mischaracterized in the press saying that I hate people because of their beliefs. I don't hate anybody. I'm a Christian," he told reporters after speaking at a K-12 Tuscaloosa Christian school. "That's why I'm speaking at the American Christian Academy here. Christians don't hate people. We don't hate gays, we don't hate people -- we hate sin. That's something biblical. I stand for principles ... but I don't hate people, and I don't hate them because of their religion or anything else. Freedom of conscience is something that I spoke about today. ...The freedom of conscience allows people in this country to worship as they will, but that freedom comes from God."

Moore also said there's no need for him to debate his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, because their differences are well documented. On Wednesday, Moore's camp declined an invitation from AL.com in collaboration with WHNT to debate with Jones in advance of the senate election. Jones was willing to participate.

"There's a great disparity between the two parties' positions - between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party - not only on social issues, such as the acknowledgement of God - need to have God back in our platform - but also because there's a great disparity in fiscal issues - Obamacare, for example. I'm for repealing Obamacare, but also repealing the McCarran-Ferguson Act to allow the free enterprise system to take the place of the government-controlled health care system. My opponent is for increase of Obamacare and increase of government control. There's great disparity. These issues don't need to be disputed in public, the public should see that, he said. "Furthermore, we have a great disparity in rights. Right now, my opponent favors transgender rights in the military, transgender bathrooms under Title XI .... I oppose these issues. I oppose them very strongly. I think transgenderism has no place in the military, I've been in the military. My opponent hasn't. So there's a great disparity; we don't need to debate."

"Roy Moore has been hiding from the voters, from the media and from his record for weeks and now refuses to take the same stage with Doug in a debate. Doug has said repeatedly he was willing to debate Roy Moore anytime, anywhere, about Moore's lack of support for Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children's Health Insurance Program and about the more than $1 million Moore took from his foundation," a statement from Jones' campaign read.

"It is disappointing, but not surprising, that Roy Moore again refuses to be accountable to the people of this state. The people of Alabama deserve better. They deserve to hear from both candidates on the same stage discussing real issues - not the divisive issues Roy Moore has pushed his entire campaign to drive wedges between people."

While Moore was at American Christian Academy to speak about the importance of the upcoming Veterans Day holiday, most of his speech to the students was geared toward faith. Moore argued that the country has experienced a decline in morality because it has turned away from God, and referenced Sunday's deadly church shooting in Texas as an example.

"Maybe [the shooting] brings us back to the realization that we need God's help," he said.

Moore was in Washington last week to meet with some Republican senators and former White House advisor Steve Bannon, who is also advising Moore on his campaign.

Updated at 5:26 p.m. to show Moore's campaign declined a debate invitation from AL.com and WHNT.