Homosexuality is similar to alcoholism and eating disorders, Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively said this week.

“I believe that homosexuality is a behavioral disorder on par with alcoholism or eating disorders,” the independent candidate said Tuesday on “The Alan Colmes Show,” a nationally syndicated program aired on Fox News Radio. His comments were posted by the blog Right Wing Watch.

“It isn’t just a moral weakness, it’s something that people suffer with, and it’s a compulsion,” Lively said. He added: “I think homosexual conduct is inherently wrong and dangerous and harmful.”

Lively, an evangelical pastor campaigning in one of the country’s most liberal states, publicly opposes gay rights. Lively made headlines earlier this month when he said President Obama was part of the gay agenda and guilty of destroying family ideals and religious values.

He also recently backed Russia’s anti-gay laws and called Russian President Vladimir Putin “an example of moral leadership that has shamed the governments of Western Europe and North America.”

Lively said Tuesday he follows the biblical model that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. “If anyone dares to go against the gays,” he said on the show, “they get bashed.”

Lively’s opponents in the gubernatorial race include longtime state officials in Massachusetts, including State Treasurer Steve Grossman, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and 2010 gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker. The election will take place on Nov. 4.