In the second in a series of presentations that he recently made at Charis Bible College in Colorado, right-wing pseudo-historian David Barton reiterated his belief that God will never allow a cure or vaccine for AIDS to be discovered because the disease is divine punishment for homosexuality.

Citing Romans 1, which declares that “men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved,” Barton said that God will never allow a cure to be found for AIDS because that would eliminate the “penalty” that is due for engaging in such behavior.

“Anything the Bible says is right, there is scientific basis for it now,” Barton said. “The federal government, in the last several years, has spent tens of billions of dollars looking for a vaccine for AIDS and I don’t think they will ever find a vaccine for HIV/AIDS. And I say that based on a particular Bible verse … Notice this, homosexuals receive in their bodies the penalty due them. The Bible says if you engage in homosexuality, your body will do things that will penalize you. So if you can have a vaccine for AIDS, then you’re keeping your body from penalizing you. I don’t think they’ll ever find a vaccine for AIDS”:

UPDATE: Warren Throckmorton took a look at the scientific evidence that Barton subsequently cited as “proof” of this point and discovered that Barton completely misrepresented the facts.