Ben Carson: 'There isn't anything that's non-mainstream Christian about Seventh-day Adventists'

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, on Dec, 10, 2015. Reuters

It was previously reported that Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson allegedly does not believe that hell exists.

This is farthest from the truth, the former neurosurgeon recently said as he set things straight.

Carson said during an interview with CNN that the report made by The Washington Post was "total garbage" since his statements about hell and the rapture were misinterpreted.

"I don't believe in a secret rapture, where people just, he's just sitting here one minute and he disappears," Carson said. "I believe what the Bible says... where He will come, everybody will see Him, people will be raised from the dead, called up."

As for the subject of hell, he clarified that he holds a "mainstream" view regarding it. "I personally don't believe in a situation where there's this dungeon and there's a bunch of little minions poking people for ever and ever and burning them. That's inconsistent with the character of God, and that's not what the Bible says," he said.

Carson's ties with the Seventh-day Adventist Church have drawn criticisms in the past, but he said he is not worried that this will affect his standing in the polls.

"There isn't anything that's non-mainstream Christian about Seventh-day Adventists—the one exception may be that they believe that Saturday is the Sabbath, simply because that's what the Bible says," Carson explained. "That doesn't mean that people who worship on Sunday are evil people or doomed, I don't believe that."

Just recently, three of Carson's campaign managers left him due to some internal disputes. Carson said the announcement of their resignation could have been handled better.

"Could it have been done better? Absolutely. Are we perfect? Absolutely not. Did we need to make these changes? Absolutely yes," Carson said. "You're never going to be able to do a shakeup in a way that will please everybody."

However, Carson believes that the tough changes his team is implementing now will be worth it in the end. "Now we're reinvigorated, and I think this is going to be something that everyone's going to notice—a very big difference," Carson said.

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