Tuesday 19th June 2012 by Michael Baggs | Photos by wenn.com

Christian country and western star has been heavily criticised by fans for her recent statements supporting gay marriage.

The singer, who releases new album 'Blown Away' in the UK this week, has shocked her religious fanbase and has been heavily criticised by church officials and fans alike for comments made on the Christian Broadcasting Network.

"What she said in that interview, unfortunately, has increasingly become a pretty broken understanding of what the Bible is saying," said Scotty Smith, the pastor of Franklin’s Christ Community Church. "You want to listen to the Scripture in terms of what it says about everything, including marriage, including sexuality."

"@carrieunderwood Is a disgrace. Being vegan and supporting gay marriage doesn’t seem very country at all," Tweeted one disgruntled fan.

"Using Christianity to defend and promote homosexuality is insulting. Ugh," added another, among a series of angry tweets from fans.

However, the singer has found favour with politcal groups, with GOProud organization for gay republicans supporting the singer's statement.

"Good for her," says GOProud co-founder Jimmy LaSalvia to The LA Times. "You know, Carrie Underwood isn’t any different from anyone else in America."

"The more Americans think about how issues affect their gay friends and family the more they come to realize that supporting same-sex civil marriage is the right thing to do. More and more people are coming to that conclusion - and that includes conservative Christians."