Is it any wonder that the Constitutional ammendment to define marriage passed in Virginia when guys like Virgil Goode are in the leadership? He’s against anything that isn’t just like him and everyone he knows: white, Christian, heterosexual. His way of life is threatened, it seems, and he has no creative response other than to lash out at those he sees as the threat. Oh, for the good old days, when white people were in charge and could always get their way. And, praise the Lord that Virgil was born into the “right” religion and race.

But, in a strange way, Goode’s got it right, too. Neither the Bible nor the Koran have little tolerance for those of other religious faiths, and both books have been the reason behind some pretty horrible deeds at some point in their long careers as holy scripture. We can take whatever advanced liberal view of religion we want, but the hard fact is that there are plenty of people out there–Virgil Goode included–who believe there really is only one God and one holy book. They are not willing to compromise that fact since in doing so, their whole belief structure that they are blessed by God in some special way, would fall apart. Their religion isn’t some comforting set of beliefs about compassion and understanding; Goode sees himself as a warrior for God himself, fighting the infidels who, in attacking the United States, also attacked Christianity. We might laugh about Goode behind his back and dismiss him as a fringe element, but I think he is a dangerous man, wielding the Christian sword in the public square, and I, for one, would like to see some stronger denunciation of this kind of talk from the mainline churches in Virginia. Oh, I forgot…they are too busy splitting into factions over gay rights. Not going to go there for any real tolerance, are we?

Congressman Criticizes Election of Muslim – New York Times