Southerners have a unique view of the role of religion in public life. Most are devoutly religious, or pretend to be. A frightening number are opposed to the separation of church and state.
And while you might expect people who are so devout to be pious and humble, quite the opposite is generally true. Many Southerners have a real sense of superiority when it comes to their religious beliefs. Many Southern Baptists believe non-Christians are incapable of exercising moral judgment.
A police officer was killed in the line of duty here recently, and the chief announced it was a tragic loss "because he was from a Christian family." As if the officer's death would have been less tragic had he been Jewish.
A woman whose infant died in a hospital here told the news media that her child's death was such a sad event that "even people who aren't Christians were crying."
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