Bachman's Religious Views Traced In New Yorker Article

The New Yorker this week carries a long article on Michelle Bachman titled Leap of Faith-- The Making of a Republican Front-Runner.  The piece, by Ryan Lizza, gives special attention to the content and development of Bachman's religious beliefs.  Lizza writes:

Bachmann belongs to a generation of Christian conservatives whose views have been shaped by institutions, tracts, and leaders not commonly known to secular Americans, or even to most Christians. Her campaign is going to be a conversation about a set of beliefs more extreme than those of any American politician of her stature, including Sarah Palin, to whom she is inevitably compared. Bachmann said in 2004 that being gay is “personal enslavement,” and that, if same-sex marriage were legalized, “little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and that perhaps they should try it.” Speaking about gay-rights activists, that same year, she said, “It is our children that is the prize for this community.” She believes that evolution is a theory that has “never been proven,” and that intelligent design should be taught in schools.