One of the biggest reasons why I renounced the right wing: because this kind of sheer insanity driven by religious fanaticism is nearly universal in the Republican Party: Texas Lt. Gov. Hopefuls Voice Support for Creationism.

It’s important to point out that these lunatics are not happy with simply ruining their own children’s futures — they want to force this Dark Ages delusion on everyone’s children by requiring it to be taught in public schools.

Three out of four Republican candidates for Texas lieutenant governor said at a debate in Waco on Thursday evening that creationism should be taught in the state’s public schools.

All four men in the race said religion should play a larger role in public education when asked where they stood on the issue during the event hosted by the McClennan County Republican Party and broadcast by KCEN-TV. But only one, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, stopped short of endorsing creationism in the state’s curriculum.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said he happens “to believe in creationism.”

“I believe that in fairness we need to expose students to both sides of this,” he said. “That’s why I’ve supported including in our textbooks the discussion of the biblical account of life and creation, and I understand there are a lot of people who disagree with me, and believe in evolution.”

Both state Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples echoed Dewhurst’s remarks, saying that as Christians they believe students should learn the biblical view of creation in school.

“Our students … must really be confused. They go to Sunday School on Sunday and then they go into school on Monday and we tell them they can’t talk about God,” said Patrick. “I’m sick and tired of a minority in our country who want us to turn our back on God.”

Patterson did not mention creationism in his response directly but said he thought schools had focused too much on political correctness out of what he called a mistaken belief that the U.S. Constitution mandated the separation of church and state.