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Source: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan with illustrations by H. C. Selous and M. Paolo Priolo.

Republican Dan Lauffer is a candidate for the Michigan House from the 38th district, which covers Novi, Walled Lake and Lyon Township in Oakland County. Taxes, healthcare, government spending and the Detroit bailout are the issues dominating his campaign website. He takes the conservative side on guns and abortion, but otherwise the revealed agenda fits a fiscally-conservative district trending socially liberal.

While he notes his past as a Protestant minister, there’s no warning his full name is “Carson Daniel Lauffer” and that he’s been active debating homosexuality on the Internet for at least nine years.

"Politically it is not very productive these days to call a practicing homosexual a "Sodomite" and of course not many who are Sodomites would wish to talk with you if you did call him that," noted Carson Lauffer in a 2005 discussion on a Christian discussion board.

“He is a retired Christian minister with a traditional Biblical view of homosexuality,” said Lauffer campaign manager Jake Davidson, after confirming the “Carson Lauffer” of many curious Internet comments was the same person.

Without being asked about Dave Agema, Davidson stressed Lauffer’s tone shouldn’t be confused with that used by Michigan’s notorious GOP National Committeeman.

Fair point. But as recently as April Lauffer was on a "Biblically based" news website, commenting on a story about a gay scoutmaster, and his tone was still somewhat short of open-minded.

“My gosh! What a surprise! What a surprise that a United Methodist female pastor asked an openly gay man to start a Boy Scout Troop,” said Lauffer, managing to pair mild gay maligning with a side order of misogyny toward female clergy.

(Disclosure: My mom has preached more than a few sermons.)

Two years ago, addressing a blog post written by a woman whose husband allegedly left her because he was gay, Lauffer lurched into an admixture of Sigmund Freud and the Exorcist: "I believe it is a type of mental illness as the secularists would say and a type of demonic possession."

Kathy Crawford, Lauffer's GOP primary opponent, appears to be a rather mainstream conservative. She claims the endorsements of Right to Life of Michigan, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the conservative Great Lakes Education Project, and an 'A' rating from the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners.

“I respect and support the decision of the voters that marriage should be between one man and one woman,” she replies, when asked about Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban.

“Discrimination against all people is wrong,” she says, regarding a proposal to include sexual orientation as part of the state’ civil rights protections. “I agree with the Governor who said he would like to see a specific proposal before making a final judgment.”

One must call her up and press her to give an opinion. There is no obvious evidence of her being angsted up enough to hash gay issues out with partisans on the Internet. Many opponents of gay relationships accomplish what they believe is a Biblically-based objection without stridently asserting gays are demon infested, mentally disturbed “Sodomites.”

On this side are thoughtfully nuanced objections from Pope Francis and of politicians such as Gov. Snyder. The governor said in 2010 marriage should remain between a man and woman, but otherwise avoids the issue when he can.

On the other extreme, there is Mr. Agema, who promotes the anti-gay ravings of a Klansman as if they are scientific truth.

Social conservatives should take note: Though Republican, this district isn't so reliably safe that a nominee veering closer to the crazy side of this rhetorical spectrum wouldn't be vulnerable in November to a well-funded Democrat with Google access.



Ken Braun was a legislative aide for a Republican lawmaker in the Michigan House and worked for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He has assisted in a start-up effort to encourage employers to provide economic education to employees, and is currently the director of policy for InformationStation.org. His employer is not responsible for what he says here, on Facebook, or Twitter ... or in Spartan Stadium on game days.

