DownWithTyranny!: Does Nikki Haley Woship Idols? Has Jake Knotts Found A White Sheet Big Enough To Cover Himself With?

Self professed redneck Sen. Jake Knotts used campaign funds to pay his dues for the Sons of Confederate Veterans and then called Nikki Haley & Pres. Obama "ragheads"

You know that place in the Constitution where it says no one can hold office unless they worship Jesus properly? No? Well, go down to South Carolina and they'll show you... or shove it up your ass if you don't just take it on faith. Now, look, I never thought for a minute-- as far back as April, 2009, when Rep. Gresham Barrett got boo-ed off the stage at a teabbager rally-- that South Carolina Republicans were going to pick another Insider as their benighted state's next governor. So even with the vicious and narrow-minded small town buzz in a small town state working overtime that Nikki Haley (a Sikh, originally born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, who now claims to profess both Sikh and Methodist beliefs) has had sex with a string of sleazy Republican operatives, I suspected that if there is one state where a Palin endorsement means something, South Carolina is the place. And Nikki nearly won 50% of the vote against 3 insider white, male Christians (although one is gay so I don't know if that counts-- except that he's closeted which Republicans don't seem to mind that much).

But she's now in what most people thought would be a largely pro-forma runoff against Barrett on June 22 and will then be in another largely pro-forma general against Democrat Vincent Sheheen. And the South Carolina Republicans are starting to ask questions, not about Haley's purported moral turpitude-- nearly every male politician in the state, other than Lindsey Graham and Andre Bauer, claims to have lain with her-- but about her faith. Is she really a Christian? (She claims to have converted, more or less, when she was 24.) Does she worship idols? (Well... isn't Jesus on the cross an idol too?)

"The heritage issue is starting to bubble up on emails," said former Charleston County GOP chairwoman Cyndi Mosteller, who supported Attorney General Henry McMaster in the gubernatorial primary. "I am hearing those questions."

Haley, born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, still attends Sikh services occasionally with her parents and extended family. In 2004, after winning her first term in the state legislature, the Charlotte Observer quoted Haley as saying she and her family attend "both" Methodist and Sikh services.

As routine as that may sound to families of mixed faith, her ties to the Sikh tradition have left some evangelicals in the state uneasy.

Ray Popham, pastor of Oasis Church International in Aiken, said Haley's religion is a "big topic" among his congregants, who have posted notes about her religion on Facebook and have lately approached him for advice about the governor's race.

"She claims to be a Christian but also attends a Sikh temple and was married in a Sikh ceremony, so a lot of people can't figure how you can claim both," Popham told CNN. "I think she needs to be straight up with people, if she is both. If she believes that you can be both, then she should say that up front."

Tony Beam, the interim pastor of Mount Creek Baptist church in Greenville, hosts a radio show called "Christian Worldview Today." He recently posed a question to his listeners: Is Nikki Haley being honest about her faith?

Beam said several callers were not sure if Haley had completely abandoned her Sikh beliefs.

"People want to know if she is being completely forthright about it," said Beam, a Barrett supporter. "Once you commit to Christianity, it excludes other religions. I am not saying she is not who she says she is, but I do know those questions are being raised"

Haley's campaign has taken steps to address the issue. On her campaign website, language about her religion was recently tweaked to emphasize her commitment to Jesus Christ.

In April, under the question "Is Nikki a Christian?" the website quoted Haley as saying: "I believe in the power and grace of Almighty God."

Two months later, after Haley's campaign said it received inquiries about which "Almighty God" was being referenced, the language was altered. Haley is now quoted on her website as saying, "Being a Christian is not about words, but about living for Christ every day."

But other Christian leaders said that while questions about Haley's faith are becoming more common, they are unlikely to influence the election.

Oran Smith, the president of the Palmetto Family Council, said voters often came to him for guidance during the Republican primary. Smith said he told them there was very little difference between the candidates, including Haley or Barrett, on key social issues.

A few voters asked him for more information about Haley's faith, he recalled, but added: "I don't hear a lot of average church people talking about."

"Most people can't even pronounce 'Sikh,' even the ones that are criticizing her," Smith told CNN.

Knotts, the controversial lawmaker, has accused reporters of giving Haley "a free ride" on the religion issue. "Have you ever asked her if she believes in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savoir and that he died on the cross for her sins?" he asked a reporter from WIS-TV last week.