In the mid 80s when I was at LSU I had a friend who was an evangelical. Our friendship was formed because unlike my experience with most evangelicals he would actually engage in honest and thougthful conversation about the nature of belief without simply relying on regurgitation of christian talking points.

We would hang out and alternate between talking about food, talking about our personal beliefs and playing guitar. Unlike many these days we could agree to disagree and still enjoy each other’s company.

Then he disappeared for about six weeks. No one heard from him at all. I even braved his church to go look for him. All for naught.

At the end of the six weeks he showed up at my door at 3am, drunk. (he was normall a non drinker) With tears running down his face he told me that before he was saved he had been a horrible sinner, a homosexual.

During the time he was missing he had been with a man. His eyes lit up as he spoke of this wonderful man and how he had fallen head over heels in love with him. Wile saying this his face fell and he was wracked with sobs because he felt that no matter how right this felt it was still a nigh unforgivable sin. I have never seen someone so torn between their feelings and their beliefs. My girlfriend and I tried to reassure him and lend support as best we could, sitting there talking with him till mid-afternoon the next day.

Two days later he returned to his church group, wracked with guilt over both his perceived “sin” and for betraying his lover by walking out on him.

Two days later he was dead by his own hand, unable to reconcile the narrow views of his church with the realities of his life and love.

These are the kind of stories that we will see everywhere around us if Palin gets anywhere near the White House.