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E.W. Jackson is the Republican candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor, and he's a pretty interesting guy with a lot of opinions. Some of these opinions — especially on gays, like that they are "ikky" — have made him more famous than most candidates for lieutenant governor. On Wednesday, we learned that Jackson has some interesting ideas on a new topic: yoga. As The National Review's Betsy Woodruff reports, Jackson warns that yoga can put you at risk for satanic possession in his 2008 book, Ten Commandments to an Extraordinary Life: Making Your Dreams Come True.
When one hears the word meditation, it conjures an image of Maharishi Yoga talking about finding a mantra and striving for nirvana... The purpose of such meditation is to empty oneself... [Satan] is happy to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it. That is why people serve Satan without ever knowing it or deciding to, but no one can be a child of God without making a decision to surrender to him. Beware of systems of spirituality which tell you to empty yourself. You will end up filled with something you probably do not want.
Behind the ice-cold eyes of Lululemon princesses burn the demonic flames of eternal hell! Having been to a Lululemon store (temple?) recently, I can't say I disagree.
Jackson is a pastor who has never held elected office. If Virginia Republicans are looking to reach out to moderate suburban voters after their southern state voted for Obama for a second time, Jackson isn't helping. He has compared Planned Parenthood to the KKK, he's said gays are "frankly very sick people," and that homosexuality "poisons culture." His running mate, state attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, doesn't want to be associated with Jackson's comments. "He's got to defend all his own statements and he’s going to go about doing that, but we run our own race," Cuccinelli told The Washington Post. But The National Review ticks through a few issues that show Jackson's surprising moderation: "he wouldn't support any sort of ban on gay sex," and "would oppose a constitutional amendment naming Christianity as America's official religion."