Republican candidate for Virgina lieutenant governor E.W. Jackson, like most black men, has an issue with yoga (c’mon, just try to remember the last black guy you saw in a yoga class):

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.

Yogi wants to steal your pic-a-nic basket and claim your soul for Satan’s mantlepiece.

OK. So, apparently, the GOP is still using the same service to clear its candidates that produced Todd Akin.

(Jackson) has compared Planned Parenthood to the KKK, he’s said gays are “frankly very sick people,” and that homosexuality “poisons culture.”… 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.”

Oh, and he also thinks that God wants you to give him lots of money.

For example, as you read this book, you may feel a deep spiritual affinity for the things I am teaching and therefore a profound spiritual kinship with me. We may never meet in person, but you can draw on the anointing which God has placed on my life by sowing into my ministry. That opens a spiritual door for you to partake at a deeper level and for me to impart to you as one in Covenant with me. That is how I have come to support other ministries. Wherever you are moved to give, do it consistently and generously. This will start a flow of prosperity in your life which will enhance all the other principles you have learned.

Take it away, Rev.