They also think the South will "rise again" and then they'll get all their slaves back, so... Not exactly critical thinkers.

I would guess that's a decline.

Half of Southerners believe Colonel Sanders was an officer in the Confederate Army!

...and the confederate battle flag is about grits and cornbread.

Such fear. Add all Christians together in USA and they are still a minority.

I grew up Catholic next to a baptist preacher. His son and I were the same age and he innocently would tell me what his father preached in the hopes I would see the errors of my ways. A more bigoted, racist, "I'm morally superior to all", religion does not exist than the southern baptists.

That is due to the evangelical influence in the South. n Baptist Convention is the largest church in the south and it was formed as a breakaway sect from the larger Baptist church -- specifically to support slavery.

What is it with this part of the country? When people make these goofy kinds of claims I do see it as believing but wanting to believe.

Its sad that there so many religious fools in the south. I bet there are more closeted atheists than other part of the country.