ST. PAUL, Minn., July 16 (UPI) -- Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann left her conservative church at the pastor's request, officials say.
Although she had stopped attending services at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church two years ago, she formally ended her membership there on June 21, which came at the request of the Rev. Marcus Birkholz, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
"The impetus came from the church. For the pastor's sake, he wanted to know where he stood with the family," said Joel Hochmuth, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the denominational organization that includes the Bachmann's former church.
The Minnesota congresswoman's announced she had left the church right before she kicked off her campaign tour in Iowa, raising questions as the conservative church holds several controversial stances.
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has about 390,000 adherents across the country and is criticized because it believes homosexuality is a sin and can be cured. They also believe the Catholic pope is the Antichrist, a belief Bachmann has said she does not hold.
