As Mitt Romney's presidential campaign gains traction, the issue of religious bigotry has raised its ugly head.

We are told by everyone that bigotry is bad, and shouldn't be tolerated. Very noble. Reality, however, is not always so gracious.

Among the polite folk, religious bias is the last remaining acceptable form of bigotry in America. In one of my classes, it is necessary to talk about racial differences in the marketplace. During this lecture, the students sit in stunned silence staring at the floor, afraid that even eye-contact could conceivably brand them as a bigot.

In the same class, we must also deal with differences in religion. When Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Seventh-Day Adventists are mentioned, many of the students give each other knowing smiles, and a little insider laughter is heard.

When ideas are trendy, no group is trendier than professors. A recent poll showed that these esteemed educators were 50% more likely to hold negative views of Mormons than the population as a whole.

Proper Iowans know from the first moment they look into their parents' eyes that they will NEVER have any contact with certain religions, literally come Hell or high water.

There are, however, three groups that are especially bigoted. The first group is paid ministers who lose customers to other religions. It is not clear if their opposition is bigotry, or just competition envy.

The second group is interesting because their bigotry is contradictory to their own interests. Conservative evangelicals are especially negative. Much like radical Muslims' view of the modern world, they see Romney's religion as a heresy that must be stomped out. They produce pamphlets with titles such as, "Why Mormons will Burn in Hell," and others warning of "cults," in which Charles Manson is placed next to Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventists.

The third group is the far left. To be fair, they don't like any traditional religion practiced by their own culture, especially if it is a faith that people actually believe in. They especially despise Mormonism, but will tolerate individual Mormons, as long as they keep their mouths shut.

Now a few predictions. If Romney looks like he will be the candidate for the Republican Party, this is what we can expect to see:

The Iowans and ministers will decide that Romney's religion is weird, but he could still be voted for. Much like Kennedy, he would be acceptable as long as he behaved himself.

The evangelicals will not know what to do. Culturally, Romney should be their man, and the larger culture is telling them not to be bigots, but how can you spend your life warning people about cults and then elect a proud member of the most successful "cult" in America? They may decide that they have been in error for the last 150 years; at least it is something to be hoped for.

The left will do what they always do. If Romney is seen as a threat, then all bets are off. They will play the religion card for all it's worth, while maintaining on a stack of global warming pamphlets that they don't have an ounce of bigotry in them.

There will be articles in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, and all the major networks, and they will look like this, "Religious bigotry is bad; we are not bigots; Romney appears to be a wonderful man, but people who know him better than we have said…" This will be followed by some very negative comments related in a first and second-order-way to Romney's faith.

We will hear stories about Romney's grandparents. There will be long pseudo-scholarly articles on obscure things that some Mormon leader said 90 years ago. Mormon apostates will suddenly have open mikes and admiring reporters willing to air their grievances.

All, of course, because of the voters' right-to-know, and because the controversy (which they created) demands that the media (against their own wills, you must understand) give all this wide exposure, although, of course, they are not religious bigots, because religious bigotry is very bad.

To the left, everything is political. If they think that religion can be used as a wedge issue, they will use it. They will exploit all the religious bigotry they can possibly ignite, while maintaining all the while that they are pure and totally worthy to enter into the Holy of Holies of the temple of tolerance.