Alaska town forged Republican "northern light"

WASILLA, Alaska (Reuters) - In Sarah Palin's hometown of Wasilla, folks pray hard and when they go fishing they also arm themselves against bears.

The small Alaskan town that forged Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate has a conservative streak that in some ways stands out in this remote northern state.

Set in a valley of thick forest and breathtaking mountain scenery, Wasilla has an outdoors and church culture that would not be out of place in the deep South of the United States.

That goes some way to explaining why Palin has become the northern light that has lit up the Republican Party's conservative Christian base.

McCain plucked Palin from relative obscurity as Alaska's governor last month to run with him in the November 4 election against Democrat Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden.

"We are used to doing things for ourselves. And people here have a strong faith. We try to apply Biblical standards to ourselves," said Steve Runyan, a 35-year-old fishing guide who attends Palin's former Wasilla Bible Church.

Coming off a local creek after a morning of fly fishing, Runyan was armed with a .45 caliber hand-gun as protection against the grizzlies and black bears that roam these parts and make locals bristle at "anti-gun liberals" down south who don't have to contend with that kind of wildlife when they head outdoors.

A moose-hunting mother of five whose fervent evangelical faith has made her a strong opponent of abortion rights, Palin's brand of religious-based social conservatism resonates with many in the town she led as mayor before becoming the state's governor in 2006.

Although many commentators questioned McCain's judgment in choosing an untested state politician to run for one of the highest offices in the United States, Palin touts her small town values and admirers are inspired by her image of being just a cheerful normal working mom juggling work and family.

"We are quite conservative here. We like our guns, we like people to leave us the hell alone, we take care of ourselves," said Craig Pell, a heavyset gun dealer who said he also attended Palin's former church, as he stood behind the counter of his gun shop in Wasilla.

The Wasilla Bible Church which Palin attended had over 300 worshipers for the first of two services this past Sunday morning, which seemed a good crowd at the start of moose hunting season in a town of less than 10,000 people.

Pastor Larry Kroon emphasizes scripture as the literal word of God and the conversion experience to Christ. This is typical of the evangelical churches, in which about one in four U.S. adults claim membership.

WASILLA IS NOT ALASKA

But in Alaska as a whole Palin's brand of conservative religiosity is not so entrenched, according to analysts and interviews with Wasilla's faithful and more secular folk in the state's urban hub of Anchorage, 40 miles from Wasilla.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 27 percent of Alaskans describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular, compared with 16 percent among the adult population of the continental United States.

The number of adult Alaskans who say they are evangelical Christians is roughly the same as the rest of the country -- one in four -- but far below that found in bible belt states such as Tennessee where the "born again" rate is at least 50 percent.

Stephen Haycox, a historian at the University of Alaska Anchorage, said Palin's popularity in Alaska stemmed from the stance she took against oil-linked corruption in her own Republican Party "and had nothing to do with her social conservative agenda."

Fishing guide Runyan said Wasilla was "more conservative than Anchorage", which he attributed to the banality of bigger city life found anywhere.

Pro-Palin sentiment certainly seems less marked in Anchorage.

"I'm not a big fan of Palin. I'm pro-choice on abortion and I don't believe the planet was made 7,000 years ago," said Tod Bodley as he sold knives at an open-air market in downtown Anchorage on a chilly afternoon.

Other Anchorage residents also distanced their state from Wasilla -- a reflection of the wider "urban/heartland" divide that can be found in many places in the United States.

"Wasilla and Anchorage are night and day. It's Republican and church-going and we are less so here," said 25-year-old Marcus Carney, a finance student in Anchorage.

But the "big city" has also come to Wasilla in the form of McDonald's and Walmart -- like the rest of Alaska, where few people now actually "live off the land."

(Editing by Frances Kerry and David Storey)