Although Lee came to be an icon for Southern religion (hence the use of Lee as an icon for this course page), his religious views were not necessarily in keeping with those of the region. Lee did not receive confirmation in the Episcopal church until late in life, and his views on the race question would have incensed many Southerners had they been known.
And yet, even reputable scholars continue to speak of Lee in reverent terms. In his recent work Robert E. Lee: A Biography (1995), Emory Thomas records a little known incident in Lee's life that speaks volumes about both the man and the way he continues to play a "christ-like" role for many. Shortly after the end of the War, Lee attended communion at St. Paul's Church. It's "list of communicants read like a Who's Who of the Confederacy." When the invitation to come forward and receive communion was given,
"a tall-well dressed, black man stood and strode to the rail. There followed a pregnant pause. According to one witness, "Its effects upon the communicants was startling, and for several moments they retained their seats in solemn silence and did not move, being deeply chagrined at this attempt to inaugurate the 'new regime' to offend and humiliate them...". Then another person rose from the pew and walked down the aisle to the chancel rail. He knelt near the black man and so redeemed the circumstance. This grace- bringer, of course was Lee. Soon after he knelt, the rest of the congregation followed his example and shuffled in turn to the rail...Lee's actions were far more eloquent than anything he spoke or wrote." (Thomas, p. 372.)
For a revisionist view of Lee see: Nolan, Alan T. Lee Considered: General Robert E. Lee and Civil War History. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1991.