A reported 10,000 people gathered in Columbia at the South Carolina State House this morning to participate in the "Stand With God, Pro-Family Rally," where keynote speakers railed against marriage equality, Planned Parenthood, and what they see as ungodly corruption in Washington.
A website for the "Pro-Family Rally" urged participants to "Bring your family and your faith and show the Supreme Court there is a Supreme Creator with a supreme law on marriage." It went on to bemoan that "perversion is growing exponentially," offering as an example "The recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex-marriage is yet another proof of the spiraling degeneration of this nation's morals. It is evidentially obvious that we are not the nation the Founders intend." [sic]
In an open letter to "Concerned Citizens of America," the website states:
"The Supreme Court's decision is an open attack on the sovereignty of every state in the Union. As citizens and as patriots of America we cannot support nor obey the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex-marriage. The repercussions of this decision will have far reaching negative effects on churches and religious ministries in days to come. As Christians we do not hate homosexual people but we must stand where God stands regarding sin. The purpose of We Stand With God is to encourage and empower God-fearing citizens to stand in this evil day. Timing is critical. Come stand with us on Saturday, August 29, 2015 as we gather at the South Carolina State Capitol in Columbia, SC for a peaceful protest against the sin of the Supreme Court."
But initial reports from the three-hour rally show that speakers focused most prominently on abortion and calls for the faithful to rise up and assert control of the country.
In an apparent comparison between himself and Jesus Christ, former Texas Governor Rick Perry implored rally participants to "get angry" about "corruption in the temple."
"[Jesus] saw corruption, just like today, we need somebody that's got the backbone to go to Washington, D.C., and turn over the tables of the money changes, of the corruption, of the greed, that we see in Washington, D.C.," said Perry, according to the Texas Tribune.
The Texas newspaper summarized Perry's speech thusly: "At one point, Perry repeated the word 'angry' six times throughout two sentences, assuring listeners their emotions were not misplaced because Jesus felt the same way."
The rally's second keynote speaker was another firebrand conservative from Texas: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. The Canadian-born Cruz, who is the son of a U.S. citizen and a Cuban refugee who is now right-wing pastor who still preaches homophobic lessons from the pulpit, implored the pastors present at the rally to "stand up and preach!"
But the tea-party politician, who won the infamous honor of being named The Advocate's Phobie of the Year in 2014, spent the bulk of his speech blasting Planned Parenthood, calling the healthcare providers "merchants of death," borrowing a phrase from a series of "undercover" videos that claim to show Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue from aborted fetuses. Planned Parenthood officials have consistently denied the veracity of the videos, claiming that they have been heavily edited in a transparent attempt to smear the organization.
Participants seated on camp chairs spread across the State House lawn held Bibles up in the air, as a 600-person choir gathered on the State House steps to sing a hymn called "I Am on the Winning Side."
South Carolina newspaper The State notes that "a much smaller African-American Christian unity rally was unfolding on the opposite side of the State House."
