A woman holds her AR-15-style rifle as people attend a blessing ceremony with their AR-15-style rifles in their cases at the Sanctuary Church in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 28, 2018. Reuters/Eduardo Munoz
NEWFOUNDLAND, Pa.: Worshippers clutching AR-15 rifles drank holy wine and exchanged wedding vows in a commitment ceremony at a Pennsylvania church.
The event Wednesday morning at the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary led a nearby school to cancel classes.
The Rev. Sean Moon leads the church. He said in a prayer that God gave people the right to bear arms. Moon is the son of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah who founded the Unification Church, often described as a cult.
The sanctuary believes the AR-15 symbolizes the "rod of iron" in the book of Revelation, and encouraged couples to bring the weapons to the ceremony. An AR-15 was used in the Florida high school massacre.
Outside the church a protester held a sign calling the group an "armed cult."
