Rally for Religious Liberty Draws Thousands
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On Tuesday, March 27, thousands of people of faith joined together to protest the HHS mandate that forces employers to pay for coverage of contraceptives, abortion drugs and sterilization procedures.
Attendees wore red to show their support for conscience rights legislation currently pending in the Missouri General Assembly. Although the event was on the first floor, an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 participants from around the state filled three floors of the Capitol.
In his address to the crowd, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson denounced the mandate and the so-called compromise that followed.
"Mr. Obama, your compromise changed absolutely nothing!" he said. "This is about religious liberty, and we will never give up this freedom!"
In decrying the so-called compromise, which changed the mandate to force insurance companies to provide the services, Archbishop Carlson said, "Mr. President, there is no free lunch!"
He noted that if the insurance company has to provide the services, someone has to pay for them and that cost will be passed on to the consumer.
Archbishop Carlson specifically called out President Obama a few times, and he noted that the president is essentially telling people through the mandate that they can worship and have faith, but not exercise their faith.
"The federal government, which was formed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, has decided to tell some of those people that we are free to hold our faith but we will be required to deny its practice, and I say NEVER!" Archbishop Carlson said.
He reiterated that Christians are called to serve everyone, just as Jesus Christ did.
Maggie Karner, director of Life and Health Ministries for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, reminded the crowd that the mandate is not about women's issues, but about the constitutional rights of all citizens.
"As a woman, I want to make sure that everybody understands that this birth control mandate and the public debate that surrounds it is not about women's issues at all," Karner said. "It concerns our Constitutional rights. We're all here today for the same reason: to oppose the government's attempt to control our choices."
She expressed outrage that the government is dictating through the mandate what a church should be and said that Christian service shouldn't be restricted to inside the walls of a church.
"But this mandate allows government to redefine what a church is. It says the church's work is only confined to the sanctuary, to our houses of worship," she said. "And for religious people mercy is not confined to our houses of worship. It's not about caring for ourselves; it's about caring for others, those outside the walls of the sanctuary and in the most needful areas of our society."
Karner also echoed Archbishop Carlson's point that an integral part of the Christian faith is service.
"Mercy is not what we do, it's who we are," Karner said. "This debate is not about contraception ... We cannot be expected to check our faith at the door."
Other speakers included Dr. John L. Yeats of the Missouri Baptist Convention and Darrin Rodgers, who read a letter from Dr. George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God USA.
Before and after the rally, participants filled out cards showing their support for conscience rights legislation, including SB 749, sponsored by State Sen. John Lamping and HB 1730, sponsored by State Rep. Stanley Cox, and then gave the cards to their state legislators and Gov. Nixon. The Missouri Senate passed SB 749 in the days following the rally.
The event was co-sponsored by several groups including: the Missouri Catholic Conference, Missouri Right to Life, Concerned Women for America, the Missouri Baptist Convention, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Assemblies of God USA.
To see more photos and videos of the speeches, go to MOcatholic.org. Text of the speeches and Bishop Gaydos' opening prayer are also available to download.
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Rally for Religious Liberty Pictures
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 | | ABOVE: Many families attended the rally. |
 | | ABOVE: Among the crowd at the rally were many young children who wore stickers provided by the MCC. |
 | ABOVE: Archbishop Robert J. Carlson gives his speech during
the rally for religious liberty. Photo by Jay Nies
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 | | ABOVE: The first floor rotunda of the Capitol was full, so rally attendees filled the stairs and looked down at the rally from the second floor balcony. Photo by Jay Nies |
 | | ABOVE: Bishop Gaydos (top) and Archbishop Carlson descend the stairs to the first floor rotunda before the rally begins. |
 | ABOVE: Groups of students also came to the rally, including the group above from CBC High School in St. Louis. Photo by Jay Nies
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 | ABOVE: Many people, including families with small children, made the trek to Jefferson City for the rally. Photo by Jay Nies
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United for Religious Freedom
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 | | Maggie Karner |
"Faith-based organizations, no matter what denomination or creed, have a long history and a vested interest in our society, and we have much to contribute in the future. We can be a valuable asset to the government as we help to address the many needs in our society. But we can only do so if we are given the freedom to work within the framework of our deeply held beliefs. This anti-conscience mandate doesn't allow that. It strips us of the protection of the free exercise of our First Amendment religious rights."
-- Maggie Karner, speech at the
Rally for Religious Liberty on March 27
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