DREHER TOWNSHIP, PA (WNEP/CNN) – One church is getting a lot of attention, and backlash, for a worship ceremony involving AR-15 rifles and other guns.
Hundreds of followers of a branch of the Unification Church attended the ceremony Wednesday.
Church members said their rifles are the “rod of iron” mentioned in the Bible.
The rifles at the ceremony were unloaded and zip-tied.
Some in the congregation were seen wearing crowns made of bullets.
Protesters gathered outside the church, some with signs reading “shame.” Others called the group an “armed religious cult.”
The service was supposed to be broadcast on YouTube, but church leaders said the site shut down the feed.
Many people across the country want to see more regulation on AR-15 rifles, which have been used in recent mass shootings.
Copyright 2018 WNEP via CNN. All rights reserved.