Stand Up Rallies TODAY in 164 U.S. Cities
Posted by John Jansen (June 8, 2012 at 6:00 am)
The list of cities taking part in today’s Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally now stands at 164—far surpassing the 145 cities that participated in the first Stand Up Rally on March 23.
The number of cities on board for today’s Nationwide Rally shows that the massive turnout seen at that first Rally on March 23 was hardly a one-time phenomenon.
Opposition among the American people to the HHS Mandate’s assault on religious freedom is intense—and getting stronger!
From Augusta, Maine to Miami, Florida to Fairbanks, Alaska to Honolulu, Hawaii the American people are sending a message that we will not stand idly by while the federal government forces all employer health plans to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of any moral or religious objections.
Later tonight, you don’t want to find yourself saying, “I wish I had gone to the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally.”
Don’t be that guy. Be there!
Check out the Locations Page to see all the cities taking part and find a Rally near you!
So, the Dallas and Fort Worth rallies were combined to accommodate the Republican State convention in Texas, right? This rally is nothing but a gathering for Republicans/Tea Partiers who hate Obama. It hardly has anything to do with religious freedom. What phoniness.
June 7th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
WHERE is the fight for Religious Freedom for people whose beliefs differ from our own??!!!
This obviously highly POLITICAL right-wing campaign (“Stand Up for Religious Freedom” stuff) is an embarrassment to a truly Christian, life-long Catholic.
Having raised my children to follow the teachings of Christ (e.g., His teachings of Love and Compassion) I am appalled by the Bishops’ outright INTOLLERANCE and willingness to sell out to the most extreme Tea Party agenda that is simply driven by blatant BIGOTRY.
IMMORAL PRIORITIES, as illustrated by the ‘Ryan’/Republican Budget proposal (that has created less outrage than a single birth control pill) makes it very clear that the Church is now controlled by the “1%”.
It also is clearly worrisome that the Bishops would advocate violation of the concept of “separation of Church and State” (and may, thus, jeopardize the Church’s tax-free status). We live in a diverse culture, yet while our President has bent over backwards to accommodate ‘compromise’ for personal religious beliefs, our Church leadership rejects any conciliatory measures.
After 65 years as a practicing Catholic, I now see that my Church, ironically, does NOT promote “Religious Freedom” at ALL!!!
June 7th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
Bonita, whose religious freedom are we (not just “the bishops”, but US – clergy and lay, Catholics and non-Christians, Republicans and Democrats) placing in jeopardy? And how
June 7th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Bonita, I am sure that you do know what’s best for the bishops and the entire church. I’m surprised you don’t wear a mitre yet to help show your authority, but i suppose you don’t want to be involved in being blatantly INTOLERANT. Why should you have to tolerate what almost every bishop in the US has deemed a highly important matter?
And as for strong political feelings, especially those that have a direction, that stand for something, right wing or left, these are truly abhorrent. We should all just get along and make accommodations for everyone everywhere.
I am also not surprised you would find it an embarrassment to defend religious freedom. You seem pretty intent on caging all religious dialogue in any relation at all to the state, though for some reason you also seem to imply that the bishops in their vocalized outrage to the HHS mandate, have separated church and state too much. Somehow you have found a way to find too much and too little in this rallying effort, which we should see as sane for, as G. K. Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy, “All sane man can see that sanity is some kind of equilibrium; that one may be mad and eat too much, or mad and eat too little.” Perhaps the bishops have kept their sanity in pushing too much of both.
I am excited to see there is a response to the legal actions that attempt to tear down the great tapestry of religion that, unbeknownst to many will expose the ugly, crumbling wall of secularism. We cannot follow any man-made law that does not square with Divine law, for this becomes as MLK jr. and St. Augustine would agree ‘no law at all.’ Let us peacefully gather in the name of Jesus to show our unwillingness to abide by regulations that will strain our conscience. For a law that is not a law may attack our physical lives, but will never breach the impregnable walls of our faithful souls.
June 8th, 2012 at 12:51 am
[…] has been a fabulous response to the Stand Up for Religious freedom rallies tomorrow. 160 cities across the country (up from 145 in March) will be hosting. See if there is a […]
June 8th, 2012 at 8:24 am
[…] http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com/2012/160cities/ […]
June 8th, 2012 at 11:19 am
I keep an open mind through all this and am trying to comprehend Bonita’s opinion. Maybe the problem lies in you disagreeing with the Church about this issue which you are certainly allowed to do. But many people disagree with the Church about many things. That doesn’t make the Church’s teaching wrong although unpopular. MANY people disagreed with Jesus’ teachings. Therefore many Christians were killed.
Agree with contraception or not, HHS is using this to destroy our Church. We cannot comply. The financial repercussions would remove our Church and Her services from our country. Look at history and past governments that removed charities. It is scary.
If you really want to discuss about it, first examine your conscience and think about what the Church teaches. Sex is a gift from God to married couples. It must be open to love and life. Otherwise you are taking the power of life from God.
June 8th, 2012 at 11:20 am
Do you realize this will be the last time you as a citizen will ever get to freely express your opinion. America ends this year.
June 8th, 2012 at 11:26 am
I have one of your your signs in my window inside my apartment. I live in a retirement community and I have had sign made up at my expense and people have put them up. My lease was up and word can from other residents that they had been told they would be evicted if they did not take the signs down and that they were going refuse to renew my lease. I caught the office manager gone yesterday and went with a State Senator and the woman working in the office renewed my lease and told me they had no problem with my sign and no one had been threatened, in front of a State Senator. Today the property manager called me and ask will you take your sing down and I said no. She stated Corporate Headquarters will deal with you. I ask what are you going to do if I don’t take the sign down and she stated I am not having you say I threatened you, this conversation is over and hung up. Can you please get me some support. By the way I am a total and permanent disabled Vietnam Veteran. Please get me some support on this. I am and will stand up for all freedom now I need some help standing up for my freedom. Please help me help all. Please expedite response.
June 8th, 2012 at 11:55 am
James – thank you for posting your dilemna. Please keep us posted that you are supported with follow up. I am heading out to the HHS Federal Building here in the city of San Francisco – our noon rally anticipates 3000 people – last time we had 1500. We will be right under the windows of the Fed and Rep Pelosi and your story is exactly why I will be sacrificing my lunch break to stand for Liberty and Justice for all! God bless you and thank you for serving our nation – and for exercising your right to freedom of expression!
June 8th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
James. I am going to keep you in my prayers. I would contact your senator and inform him of your call. Thank you for standing up for Freedom.
June 8th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
I went to rally on my lunch break in Cincinnati. I was a bit disappointed. Remember this website is for religious FREEDOM, and with the same breath we claiming that homosexuals should have their freedom of marrying who they like taken away.
Let me review some of the statements discussed today at fountain square in Cincinnati:
1) If Obama wins in November, we will be not be allowed pray in public. (misinformation and a scare tactic)
2) The professors are lying to our students.
3) The religious oppression of mandated birth control is on the same level with 1920s in Mexico where priest were getting murdered for wearing their collars in public.
4) What will Ohio become if the homosexuals can marry?
I was curious about the issue going into the rally, but after an hour long rally I was not educated about the reasons why I should be against the mandated bill. I learned “America is the greatest country” , “Vote in November and not for Obama”, and “God bless America”.
Hope this can be of use for your future rallies.
June 8th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Bonita, how is it intolerance and bigotry to want to be free to practice one’s own faith? We are tolerant of others’ beliefs and are not here to coerce anyone else. The individual’s right to follow his/her conscience is what is being threatened now… your right as well as mine.
We are your neighbors who believe that God is real and alive. We believe that He wants us to live according to His plan. We believe that the LORD has given us a commandment not to kill. Abortion kills. Many contraceptives are “abortifacient” meaning they *end a new life* that has begun. We are not talking about “potential life” but a life already in progress.
Even apart from religious faith, intellect and reason tell us that it is wrong to destroy an innocent human being. Yes, this tiny being is human, just like you and me… not a guppy, not a blood clot or a clump of random cells.
The HHS mandate would force everyone in our country to participate in something that many, many of us believe is immoral and unthinkable. People of faith are being told to disregard what God has said and do what the government administration has decided we must do.
How is it “Love and Compassion” to end the life of a child when there are other choices? “Thou shalt not kill.” There is no compromise. Even if 99.9% of Americans want to disagree with us, we cannot comply with something that is so gravely wrong.
June 8th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
I was not able to attend the rally(s)held in SE Michigan,but at noon I dedicated my daily rosary divotion and fast for all those who were fortunate enough to attend. As of 5:58pm there is still no coverage on the internet or local news webs. it is like ther is a big hushhhhhhhhh… I say rally again on the 4th with catholic media coverage blitzing the air waves and pass the hat if ya have to at the rally to cover costs…How about 990 am? “Let freedom ring” on Independence Day!!
June 8th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Sheesh, Bonita. That’s a lot of shouting.
If they want it so badly, there are a number of ways to deal with it: 1) find a different employer; b) pay for it themselves; c) find a clinic that gives it away. All we’re asking is not to be made to subsidize it. The Paul Ryan plan has *not* gone uncriticized, either.
If the President wants “Church leadership” to consider “conciliatory measures,” he should first of all make such measures meaningful and not just a bureacrat paper-pusher’s idea of a solution that changes squat. Second, he should actually talk to somebody besides Sister Carol Keehan, who — last I checked — is not our pope or one of our bishops! For crying out loud.
June 8th, 2012 at 6:30 pm