A cult church in Pennsylvania will next week hold a 'blessing' ceremony which invites attendees to bring AR-15 assault rifles, the same weapon used in last weeks Florida school shooting that killed 17.
World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Newfoundland said it had planned its service months before last week's shooting, but said it would go ahead with the event. The church is part of the Unification Church, a quasi-Christian offshoot, founded in 1954, in which the Korean Reverend Sun Myung Moon is believed to be the Messiah.
The church's invite explicitly calls attendees to bring an AR-15 assault rifle (or close equivalent), a weapon ascribed with particular theological import in the group.
Tim Elder, The Pennsylvania church's director of world missions, said that the AR-15 represents the 'rod of iron' described in the acopalyptic biblical book of Revelation.
'This will be a big thing for us. It's a new stage for us because it incorporates the rod of iron, as it is in Revelations. Revelations talks about the returning Christ ruling with the rod of iron,' Elder told Newswatch 16, according to WNEP-TV.
He told Associated Press: 'Now more than ever, good people need to stand up and claim for themselves the tools that can be used to stop that kind of evil.'
The cult is known for its pro-gun stance and fervent backing of US second amendment rights. The Moon family also founded the gun manufacturer Kahr Arms.
The church website adds, regarding the February 28 ceremony: 'If unable to purchase and legally transport such a "rod of iron" because of laws barring the purchase of such weapons, or other reasons, couples are invited to purchase a $700 gift certificate from a gun store, as evidence of their intent to purchase a "rod of iron" in the future.'
The weapons at the event will be safely secured, unloaded, and checked at the door, but Elder said they hadn't considered moving the service. The gathering, expected to host around 600 guests, has upset some locals as it will be held nearby Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, a potentially toxic and insensitive move given last week's school massacre in Florida.
