NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – There was no shortage of fiery words in front of the Tennessee State Capitol Thursday in the name of religious liberty.
Much of it was aimed at the recent US Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for same-sex marriage nationwide.
About 40 Tennessee state lawmakers were on stage at various times pledging their support for religious liberty, but most of the speeches came from the organizers–Tennessee Pastors Network and a two high profile guests.
Many in the crowd of at least one-thousand heard Rafael Cruz, the Cuban-born father of the Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
The crowd cheered as he said “The decision of the Supreme Court on June 26th was totally lawless and unconstitutional (but) what it is doing is waking up the sleeping giant.”
It was a reference to the words of a Japanese Naval leader after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
There was also Joe Davis as one of the headliners.
He was suddenly thrown into the world spotlight as the husband of the Kentucky Court Clerk Kim Davis who was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses earlier this summer.
Davis spoke for exactly 22 seconds.
The clerk’s husband said he was “not a speaker,” but “I really truly appreciate everyone who was here today to show support for God first and me and my wife. I love Tennessee. I love everybody.”
While Davis was brief, the elder Cruz was a bit longer and he ended with a political pitch for his son.
“Religious persecution ends in january of 2017 with Senator Ted Cruz as the next president of the United States of America,” he said to more cheers.
