Tens of Thousands Gather to “Restore Honor” to America
By George Whitten, Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)– The “Restoring Honor” rally drew a crowd estimated between 300,000 and 500,000 to Washington D.C. which had a tone of evangelical revival rather than that of a political protest.
The gathering focused on religious values and paying tribute to American military personnel. Attendees and those watching were encouraged to donate money to a Florida-based nonprofit group, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. By the end of Saturday, the event raised more than $5 million.
Conservative Talk show host Glenn Beck, a Mormon, who organized the event, billed the event as a non-political and encouraged those attending not to bring protest signs. Many observed the rally as “Americans” gathering together as a heartfelt, non-partisan expression of civic concern, patriotism and religious faith.
Clearly many of the attendees were Tea Party members who expressed their frustrations on an “out-of-touch” Washington. On both sides of the isle, Democrats and Republicans saw the rally as a gauge of the upcoming U.S. elections in November.
As Glenn Beck paced on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke through a wireless microphone headset. He said, “Something that is beyond man is happening… America today begins to turn back to God. For too long, this country has wandered in darkness.”
Beck continued to stress the need to return to the beginning in order to restore and said, “When people came together of different faiths in the Spirit of God … the first thing they did was pray together.”
As the crowd was led in prayer by Pastor Paul, a direct descendent from the Mayflower, addressed God as the foundation from which America was born, how the “gospel of Jesus Christ should be the central focus of every settlement” and concluded by calling out for a spirit of “repentance” so the “healing, restoration, and recovery” of America would take place through “Jesus Christ, the eternal redeemer.”
“This is the day we can start the hearts of Americans again, and it has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with God,” Beck told the crowd. He called on Americans to reject hatred, adding that “there is a lot we can disagree on, but our values and principles can unite us.”
Beck exhorted the crowd to “recognize your place to the creator. Realize that He is our King. He is the one who guide and directs our life and protects us.” He asked his audience to pray more. “I ask, not only if you would pray on your knees, but pray on your knees but with your door open for your children to see.”
Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008, told the crowd, “We must restore America and restore her honor.”
She told the crowd she wasn’t speaking as a politician, but rather as “the mother of a soldier and I am proud of that distinction. Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet and you can’t take that away from me.” It was a reference to her son, Track, 20, who served a year-long deployment in Iraq.
“We are worried about what we face. Sometimes, our challenges seem insurmountable,” Palin said. “Look around you. You’re not alone. You are Americans! You have the same steel spine and moral courage of Washington and Lincoln and Martin Luther King. It is in you. It will sustain you as it sustained them,” and were greeted by the crowd’s standing ovations and chants of “U!–S!–A!”
Some civil rights leaders accused Glenn Beck and the “Restoring Honor” organizers of hijacking Martin Luther King’s legacy by having the event on the anniversary of King’s “I have a dream” speech which took place at the steps of Lincoln Memorial in 1963.
However, Beck said he did not intend to choose the King anniversary for his rally but viewed it as “divine providence” for the event. Throughout the event, Martin Luther King Jr. was portrayed as an American hero.
Alveda King, the niece of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., a key note speaker addressed the attendees saying to “I’m joining Glenn to talk about faith, hope, charity, and honor. Those are things that America needs to reclaim. Our children need to remember to love each other how to honor each other, their parents, God and their neighbors. I agree with Glenn on all of those principles. So that’s why I’m here. For me it’s principles over politics.”
“Glenn says there is one human race, I agree with him. We are not here to divide. I’m about unity. That’s why I’m here, and I want to honor my uncle today.”
“Faith, Hope and Love are not dead in America. We still trust in God,” she continued.
“I, too have a dream, it is in my dreams that God’s agape love will transcend skin color and economic status…and America will repent of racism and return to honor. ”
Alveda King is currently the director of African-American outreach at the pro-life group Priests for Life. After having two abortions herself, King is now an advocate for the pro-life movement.
Beck noted that the Founding Fathers warned that if people turned from God, the country would be at risk.
“Let’s take them as people who knew what they were talking about. Let’s try the whole turning back to God thing and see what happens,” he said.