Rod of Iron: Antigovernment, Christian Right and Far-Right Movements To Join at 'Freedom Festival'
A broad range of Christian Right, antigovernment and other far-right extremists will appear at the gun-toting, anti-人兽性交聽Sanctuary Church鈥檚 Rod of Iron Freedom Festival in Greeley, Pennsylvania, from Oct. 8-10.
The event showcases a widening coalition intent on destabilizing democracy, with Pastor Hyung Jin 鈥淪ean鈥� Moon, who in 2013 founded the Sanctuary Church, playing a prominent role, experts tell Hatewatch. Steve Bannon, Joey Gibson of the far-right Patriot Prayer group, former Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone and pastors Dan Fisher and Gary Haskell, who want to revive a 鈥淏lack Robed Regiment鈥� of clergy to fight for 鈥渓iberty,鈥� are scheduled to speak.
John Lott, a discredited researcher who briefly served in the and uses dubious research to claim undocumented immigrants commit more crime, and Richard Mack, founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association 鈥� a group that claims sheriffs have more power than the federal government聽鈥� will also speak.
According to local news reports, thousands attended last year鈥檚 festival.
Frederick Clarkson, a senior research analyst at social justice think tank Political Research Associates (PRA), told Hatewatch the Rod of Iron festival shows Moon鈥檚 influence, in spite of the spectacle of his church and concerns about it being a cult.
But the festival speakers list shows 鈥渋t鈥檚 an organization with clout and influence,鈥� Clarkson said.
鈥楽piritual battle鈥�
Moon made inroads with the antigovernment movement and the far right thanks to his pro-Trump rhetoric and stance on firearms.
Rod of Iron is a staunchly pro-Second Amendment group. Moon made headlines in 2018 when he oversaw a blessing ceremony for Sanctuary Church members and their assault rifles, which Moon views as Biblical 鈥渞ods of iron鈥� to rule the coming heavenly kingdom built by his followers on earth.
Moon wears camouflage suits and a crown of bullets. During a 2018 interview, Moon told VICE News his appearance was 鈥渁 little wacky鈥� but 鈥渁 fun way to talk about serious issues.鈥�
These issues include calling left-wing politics 鈥減olitical Satanism,鈥� telling his followers godly people 鈥渉ave to fight鈥� communism, on the 鈥渟piritual nature of the battle" to re-elect former President Donald Trump and claiming Capitol police and antifa made a deal to 鈥渋nstigate and try to make the Trumpers look bad鈥� on Jan. 6.
Saccone will speak at the festival, but his topic is not stated on the festival鈥檚 website. Both Moon and Saccone attended the Jan. 6 protest that became an insurrection.
鈥淲e are storming the capitol,鈥� in a now-deleted Facebook post. 鈥淥ur vanguard has broken through the barricades. We will save this nation. Are u with me?鈥�
Saccone also posted a Jan. 6 photo with Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano, who has also appeared at Rod of Iron events, according to .
None of the men face charges for attending the Jan. 6 protest.
Mastriano signed a letter in December 2020 asking the delegation to object to the state鈥檚 Electoral College votes cast in favor of President Joe Biden. Mastriano also traveled to Arizona to observe the Republican-controlled state Senate鈥檚 audit of ballots in the 2020 presidential election.
鈥淧olitics makes strange bedfellows sometimes,鈥� Clarkson continued. 鈥淭hey need allies to go forward with undermining and seeking to discredit the validity of democratic institutions, making people lose confidence.鈥�
Pro-Trump members of the Oath Keepers聽militia and Three Percenters聽also attended the insurrection. PRA said before the insurrection that militias鈥� 鈥渘ear lockstep support for Trump鈥� 聽them into a pro-Trump, anti-democratic paramilitary.
Moon leads his own group known as the Peace Police Peace Militia and trains followers in deadly force. Its political positions 鈥� including Patriot movement talking points about smaller government and local sovereignty 鈥� align with the broader antigovernment movement.
鈥淭hey are organization with connections and significant power and able to play a pivotal role as an armed faction in the ongoing effort to destabilize democracy,鈥� Clarkson said.
Cults and Christians
The speakers list also shows Rod of Iron鈥檚 reach into the Christian Right, in spite of its theological foundation.
The Sanctuary church is an offshoot of the Unification Church, which Moon鈥檚 father, Sun Myung Moon, founded in 1954. That church is based on unorthodox interpretations of Biblical texts. Sun Myung believed Christ did not complete his role as the Messiah because he died without starting a family, a necessary part of humanity鈥檚 path to salvation.
Sun Myung said Jesus passed him the role of savior. He married his second wife, Hak Ja Han, in 1960. Unification Church members refer to them as the 鈥淭rue Parents鈥� who will redeem humanity.
Many consider the Unification Church a cult due to its . Teddy Hose and Lisa Kohn, both former Unification Church members who grew up close to the Moon family, told Hatewatch they consider it a cult.
Sun Myung chose Sean as his successor in 2010, two years before his death. Moon separated from the main church in 2012 over disagreements with his mother, Hak Ja Han, who took leadership of the Unification Church. However, Moon still holds his father as a returned Messiah.
Janja Lalich, a cult expert and professor emeritus of California State University, Chico, told Hatewatch she considers the Sanctuary Church 鈥渁 cult鈥� and Rod of Iron Ministries a 鈥渢roublesome movement.鈥�
That has not stopped conservative Christian pastors from associating with Moon. Fisher and Haskell are both pastors at churches that hold Christ as the Messiah.
They call for a revival of the 鈥淏lack Robed Regiment,鈥� a group of New England pastors who fought the British in the American Revolution. The calls mirror present-day antigovernment extremist remarks about tyrannical government.
Fisher鈥檚 biography on the Rod of Iron website calls the original Black Robed Regiment 鈥淧atriot Pastors 鈥� who preached the biblical principles of liberty and government.鈥�
Moon supports the regiment and wears a Black Robed Regiment patch on his vest.
Haskell鈥檚 biography says, 鈥淥ur American Revolution would have never happened if it were not for the pastors in New England.鈥�
The mixture of Christian pastors and far-right, antigovernment groups under the Rod of Iron banner 鈥渋s disturbing,鈥� said Jonathan Den Hartog, a scholar who specializes in American political and religious history and serves as chair of the history department at Samford University, a private Christian university in Birmingham, Alabama.
Further, stories about the Black Robed Regiment have little grounding in reality, according to Den Hartog.
鈥淭here was no such thing as an official 鈥楤lack Robe Regiment鈥� in the revolution. 鈥� There were individual pastors who were involved in various ways,鈥� he told Hatewatch.
There were some who preached in favor of war, Den Hartog said. Still, pastors of the revolutionary era gave few sermons in direct opposition to the British, and apart from those, 鈥淭here aren鈥檛 any other calls for violence,鈥� Den Hartog explained. 鈥淚n fact, it鈥檚 the exact opposite, that the solidarity in opposition should remain relatively peaceful.鈥�
Former Oath Keepers chaplain and Black Robed Regiment supporter Pastor Chuck Baldwin聽delivered a sermon to antigovernment forces at the Bundy Ranch standoff in 2014. Cliven Bundy and hundreds of armed antigovernment extremists held off聽federal agents who attempted to collect over $1 million in owed fees.
A federal grand jury indicted Bundy on 16 counts related to the 41-day standoff in 2016, including conspiracy to commit an offense 聽the United States. A jury found him not guilty on all counts on Oct. 27, 2016. The jury鈥檚 decision shocked聽court watchers.
At least one group scheduled to appear at the festival regularly participates in violence. Patriot Prayer聽鈥� which considers itself a Christian group 鈥� regularly planned protests in the Pacific Northwest that devolved into clashes with left-wing counterprotesters.
Gibson, the group鈥檚 leader, has said, 鈥淓veryone should be carrying around guns at all times.鈥� Reggie Axtell, a Patriot Prayer associate, threatened Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, saying, 鈥淚 promise you this, Ted Wheeler: I鈥檓 coming for you, you little punk.鈥� Skylor Jernigan, an attendee of several Patriot Prayer events, made threats toward antifa on a Facebook video: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e gonna be getting knives put into your throat. You鈥檙e going to be getting bullets put into your head.鈥�
Moon claims his militia and arms are only for self-defense.
But Den Hartog expressed concern over Rod of Iron鈥檚 armed training, along with the other speakers at the festival, given their antigovernment beliefs.
He concluded: 鈥淎re they talking about violence, are they talking about armed resistance? If you begin to see those types of discussion, that鈥檚 where I would be very concerned.鈥�
Hatewatch sent a request for comment to the Sanctuary Church. Regis Hanna, media coordinator for the Freedom Festival, responded.
Hanna said festival speakers were 鈥淧RO-democracy.鈥� Regarding concerns about Moon and attendees attending the Jan. 6 protest, Hanna said the actions of thousands of rioters 鈥渟hould not reflect poorly on those who attended and behaved in a respectful, peaceful and honorable manner.鈥�
Hanna declined to comment on accusations that the Sanctuary Church is a cult.
Pastors Fisher and Haskell did not respond to Hatewatch鈥檚 request for comment, sent via email and through the website of the church where Haskell preaches.
Photo illustration by 人兽性交
