We’ve seen the stories—bakers, florists, members of the military, business owners, and hard-working public servants who stood up for their beliefs and are paying the price. We know their names because they roll through our newsfeed sandwiched between celebrity gossip and the latest Vine. But for an audience of nearly three thousand last weekend, those stories became real.

Last Friday night, I had the privilege of attending the Rally for Religious Liberty in Des Moines, Iowa. Over 2,500 people ranging from families with babies, to teens, to grandparents gathered under the banner of religious freedom. The event was streamed live to thousands more who could not attend in person.

Liberty Institute was one of only two non-profit legal organizations invited to participate, with President and CEO KellyShackelford opening the event with a personal video message.

“In the over quarter century that I’ve been fighting for religious freedom, I’ve never seen anything like what I am seeing right now,” he said.

But talking about growing attacks on religious liberty is one thing. Meeting the people who have been attacked is another. The rally gave the audience the opportunity to meet everyday “heroes” who took a stand for religious liberty.

They met people like Liberty Institute’s client Phillip Monk, a USAF combat veteran who was relieved of duties and kicked out of his unit because he could not agree with his commander’s views on marriage.

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Source: http://blog.libertyinstitute.org